The Green Guarantee Group (GGG) was soft-launched at COP28 by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt, AA) and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz, BMWK). It aims to unite a diverse range of stakeholders in addressing the challenges associated with using guarantees to support green transition finance.
Since its formal launch in March 2024, the GGG has convened experts from various sectors—including governments, multilateral development banks (MDBs), development agencies, the private sector, civil society, and academia—to initiate discussions on guarantees. These conversations have highlighted the evolving context and challenges posed by limited public funding and high capital costs, particularly in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). This has spurred the GGG to scale up into a group with the ultimate goal of reporting to policymakers at COP30 in Belem, Brazil.
The GGG will work to produce solution-oriented recommendations for decision-makers, fostering a significant increase in the use of green guarantees. The group will facilitate collaboration among various actors—including investors, insurance companies, renewable energy manufacturers, and service providers—to explore guarantees as essential tools for funding the green transition in EMDEs. This work will include identifying “lighthouse projects” that demonstrate the effectiveness of guarantees in driving green investments. It will also serve as a forum to better understand the limitations of guarantees, improve risk management, and build on existing innovative initiatives.
The European Climate Foundation (ECF) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) serve as its Secretariat. Morgan Deprés, Executive Director of International Finance, Economy and Nature Programmes at ECF, is head of this Secretariat. The GGG is chaired by Professor Lars-Hendrik Röller, former Director General for Economic and Financial Policy at the German Chancellery (2011-2022).
Climate Policy Initiative will provide high-level advisory and will produce analysis to better identify key challenges and innovative solutions related to guarantees, pinpoint lighthouse projects to unlock climate investment, and offer recommendations for scaling green guarantees ahead of COP30.
Upcoming events at COP29:
Green Guarantee Group – Unlocking private capital at scale for the green transition in EMDEs
Date/time: November 13, 16:30-18:00
Location: German Pavilion
Speakers: State Minister Lührmann, AA; Prof. Lars-Hendrik Röller, GGG; Dr. Barbara Buchner, CPI; Ivan Oliveira/ Ministry of Finance BRA, (tbc) Olga Sclovscaia, World Bank MIGA; Anthony Hobley, Deputy Chair Climate Risk & Resilience, Howden Group
Mobilizing private investment to accelerate sustainable development
Date/time: November 14, 16:00 – 17:00
Location: Deloitte Pavillon
Speakers: Hendrik Röller; Prof. Dr. Bernhard Lorentz, Deloitte; Lavinia Bauerochse, Deutsche Bank; Ingrid Hoven, GIZ Management Board
Providing the Private Sector with Confidence: The Green Guarantee Group (invite only)
Date/time: November 14, 18.30 – 19.30
Location: COP29 Presidency Pavilion
Speakers: mit StS Morgan; H.E. Mukhtar Babayev, COP 29 Presidency; Lars-Hendrik Röller; Andrew Forrest, FORTESCUE; Karen Fang, Bank of America
GGG Resources
Landscape of Guarantees for Climate Finance in EMDEs
Climate Policy Initiative has conducted a mapping exercise to better understand the landscape of guarantees for EMDEs. This report, published in February 2024, highlights key gaps in the uptake of guarantees for climate finance and identifies areas where further research is needed to increase their scale and effectiveness for climate finance in emerging markets and developing economies.
Scoping Note on Green Guarantees
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the challenges that will be addressed by the Green Guarantee Group. In line with its mandate, the GGG will publish its final recommendation by COP30 in 2025.
Contacts
For further information on the GGG please reach out to:
- Claire Lacoste (ECF): claire.lacoste@europeanclimate.org
- Nadja Emmanuel (GIZ): nadja.emmanuel@giz.de
- Karla Esquinca (CPI): karla.esquinca@cpiglobal.org