BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 25. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is reinforcing its commitment to addressing climate challenges through innovative financial mechanisms and global collaboration, said Seleha Lockwood, Senior Climate Strategy and Policy Specialist at AIIB, in an exclusive interview with Trend.
"Our focus here is to work with public and private sector clients to identify the best options for financing infrastructure," Lockwood emphasized. "This includes discussing holistic and multisectoral approaches to maximize adaptation, mitigation, and nature solutions, in projects and in climate policy-based financing, including country-led investment platforms".
A core element of AIIB’s strategy involves innovation in financial instruments. "We are committed to exploring innovative financial approaches, diversifying our financing offer," she said. Highlighting climate policy-based financing as a crucial new tool, Lockwood added, "We aim to partner with others to explore instruments such as debt-for-nature swaps, build on the success of our adaptation bond, and use capital markets more creatively to channel financing into this critical area".
Global collaboration remains at the heart of AIIB’s operations. "Partnering with other strategic entities, such as other MDBs - whether those experienced in debt-for-nature swaps or those engaged with countries on climate plans - is a core principle of AIIB’s international operations," Lockwood noted. Despite its regional focus, AIIB’s global membership enables it to extend its efforts worldwide. "For example, we’ve had meaningful engagements in Brazil, reflecting how our international reach aligns with our objectives," she explained.
Lockwood further underscored AIIB’s commitment to shaping the climate agenda through cooperative efforts. "Our priorities and collaborations established at this COP are well-aligned with our Asian and global mandate and will continue to shape our efforts as we move forward from this COP to the next," she concluded.
