Climate finance has been a global priority for decades, with significant milestones such as the Green Climate Fund being established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2010. Between 2021 and 2023, private sector investments in climate resilience escalated and institutions like multilateral development banks and the Green Climate Fund have been central to this growth.
The Resilience and Sustainability Trust, launched by the International Monetary Fund in April 2022, was set up as an international initiative for channelling climate finance to at risk nations. It aims to help low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries tackle long-term structural challenges, including climate change and pandemic preparedness. The RST’s potential to attract private capital is a core element of its design. With IMF funds in play, private investors could be more willing to take risks and collaborate with these countries to meet their climate finance needs.
The RST offers longer-term financing with a significant grace period, making it an attractive option for private investors who seek reduced financial risks associated with long-term climate projects. The accompanying Upper Credit Tranche programme buttresses macroeconomic and financial stability, improving investor confidence. This potential for private sector involvement is a reason for optimism in climate finance.
Promising results with private sector engagement
The RST is beginning to show results in addressing long-term climate and sustainability challenges. Its full impact, particularly in leveraging private capital, will become more apparent as institutional mechanisms and blended financing structures are adopted, more projects come to the pipeline and innovative public-private risk-sharing instruments evolve.
Eighteen countries have started using RST funds to address their structural challenges, enhance resilience and support sustainable development initiatives. Some countries have explored options to crowd private investments through blended finance structures. These countries, including Barbados, Rwanda and Costa Rica, are inspiring examples of commitment to reform and building a healthy long-term investment climate.
Barbados secured B$141.8m (around $183m) in special drawing rights under the RST to enhance climate resilience and support sustainable development. The government partnered with private companies to expand renewable energy infrastructure and promote sustainable tourism practices. However, attracting significant private investments remains challenging due to procedural hurdles and the need for more substantial policy reforms.
Rwanda is using $319m from the RST’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility to improve resilience against external sector shocks. The government has collaborated with private agri-tech companies to introduce climate-resilient farming techniques and technologies. While Rwanda’s efforts are commendable, the challenge lies in scaling these initiatives to a national level and ensuring that private investments consistently align with long-term sustainability goals.
Costa Rica secured the maximum funding under the RST ($710m) and has catalysed further climate financing from the official and private sectors. The private sector has launched green bonds and sustainability-linked loans supported by RST-backed government policies. Costa Rica’s ambitious goals face potential hurdles, such as the need for robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to ensure the effectiveness and accountability of private sector contributions.
Private sector cautiousness
Despite the strides made by the RST, the private sector remains cautious about fully committing to providing substantial capital. Private investors seek vital assurances and improvements: policy stability and predictability, regulatory clarity and simplification, enhanced risk mitigation mechanisms, transparency and accountability and project scalability.
MDBs’ involvement in providing guarantees, co-financing and other risk mitigation tools enhances investor confidence. MDBs provide the necessary assurances and risk mitigation tools that private investors seek, encouraging their participation in the IMF’s RST.
Private investors want to see structural and policy reforms supported by RST funding. However, no clear-cut assurances are possible at this stage. The IMF’s ‘Interim Review of The Resilience and Sustainability Trust and Review of Adequacy of Resources’ has highlighted limitations and areas needing improvement. Some countries need help implementing policy reforms quickly enough to attract private capital. Bureaucratic hurdles and insufficient risk mitigation mechanisms remain significant obstacles. Additionally, the alignment between public and private sector goals is still evolving, requiring more robust frameworks for collaboration.
Efforts to boost climate resilience
To attract the private sector, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has emphasised the need for the RST to support countries in achieving their climate goals and align the IMF’s operations with the 2015 Paris agreement. This alignment is crucial for mobilising private capital and driving sustainable investments.
In his speech at the European Investment Bank Group Forum 2023, Bo Li, the IMF’s deputy managing director, underscored the role of RST in providing long-term affordable financing and the necessity of private sector participation to meet the vast climate financing needs of developing countries. He highlighted the importance of policies that redirect investment flows towards climate-friendly opportunities and the need for stronger institutional partnerships.
The IMF’s RST is a significant step forward in mobilising climate finance, focused on leveraging private sector involvement. It could become a multilateral initiative success story if it can help foster a stable investment climate through policy reforms, a deep and liquid market for innovative financing instruments and partnerships with multilateral development banks.
The early signs from Barbados, Rwanda, and Costa Rica suggest a robust partnership between the public and private sectors, crucial for sustainable and resilient development worldwide. By learning from the RST’s successes and challenges, other international efforts can enhance their strategies to attract private capital, creating a more sustainable and resilient global economy.
Udaibir Das is the former Assistant Director and Adviser of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department at the International Monetary Fund. He is a Non-Resident Fellow at the National Council of Applied Economic Research and a Senior Non-Resident Adviser at the Bank of England.
