Presenting the Nature & People Finance Alliance and the first project it will support, the Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership
You’re Invited
Presenting the G7 Nature & People Finance Alliance and the first project it will support, the Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership
A side event at CBD COP17 · Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · Yerevan, Armenia
The Government of France, the Rob Walton Foundation, and the ICCF Group are delighted to invite you to the presentation of the G7 Nature & People Finance Alliance and the first project the alliance will support, the Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership. The event will take place on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17). The hosts will be joined by other G7 countries and philanthropic partners of the Alliance.
High-Level Session & Reception
3:30–5:00 p.m.
Drinks, appetizers, and desserts will be served.
The high-level session and reception will bring together representatives of the Governments of France and Germany, the European Commission, and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. They will be joined by ministers from Africa Keystone partner countries and global philanthropists.
Preliminary list of speakers:
- H.E. Monique Barbut, Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature, France
- H.E. Wynter Boipuso Mmolotsi, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Republic of Botswana
- H.E. Carsten Schneider, Federal Minister for the Environment, Germany
- Hon. Narend Singh, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Republic of South Africa
- Additional Ministers from Keystone Partner Countries
- H.E. Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and Competitive Circular Economy, European Commission
- Diego Mesa Puyo, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility
- Duko Hopman, Executive Director, Rob Walton Foundation
- Aileen Lee, President, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- John Gantt, CEO, the ICCF Group
Event Details
When
3:30–5:00 p.m. (Armenia Time)
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Where
Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan
Ararat Ballroom
1 King Pap StreetYerevan, Armenia, 0010
RSVP
RSVP here by Thursday, October 22, to the organization that invited you, or to Daniela Macaya at dmacaya@internationalconservation.org.
This invitation is transferable while space allows.
Event Information
| Event Date | Wednesday, October 28th at 3:00 pm |
Background
The G7 Nature and People Finance Alliance
The G7 Nature and People Finance Alliance has one mission: to protect nature by matching and mobilizing public and private capital for conservation at scale. Launched by France under its G7 Presidency with support from the ICCF Group, the Alliance received support from all G7 countries at the G7 Ministerial Meeting in Paris in April 2026.
The Alliance brings together public development institutions, philanthropic organizations, private investment funds, and companies, each contributing according to its capacity. By strengthening coordination between the public and private sectors, it draws on complementary expertise and fosters innovative approaches, on the principle that upstream nature investment reduces downstream crisis spending.
First Project Supported by the Alliance: The Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership
The G7 Nature and People Finance Alliance will invest in select protected areas within the Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership. It combines public and private funding, and each country or philanthropy can contribute through the channel it prefers, such as the Legacy Landscapes Fund or a bilateral agreement. France, Germany, and the European Commission have each pledged support, and other countries and philanthropies are invited to join them.
The Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership
The Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership, (Keystone Partnership) is an effort founded by the Rob Walton Foundation, African Parks, the Wildlife Conservation Society and Frankfurt Zoological Society, bringing together African governments, communities, NGOs, and funders to protect 162 of Africa’s most irreplaceable protected areas by 2035. Partner collaborators also include African Wildlife Foundation, Campaign for Nature, Conservation International, Fauna & Flora, the ICCF Group and WWF.
The Presidents of Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa, and the African Union launched the Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership at an ICCF Group reception on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in 2025 in partnership with the African Wildlife Foundation.
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