Highlights from the People, Planet, Prosperity Project Country Pilots: Philippines and Sri Lanka

Description

As part of the People, Planet, Prosperity Project (3Ps), ADB worked with the Stanford University’s Natural Capital Project to co-develop natural capital approaches in ADB member countries to directly inform policy and investment decisions and help secure each country’s natural capital in support of their development goals. Natural capital approaches make explicit nature’s benefits to people so that they can be incorporated into decisions and motivate investments in ecosystems, improving the well-being of both people and nature. These approaches were piloted in five Asia Pacific countries – Armenia, the People’s Republic of China, the Cook Islands, the Philippines and Sri Lanka – involving multilateral development bank leaders, local government partners, and local experts to inform specific, priority policy or finance decisions.

The pilot countries, supported by the project teams, are further developing technical and policy capacity across their governments and other relevant institutions for implementing natural capital approaches in future work. This three-part Natural Capital webinar series is part of the effort to share lessons learned across these countries and beyond, with the goal of scaling up these approaches around the world. ADB is planning to institutionalize natural capital assessments as crucial, upstream work to inform downstream planning, policy, and investments. ADB is further developing operational support and finance opportunities for mainstreaming natural capital approaches within member countries.

Objectives

The webinar aims to:

• provide an understanding of how natural capital approaches can be mainstreamed as an important upstream component of development planning;
• illustrate how natural capital assessments were developed within the Philippines and Sri Lanka pilots to yield policy relevant information;
• share highlights and lessons learned from both the analytical and capacity development components of the projects; and
• discuss integration of natural capital approaches within ADB and across member countries.

Target participants

The webinar invites representatives from the following organizations engaged in agriculture, food security, natural resources, and rural development:

• government and intergovernmental organizations
• multilateral and bilateral development institutions
• private firms engaged in the agriculture and food business
• research and development institutions, think tanks, and centers of excellence
• NGOs, civil society and advocacy organizations, other individuals and organizations interested and/or engaged in agriculture and natural resources.

Resource speakers

Moderator

• Narayan Iyer, Principal Natural Resources and Agriculture Specialist (Agribusiness), Agriculture, Food, Nature and Rural Development Sector Office (SG-AFNR), Sectors Department 2, ADB

Welcome remarks

• Justine Sicat, Executive Director, ADB
• Qingfeng Zhang, Senior Director, Agriculture, Food, Nature and Rural Development Sector Office, ADB
• Mary Ruckelshaus, Executive Director, Natural Capital Project, Stanford University

Speakers

• Jess Silver, Ecosystem Services Analyst, Natural Capital Project, Stanford University, 3Ps Philippines Pilot Project Engagement Lead
• Abigail Bautista, Project Evaluation Officer, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines
• Martino Pelli, Senior Economist, Economic Research and Development Impact Department, ADB
• Sanath Ranawana, Director, Natural Capital and Climate, Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Sector Office (SG-AFNR), ADB
• Buddhi Marambe, Senior Professor of Crop Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
• Lisa Mandle, Director of Science-Software Integration and Lead Scientist, Natural Capital Project, Stanford University
• Kim Bonine, Head of Capacity Development, Natural Capital Project, Stanford University

Closing remarks

• Sanath Ranawana, Director, Natural Capital and Climate, SG-AFNR, ADB

How to register

Register via Zoom
Meeting ID: 946 2372 4430
Passcode: AFNR2025

Costs

Online participation in the webinar is free.