Building Bridges Geneva aims to tackle the world’s most significant challenges – from climate change to social inequality – by accelerating the flow of private sector sustainable investment and driving effective policy-making. Building a sustainable economy will be key, but the transition we need is so significant, and the actions required to deliver it so complex, that it cannot be achieved by any single actor or sector – government authorities, international foundations, academics, businesses and financial institutions all have a central role to play. 

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    shepherding the transition.

    By ‘building bridges’ between stakeholders and sectors Building Bridges Geneva brings together a coalition, from across the public and private spheres, to facilitate the shift to a global economic model that can fulfil the needs of a sustainable, just society, as outlined in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. 

    the transition we need is so significant that it cannot be achieved by any single actor or sector – government authorities, international foundations, academics, businesses and financial institutions all have a central role to play

    Although the Building Bridges Geneva summit is the initiative’s centrepiece, the project is far more than just an event. Building Bridges is a year-round force for good; a committed movement of people and organisations working to identify opportunities to promote sustainable finance, and to advocate for policies that will facilitate the shift to a new global economic model – one that can sustainably and fairly meet the needs of every person on the planet, wherever they happen to live. 
     

    LOcom_HKL.jpgHubert Keller, Senior Managing Partner at Lombard Odier

    Switzerland, which hosts both a global hub for international collaboration and one of the world’s leading financial centres, is an ideal place for Building Bridges to call home. By basing itself in Geneva, Building Bridges is positioned to engage with a wide range of stakeholders from the worlds of finance, energy industry, the United Nations, international organisations, NGOs, academia, and policymakers. In building bridges between these diverse groups the project aims to channel their talents toward a common goal: the development and application of sustainable finance to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Building Bridges is a year-round force for good; a committed movement of people and organisations working to identify opportunities to promote sustainable finance, and to advocate for policies that will facilitate the shift to a new global economic model

    the summit.

    The Building Bridges summit was established to maximise the collective impact of the coalition’s  ‘Bridge Builders’, and to bring together key stakeholders for a discussion on how to accelerate The Sustainability Revolution in a way that both reduces risks and creates investment opportunities for the private sector. 

    The first Building Bridges Geneva summit, held in 2019, was symbolically located on a bridge between International Geneva and Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, the city’s financial hub. As such, the summit was ideally located for a coming together of representatives from both sectors for a conversation on how to create lasting and meaningful change.

    building bridges geneva 2023.

    This year, Building Bridges, the leading sustainable finance conference in Switzerland, was held at the Centre International des Conférences de Genève (CICG). Across 65 events, Building Bridges 2023 explored concrete ways to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on a number of key themes, such as the electrification of our energy system and the need to mobilise trillions to build a nature-positive economy.
     

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    climate change and the speed of the finance transition 

    To meet the Paris temperature targets, global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050. International pledges alone will not be sufficient to achieve the reduction needed – sustainable finance will be key, as companies and entire industries look to build out cleaner infrastructure and adapt their processes. 

    At Building Bridges 2023 was reminded that between now and 2030, a massive capital expenditure of more than USD 24 trillion will be ploughed into the electrification of our energy systems and that by 2050, 70% of the economy will be electrified. In our energy systems, he explained, capital is flowing for the transition from fossil fuels to renewable electricity: “In the Global North, with the building blocks of electrification, we have crossed tipping points and are moving towards mass adoption

    This major system change represents one of the greatest investment opportunites of all time.

    The scale of the electrification transformation is huge. By 2030, we’ll have invested more than USD 24 trillion of capex. By 2050, 70% of the economy will be electrified. Investors have a key role to play in accelerating the transition, and in the promising investment opportunities it is unlocking

    Michael Urban, Chief Sustainability Strategist

    finance for nature

    More than half of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) is directly dependent on nature and the ecosystem services it provides. Yet, it is our current flawed economic system that is pushing the earth towards a climate change tipping point. Sustainable finance has the power to create direct value in nature preservation and restoration, but too often programmes fail to deliver on their promises, or become beset by allegations of greenwashing. At this year’s edition, nature was at the heart of the discussions, with a strong focus on technical solutions.

    Read more here : Building Bridges 2023: mobilising trillions to create a net-zero, nature-positive economy

     

    sustainable development

    The transition to a sustainable economy will only succeed where a development solution is found that is fair for all – the burden cannot fall hardest on those who can afford it least. In giving voice to a cross-section of experts, advocates and financial institutions from across the Global North and South, Building Bridges explores equitable sustainable development pathways that enable development where it’s needed, without further compromising the global emissions reduction trajectory that must be followed to achieve the Paris climate goals.

    building bridges and lombard odier.

    There is no path to achieving the UN SDGs without global financial institutions embracing sustainable finance – our industry must collaborate with investors, governments, businesses, the UN and wider society to make finance more sustainable and promote responsible investment. 
     

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    At Lombard Odier, we understand that The Sustainability Revolution is inevitable, and that promoting sustainable finance is in the best interests of our clients. The transition to what we call the CLIC® economy—one that is Circular, Lean, Inclusive and Clean – is not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’. We see it as our fiduciary responsibility to help our clients tap into the many opportunities that will come with this transition. 

    With Building Bridges Geneva now playing a crucial role in facilitating this transition, the Lombard Odier Group is proud to be part of this growing effort to make the future of finance a sustainable one. 

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    Our heritage is Swiss, yet our outlook and mind set are resolutely international. With over 25 offices globally, we are able to serve our clients all over the world.

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