A delegation from Guernsey Finance, comprising Chief Executive Rupert Pleasant, Head of Strategy and Sustainable Finance Stephanie Glover, Communications Director Rosie Allsopp and Middle East Representative Aaron Russell-Davison, will attend the COP28 conference in Dubai at the beginning of December.
The delegation will join representatives of the States of Guernsey and Guernsey's regulator, the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC). Guernsey Finance's representatives will discuss how the finance sector can support a transition to net zero and a more resilient future, the importance of balanced regulation to support environmental actions, and more.
Home to world-first regimes such as the Guernsey Green Fund and the Natural Capital Fund, Guernsey is a genuine leader at the forefront of sustainable finance thinking and is well positioned to share insights and collaborate on a global scale at the COP28 conference.
On 4 December, William Mason, Director General of the GFSC, will moderate a panel titled Crossed perspectives on the macroeconomic challenges of the race to net zero at the Network for Greening the Financial System's one day event.
A group of Guernsey's sustainability leaders will come together for a panel session on 5 December at the Island of Hope event, which intends to bring together key global actors from small island states and climate-vulnerable regions.
The panel is titled Circular Economy in Guernsey – a Case Study and features panellists Stephanie Glover, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, President of Guernsey's Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure, and Peter Barnes, Head of Energy & Climate Change at the States of Guernsey with Rosie Allsopp as moderator. Discussions will centre around Guernsey's path to creating a world-leading recycling program and how it links to embracing the circular economy model.
The same day will also see Rosie Allsopp interview Racquel Moses, CEO of the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator, in a fireside chat focusing on accelerating and financing the energy transition for small island developing states (SIDS).
On 6 December, William Mason will discuss the importance of balanced regulation, exemplified by the GFSC, to support and implement environmental benefits and actions in a fireside chat with Rosie Allsopp.
William Mason will then sit alongside sustainable finance figureheads at The World Climate Summit, taking place on 8 December, in a panel titled Transitioning the Finance Sector- Investments for the Transition to a 1.5°C Resilient Future. The panel will explore strategies investors are implementing to successfully transition their portfolios to net zero.
While the delegation are in Dubai, Guernsey Finance will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) on 5 December. Guernsey Finance Chief Executive Rupert Pleasant will sign the MoU with the CEO of the Dubai International Financial Centre Authority Arif Amiri, cementing the relationship between two leading international finance centres.
Stephanie Glover said: “Guernsey's presence at COP28 cements the island's ongoing commitment to sustainable finance and advancing our offerings through global collaboration.
“We are thrilled to be able to connect with other leaders in the sustainable finance space and discuss Guernsey's ever-growing suite of sustainable offerings.”
Guernsey Finance has established a carbon emissions reduction plan which includes running events and travel in a more sustainable manner, thereby ensuring the agency upholds its aim to promote a more sustainable future.
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