Event type:

In person

Date & time:

14 Mar 2023, 16:00 – 17:30

Policy Discussion Panel: ‘What role(s) for Finance Ministries in Climate Action?’

Finance Ministries hold wide-ranging powers spanning economic strategy, investment, tax, spending, and financing policy and are uniquely positioned to drive the green transition. This Discussion Panel draws inspiration from the work of the Coalition of Finance Ministries for Climate Action and aims to discuss a number of key issues pertaining to the role(s) Finance Ministries play in driving climate action, focusing on the capabilities required to drive climate action.

What role(s) for Finance Ministries in Climate Action?
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Policy Discussion Panel: ‘What role(s) for Finance Ministries in Climate Action?’

14 Mar 2023, 16:00 – 17:30

Dr Olga Mikheeva

Honorary Senior Research Fellow

UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)

[[{"fid":"13373","view_mode":"small","fields":{"format":"small","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Olga Mikheeva","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"small","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Olga Mikheeva","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"attributes":{"height":"1368","width":"1401","class":"media-element file-small media-wysiwyg-align-left"}}]]Olga is a Honorary Senior Research Fellow at UCL IIPP, working on financial governance of innovation and development, including financing policies and investments to support the green transition. Among her recent publications there is a study of historical roles played by Central Banks and Finance Ministries: Governing finance to support the net-zero transition: lessons from successful industrialisation (with J. Ryan-Collins); a study of fragmented global governance landscape in the context of just transitions: Mind the Gap, The Global Governance of Just Transitions (with P. Newell, F Daley and I. Peša, forthcoming); and a recent policy study about the coordination of investments in the EU, commissioned by the European Parliament’s ECON Committee: Steering Economic Governance in Europe, Lessons for Governing Recovery and Resilience Facility (with M. Mazzucato and M. Carreras).

Nick Godfrey

Senior Advisor and Senior Visiting Fellow

Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment

[[{"fid":"13876","view_mode":"small","fields":{"format":"small","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Nick Godfrey","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"small","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Nick Godfrey","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"attributes":{"height":"359","width":"269","class":"media-element file-small media-wysiwyg-align-left"}}]]Nick is a Senior Adviser for the Grantham Research Institute at LSE, helping to lead its work to support the Coalition for Finance Ministers for Climate Action, including supporting Professor Lord Stern and Amar Bhattacharya in their role as advisers to the Coalition’s Co-Chairs. Nick has over fifteen years’ experience across the public, private, and third sectors in leadership and management roles working at the nexus of international development and climate action. He has recognised global expertise in climate policy, economics, and finance, authoring ~20 peer reviewed reports on climate action and directing two flagship reports for the UN Secretary General to support COP24 and COP26. 
Nick was previously a member of the Executive Team of the New Climate Economy, a major international initiative to examine how countries can achieve economic growth while dealing with climate risks led by a Global Commission of 26 former heads of state, finance Ministers, CEOs, and thought leaders. He has set-up and led a range of major initiatives in the economic development and climate space, including Guyana’s National Competitiveness Strategy, DFID’s Financial Education Fund, a Cross-Whitehall Review of the UK’s Avoided Deforestation Programme (REDD+), Atkins Future Proofing Cities, and New Climate Economy’s Africa and Cities programmes.

Anika Heckwolf

Policy Analyst

Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment

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Prior to joining the Grantham Research Institute, Anika worked for the environmental disclosure charity CDP. As Senior Policy Officer she researched and analysed corporate disclosure and climate policy, and supported CDP’s policy engagement with the UK Government and the UNFCCC. She previously also worked at Oxfam’s EU Advocacy Office in Brussel.

Pekka Morén

Special Representative of Finance Minister

Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action

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Previously, he acted as the Director on International Financial Affairs (2016-2020) and the Director in charge of Euro Area Stability (2011-2016) at the Finance Ministry. Prior to this, he was a Special Advisor on EU Financial Stability and Crisis Management issues, during the early stages of the international financial crisis (2008-2010). He served as Economist at the European Commission in Brussels, at the Secretariat of Economic and Financial Committee, Economic Policy Committee and Eurogroup between 2003 and 2008. Prior to this, he acted as the Director responsible for the Stability of the Financial Markets (2001-2003) at the Finance Ministry. 

He holds a Master´s Degree (1995) in Social Sciences (Economics) at the University of Helsinki. He studied Economics at the University of Edinburgh in 1991-1992. 

Thierry Watrin

Green Economy Advisor to the Minister of State of Rwanda

Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Rwanda

[[{"fid":"13959","view_mode":"small","fields":{"format":"small","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Thierry Watrin","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"small","alignment":"left","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Thierry Watrin","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"attributes":{"height":"4898","width":"3266","class":"media-element file-small media-wysiwyg-align-left"}}]]Thierry Watrin is the Green Economy and Climate Change Advisor to the Minister of State in Charge of Economic Planning, for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning of Rwanda. In this capacity, he contributes to the strategic development of a National Green Economy, specifically working on the transition to a decarbonized, sustainable, and socially responsible economy. With more than 10 years of experience across finance and energy, Thierry brings crosscutting perspectives to green economy and skills from high-level public and private sectors. Thierry holds Masters degrees in Central Engineering, Business and in Finance, along with an executive certificate in Renewable Energy Management from the University of St. Gallen Switzerland.

Carola Moreno Valenzuela

Head of Finance and International Affairs Unit

Ministry of Finance, Chile

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Previously, she was interim head of the International Relations Unit at the Central Bank and advisor to the Division Manager of Financial Policy at the issuing institute.

From 2017 to 2020, she worked as Chile's representative to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and as an advisor to the Director of the Southern Cone Office for the IMF's Executive Board.
 

Further information

Ticketing

Ticketed

Cost

Free

Open to

All

Availability

Yes

Organiser

UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

iippcomms@ucl.ac.uk