Casa Fund at COP29

From November 11 to 22, state authorities, experts, and civil society representatives from around the world will gather in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29). The Casa Socio-Environmental Fund will participate with a delegation of 15 people, engaging in panels about the architecture of philanthropy in the Global South and the role of territorial and local funds in protecting biodiversity and promoting global climate justice.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is a fundamental space for articulation and establishment of international decisions to fulfill the commitments outlined in the Paris Agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, the Convention itself, and previous COPs.

This is an important event to drive more effective actions to confront the causes and implement adaptation measures to climate change, either by mobilizing resources to invest in practices and technologies, particularly in developing countries, or by expanding cooperation mechanisms and promoting urgent sustainability, especially in the most vulnerable territories to the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the climate crisis.

The Casa Fund delegation includes members of the institution and leaders from supported groups representing traditional communities, such as Indigenous peoples, quilombolas, and extractivists, as well as representatives from youth movements and socio-environmental protection and Amazonian Territorial Funds.

In this context, the Casa Fund and partners will bring discussions to COP29 about the importance of strengthening philanthropy in the Global South, highlighting the experiences of local and territorial funds in promoting socio-environmental justice. It is important to note that in the Global South, where the impacts of climate change are most difficult to overcome, there are enormous challenges in promoting dignified and sustainable living conditions, as well as communities that hold exemplary knowledge, practices, and nature-based solutions for the entire world.

“Casa Fund’s main expectation for COP29 is to strengthen direct financing for building local climate resilience. With the participation of leaders from the supported groups, Casa Fund also hopes to amplify the importance of these communities in discussions around international treaties and in developing nature-based solutions and climate adaptation strategies. Another goal is to attract new partners and strengthen inclusive climate financing networks, ensuring that resources reach those who face the impacts of climate change in Brazilian territories daily in a more agile and effective way,” explains Cristina Orpheo, executive director of Casa Fund.

In addition to the panels organized by the Casa Fund in the Blue Zone and at the Brazil Pavilion, Cristina Orpheo, executive director of Casa, and Maria Amália Souza, founder/Strategic Alliances and Partnerships of Casa, will participate as panelists in events organized by partners. Check out the Casa Fund’s schedule at COP29 below!

Panels Organized by Casa Socio-Environmental Fund

November 15 | Brazil Pavilion – Blue Zone

Local Time (Baku): 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Panel: Opportunities and Challenges in Institutional Arrangements for Direct Financing of Local and Traditional Communities in Sociobiodiversity Businesses and Nature-Based Solutions

Organized by: Casa Fund, Brazil Fund for Human Rights, ELAS+ Giving for Change, and Comuá Network.

November 16 | Rooms 3/7 or 9 – Blue Zone

Local Time (Baku): 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Panel: Funding Solutions from the Grassroots: Local, Territorial, and Activist Funds and the Power of the Philanthropic Architecture of the Global South

Organized by: Casa Fund, Alianza Fondos del Sur, and Comuá Network

This event will feature simultaneous interpretation in Portuguese and Spanish.

Casa Fund’s Participation in Panels Organized by Partners

November 15 | United Kingdom Pavilion

Local Time (Baku): 12:50 PM – 1:50 PM

Panel: Gender-just Climate Financing and Locally Led Adaptation: Gender-just Climate Finance – Supporting Feminist Climate Action at the Grassroots Level

Organized by: Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action – GAGGA

Panelist: Maria Amália Souza – Founder of Casa Fund