São Paulo, Brazil – November 10, 2025 – The PRI-CASI Sustainability Forum for COP30, titled "From Sustainability to Scalability: Role of Capacity-Building and a Perspective from EMDEs," concluded successfully on November 7 in São Paulo, Brazil. Co-hosted by the Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI), Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and the Institute for Climate and Society (iCS), the forum served as a side event of the PRI in-person agenda and a pre-event to COP30, which also marked the second CASI event in Latin America.

The half-day forum brought together over 150 in-person participants and online attendees from more than 25 jurisdictions worldwide, with strong representation from Latin America. The event convened policymakers, thought leaders, financial practitioners, and academic experts to explore critical issues including taxonomy interoperability, cross-border green finance opportunities, enhanced sustainability disclosures, and strategies to scale sustainable investment in EMDEs. Discussions centered on the urgency of translating sustainability commitments into scalable action and the vital role of capacity-building in driving systemic change in the global south.

In the opening remarks, Dr. Ma Jun, Chairman of CASI, highlighted CASI's rapid growth, now with around 70 institutional members and having trained more than 7,000 professionals across 100 jurisdictions through four core programs: the Sustainability Forum, seminars, technical assistance services, and the CASI Academy. Emphasizing the need to close capacity gaps in policy making and implementation, sustainable finance and investment, and project development, Dr. Ma also recognized Latin America's pivotal role in the green transition and stressed the importance of cross-border collaboration.

David Atkin, CEO of the PRI, highlighted the urgent need for global collaboration in advancing sustainable finance, particularly in emerging markets. He noted that PRI represents over 5,000 signatories managing USD 140 trillion in assets under management, committed to supporting ESG integration in investment decisions. Despite holding 70% of global solar and wind potential, emerging markets receive less than 15% of clean energy investment. PRI's new three-year strategy will focus on bridging this gap by deepening engagement in these regions. With clean energy investment reaching USD 2 trillion in 2024—nearly double fossil fuel investment—Mr. Atkin emphasized the net-zero transition as a defining investment opportunity and called on investors to join collective efforts to accelerate sustainable development.

Maria Netto, Executive Director of the iCS stressed three priorities for scaling sustainable investment in emerging markets: interoperable taxonomies, stronger local project pipelines, and strategic blending of public–private and domestic–international finance. She mentioned that Brazil’s approval of its sustaianble finance taxonomy is a pivotalstep toward aligning national finance with climate goals. The core aim is to cut the cost of capital via regulatory innovation and risk-sharing—making taxonomy harmonization an important part of  COP30 implementation and global sustainable finance.

Carlos Takahashi, Director of the Brazilian Financial and Capital Markets Association (ANBIMA), shared insights on Brazil's growing role in sustainable finance. He highlighted the country's efforts to leverage its robust financial infrastructure, innovative instruments, and newly developed Sustainable Taxonomy to attract international investment in green projects. Key focus areas include establishing clear sustainability criteria, strengthening technical capacity, improving data transparency, and promoting collaboration to scale climate finance effectively.

Jonathan Pershing, COP30 Envoy for North America, emphasized the importance to incorporate physical climate risks into investment and policy design. He warned that existing policies and frameworks remain too static to reflect the dynamic impacts of climate change, from extreme heat and droughts to wildfires that can reshape the risk profile of different assets. Calling this the “next frontier” in sustainable finance, Pershing urged closer collaboration among financial, scientific, and insurance communities to build climate-informed risk models that can support resilient, climate-aligned growth ahead of COP30 and beyond.

Erik Berglöf, AIIB Chief Economist, highlighted state capacity as key to net-zero. He outlined the four pillars of the Net Zero transition—planning, markets, finance, and industrial policy—and cited Brazil’s country platform as a model. In his speech, he announced AIIB’s USD 1 billion climate loan for Brazil and commended CASI’s role in global collaboration.

To dive deeper into the topics of taxonomies and sustainability disclosure, the forum featured two panel discussions, with an aim to explore the progress made, remaining challenges in implementation and role of capacity building.The first panel, moderated by Dr. Ma Jun, featured expert discussions focused on the interoperability of taxonomies, especailly the evolution of the Common Ground Taxonomy (CGT) into a Multi-jurisdictional Common Ground Taxonomy (MCGT). Speakers highlighted how CGT alignment benefits green bond issuers, strengthens investor confidence, and enhances market transparency.

José Pedro Bastos Neves from Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, presented Brazil’s efforts to enhance international comparability through its new national taxonomy, which was just approved recently. Helena Viñes Fiestas from the EU’s Sustainable Finance Platform highlighted that the EU Taxonomy has evolved from an anti-greenwashing tool into a key driver of corporate capital investment and market performance. Both Helena and Sean Kidney from the Climate Bonds Initiative called for simpler criteria and stronger global interoperability to enhance cross-border green finance.

Anne Matusewicz, Americas Head of Sustainable Investing Specialists at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Judy Li, ESG and Sustainability Leader at EY Greater China highlighted how their businesses related to CGT-aligned products and verification can strengthen investor demand and confidence, which also enhances cross-border interoperability as more markets join the MCGT initiative.

The second session was moderated by Pietro Bertazzi, Chief Policy and Projects Officer of CDP, focusing on the importance of high-quality, consistent sustainability disclosures to accelerate sustainable investment and build investor trust.

Speakers noted a shift from purely quantitative ESG data to qualitative insights into transition plans, with reliable trends valued over perfect precision, where Charles Nguyen from Neuberger Berman, noted that investors increasingly combine quantitative data with qualitative assessments of companies’ transition credibility.

Speakers also reached broad consensus that the next phase of sustainable finance will hinge on the establishment of robust standards, the development of practical tools, and strengthened cooperation to ensure that transparency leads to tangible real-world outcomes.

Rose Vennin, Head of ISSB Strategic Affairs, highlighted the rapid global uptake of IFRS S1 and S2 and urged coordinated adoption to preserve consistency and investor confidence, while Ardhi Rasy Wardhana from Indonesia outlined the alignment of its updated green taxonomy with the ISSB and highlighted for its simplicity and SME-friendly approach.

In the meantime, Derek Baraldi from the World Economic Forum, stressed the need for interoperable data ecosystems and collaboration to mobilize large-scale private investment, while Daisy Shen, Head of ESG at KPMG, emphasized that sustainability reporting should inform strategic business decisions, with effective assurance turning data into long-term value creation.

In addition to policy and market dialogues, CASI and PRI introduced new approaches and products to enhance the capacity building on sustaianble finance and investment. Cheng Lin, Head of Secretariat at CASI, introduced the latest developments of the CASI Academy, including expanded language coverage and the exam mechanism that enhances the governance and delivery of assessments. The Academy also showcased its customized question bank, comprehensive certification plans, and a three-tier competence framework, offering a clearer and integrated pathway for professionals and institutions to strengthen capacity on sustainable finance. Anthony Roberts, Director of Investor Education at PRI, shared recent progress of the PRI Academy, highlighting its expansion of thematic courses and regional partnerships to deepen ESG knowledge and build market-wide capacity.

The event closed also as part of the Climate Action and Climate Implimentation Summit, reaffirming that CASI will continue its capacity-building efforts in sustainable finance and investment to build momentum toward COP30.

The full report summary is coming soon. For media inquiries, please contact:
Jessica Tsang
jessica.tsang@sprinkles.org.hk

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About CASI
The Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI) is an international cooperation platform committed to delivering high-quality, high-impact sustainable finance capacity-building services for developing countries by serving as a global aggregator and distributor of sustainable finance knowledge. Officially launched at COP28 in December 2023, CASI has grown to include over 70 member institutions, including financial companies, industry associations, NGOs, service start-ups, and higher education institutions, with a geographic reach spanning Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and other emerging markets.

CASI supports the G20’s Transition Finance Framework (TAAP) by facilitating the exchange and dissemination of sustainable finance knowledge through various initiatives such as the CASI Sustainability Forum, CASI Seminar, CASI Technical Assistance (TA), and the CASI Academy—an online e-learning platform offering more than 40 modules on diverse topics related to sustainable finance. For more information about CASI and its members, please visit www.casi.net. 

About Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)

Convened by the United Nations Secretary-General and developed by an international group of institutional investors, the Principles for Responsible Investment reflect the increasing relevance of environmental, social and corporate governance issues to investment practices.

The six Principles act as a guide for investors to integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into their investment practices. They encourage us to work together to invest responsibly, and they foster a culture of transparency – making sure we hold each other accountable for our decisions.

When we follow these principles, we align our financial decisions with the future we want to see: a world where sustainable development is at the core of financial markets.

As a signatory of PRI, you play an active role in shaping a future where financial markets drive positive, lasting change. For more information, please visit: https://www.unpri.org/

About the Institute for Climate and Society (iCS)

The Institute for Climate and Society (iCS) is a philanthropic organization that supports the fight against climate change. It focuses on Brazil through the use of a wide range of approaches and tools that range from institutional and financial support to non-profit organizations. This includes support to develop technical and scientific research, the formation of networks, and the development of capabilities in the different economic segments of Brazilian society.

With an important and diverse network of partners and stakeholders, iCS encourages building bridges between different sectors, and promotiong dialogues and exchanges between ecosystems, seeking to expand the connections and to reduce the approaches of working in silos. iCS understands that this systemic approach is essential for the decarbonization of the Brazilian economy to translate into opportunities of socioeconomic development for the country.

Created shortly after the Paris Agreement, in 2015, the Institute, together with its partners and grantees, has been broadening a collection of experiences and useful knowledge to advance the climate agenda and improve the quality of life of the Brazilian population. . For more information, please visit: https://climaesociedade.org/en/