Speakers
Senior Private Sector Officer, IFAD, and Co-Chair of GDPRD Thematic Working Group
Coordinator of the ASLC, and CSAF Data & Learning Manager
Senior Adviser, Department for Climate, Nature and the Private Sector, Section for Food, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norad
Senior Policy Advisor and Program Manager – Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, SDC
Commercial Agriculture and Sustainable Investment Lead, United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO
Independent Advisor, Co-Chair of GDPRD Thematic Working Group, and former Agricultural Finance Team Lead, USAID
Moderator
Maurizio Navarra
Secretariat Coordinator, GDPRD
CO-ORGANIZERS
Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD); International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); Agri-SME Learning Collective
INTRODUCTION
The Thematic Working Group on Sustainable/Blended Finance for Food Systems was established in April 2024 by the GDPRD. It brings together representatives from donor organizations, philanthropies, public funds and foundations to explore innovative financing approaches aimed at increasing the impact of donor and public funds on food systems.
This session will present the work being done as the group’s first initiative, to standardize the assessment of additionality and impact in agri-SME blended finance through a Catalytic Capital Framework. Supported by Canada, Norway, Switzerland, the UK and the US, and led by the Agri-SME Learning Collective, the framework aims to enhance decision-making, accountability and collaboration by providing a common language for donors, intermediaries and policymakers.
The session will discuss the challenges in measuring and standardizing the impact of blended finance instruments across impact investors and donors. It will showcase how the framework can guide catalytic capital deployment, strengthen impact measurement, and inform policies that promote food security and sustainable agricultural investment. By standardizing assessments of impact and additionality, the framework aligns with CFS’s mission to enhance inclusive, sustainable financing.
THE DISCUSSIONS WILL:
| Provisional agenda | |
|---|---|
| Moderator: Maurizio Navarra, Secretariat Coordinator, GDPRD | |
| 13:30 – 13:35 | INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME
The Thematic Working Group on Sustainable/Blended Finance for Food Systems Maurizio Navarra, Senior Partnership Office, IFAD and Secretariat Coordinator, GDPRD |
| 13:35 – 13:40 | SCENE-SETTING
Innovative financing approaches Challenges and opportunities Tuleen Alkhoffash, Senior Private Sector Officer, IFAD, and Co-Chair of GDPRD Thematic Working Group |
| 13:40 – 13:55 | THE CATALYTIC CAPITAL FRAMEWORK
How the framework assesses additionality, impact and context as a “north star” for measuring catalytic capital. Eda Dokle, Coordinator of the ASLC, and CSAF Data & Learning Manager |
| 13:55 – 14:30 | PANEL DISCUSSION
Insights from donor-testing cohort and the need for a framework. Anders Aabo, Senior Adviser, Department for Climate, Nature and the Private Sector, Section for Food, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norad Peter Beez, Senior Policy Advisor and Program Manager - Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, SDC Radio Save, Commercial Agriculture and Sustainable Investment Lead, United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO Songbae Lee, former Agricultural Finance Team Lead, USAID |
| 14:30 – 14:40 | Interactive Q&A |
| 14:40 – 14:45 | Closing remarks
Next phase opportunities Songbae Lee, Independent Advisor, and Co-Chair of GDPRD Thematic Working Group |
Links
Event documents
