The Cohorts Connect networking sessions at Building Bridges 2025 introduces a new model for structured connection and reflection. It is designed to support peer exchange, deepen thematic alignment, and strengthen cross-sector collaboration in a way that feels purposeful, open, and human.
The format includes two facilitated, in-person sessions—on Day One and Day Three:
– Opening session on Tuesday 30 September 14:00-15:30 – Cohorts Connect: Warm Data Lab.
This opening session will be hosted as a Warm Data Lab, facilitated by Nora Bateson. Developed to explore the relational fabric of complex systems in an immersive manner, this method invites participants to suspend professional personas and engage as people—with stories, patterns, questions, and perspectives.
– Reflection session on Thursday 2 October 15:30-17:00 – Cohorts Connect: Reflection Session.
This closing session brings the cohort journey full circle. It begins with a keynote address exploring our shared responsibility to transform how finance interacts with nature, people, and the future. Participants will reflect on what has emerged during the week and consider how these insights might shape future collaboration, practice, and purpose.
We welcome a broad range of applications and especially encourage finance industry leaders, C-suite executives, and experienced policy advisors and decision-makers to apply. Together, these sessions invite participants to connect at multiple levels: through complexity-aware dialogue, shared thematic interest, and moments of personal and collective reflection.
Please submit your application by EOD 27 August, 2025. All applicants will receive the outcome of their application by 10 September.
Volunteer at Building Bridges 2025
Building Bridges is a three day sustainable finance conference focused on bringing together diverse stakeholders to accelerate the transition to a sustainable economic system aligned with the vision put forth in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. Our 6th Edition will take place on September 30 – October 2, at the CICG in Geneva. The Summit kicks off three-days of action with over 60 crowd-sourced events on sustainable finance, as well as plenty of opportunities for networking and learning. It is expected to attract over 2,000 attendees from the finance industry, companies, start-ups, governments, the UN, NGOs, academic institutions, philanthropists, asset owners, and more.
We are seeking a large group of volunteers to support our 2025 Edition.
WHY VOLUNTEER?
- Learning – Building Bridges will cover the most recent and cutting-edge developments related to sustainability and finance. It is a great opportunity to learn more about this space from leading experts.
- Networking – The initiative is supported by a wide array of partners and all will be in attendance. It is a great way to meet new people whether it be business leaders from financial institutions, social entrepreneurs from developing countries, UN leaders and governmental representatives, NGOs, researchers, and thought leaders. In addition, you will have the opportunity to meet other volunteers who, like you, are motivated by the desire to make a positive impact and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and equitable financial system.
- Recognition – All volunteers will be recognised in several ways:
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Each volunteer will receive a certificate and letter recognising their efforts and contributions.
- Opportunity to interact and engage with business leaders from financial institutions, social entrepreneurs from developing countries, UN leaders and governmental representatives, NGOs, researchers, and thought leaders during the event. This engagement will foster valuable connections, knowledge exchange, and networking opportunities.
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Volunteers will be named in the final Building Bridges 2025 event report.
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Note: All volunteers are provided with Lunch/ Snacks as per their schedules and allocated tasks during the time of their shifts.
WHAT DO VOLUNTEERS DO?
We have a range of roles for volunteers, they roughly fit into two categories:
- Event-focused activities such as managing the registration and check-in process, providing information, scanning badges, and running the cloakroom.
- Logistics and Management activities such as logistical help to Building Bridges staff, helping attendees with directions, help event organisers with any technical requirements or needs for their events during the week.
Each volunteer will do a mix of these activities depending on their availability and schedule.
HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Any students or other individuals interested in volunteering simply need to fill out this form no later than August 15, 2025. In the form, you will have to indicate how many days you are willing to volunteer and your shift availability during the week. This will be used to make you a custom schedule. Any questions about the Building Bridges Volunteer Programme can be directed to m.mcglynn@buildingbridges.org.
The Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S), hosted by UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, is entering a pivotal new chapter. Backed by three-year funding from Ireland, the network has launched a strategic review that will shape its future priorities and operating model — with the next phase to be unveiled at COP30.
The goal: to position financial centres as dynamic catalysts of the global sustainability transition, driving local market capacity, supporting national pathways, and enabling regional and cross-border action.
As part of this process, FC4S is exploring opportunities to expand its portfolio of impact — with new areas under consideration including mobilising finance for climate resilience, advancing digital ESG data infrastructure, and supporting nature-positive finance aligned with emerging frameworks such as the TNFD. At the same time, proven initiatives — including the 1.5°C PACT, Gender Finance Charter, and Sustainability Disclosure Hubs — are being reviewed for scaling to reinforce delivery of both national and global goals.
Through its UNDP Secretariat, FC4S offers members unique access to more than 150 technical experts across 100+ countries, alongside active engagement with global platforms such as the G20, NGFS, FfD4, FAST, and B+HR.
FC4S members — trusted, country-owned platforms — play a critical role in advancing the SDGs and the Paris Agreement. They lead the development of national financing strategies, mobilise cross-border capital, and foster regulatory innovation. With a global network spanning six continents and representing 80% of global equity markets, FC4S is helping to reduce market fragmentation, drive peer learning, and build the capacity needed to scale sustainable finance at speed.
With both Zurich and Geneva Members, FC4S is proud to be a founding partner of Building Bridges.
Follow our journey: [LinkedIn] | www.fc4s.org
Following a high-level breakfast discussion with financial leaders during his recent visit to Geneva, Building Bridges sat down with Marcos Neto, UN Assistant Secretary General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, to explore the role of finance in advancing sustainable development from his perspective. Drawing on decades of experience, Neto shares how UNDP has helped shape enabling environments around the world, creating the stable conditions needed for profitable, impactful investment opportunities. With a priority around emerging markets and ensuring livelihoods for the worlds most vulnerable, he reflects on the past, present, and future of sustainable finance and the critical steps needed now, especially as we prepare for Building Bridges 2025 at the end of September. This year represents UNDP’s 60th anniversary, offering a timely opportunity to reflect on the organisation’s evolving role in the global financial ecosystem, especially in such volatile times.
UNDP is one of those institutions around us that many don’t understand fully – but they have been there for decades, quietly helping shape our world. How would you describe its core role today and your own focus within that?
It is great that Building Bridges is about helping make sense of the institutions and infrastructures involved in supporting progress. At UNDP, we play our part in a few different ways to facilitate and enable the flow of private capital into the sectors and regions where it’s most needed. With a presence in 170 countries and a 60-year track record, we’re consistently ranked among the top five most trusted institutions for government advice. That means we can influence policy and partner with public and private actors to enable investment.
Take insurance – agricultural insurance penetration remains incredibly low. Our role has always been to help close the gap, yet, in many countries, it’s shrinking, not growing. In places like California (following the fires) and Valencia (following the floods), climate risk is driving insurers to pull out. But, we know we what to do to make it work.
In Uzbekistan, where agriculture makes up 25% of GDP and fruit exports are big business, most farmers had no insurance. Climate change and unpredictable weather made the risk too high for insurers. There was no enabling environment. So we came in to work with the government, farmers, and global insurers like Swiss Re and Europe Re. We helped design a policy framework, define a price point, and introduced subsidies to make the product affordable. The result? Today, farmers in Uzbekistan have access to an insurance product co-financed by the government and backed by Reinsurance companies – companies now operating in this previously unchartered market. We’ve done this time and time again—creating environments where business can succeed, risk is shared, and the public interest is protected.
And we’re replicating this approach to creating enabling environments in Mexico, Argentina – sometimes it’s agriculture, sometimes climate infrastructure – but always public-private partnership.
UNDP is proud to be behind the scenes, enabling transformation on the ground. Here a just a few little-known moments that show how long we’ve been building bridges:
- Our assistance to the Brazilian government in the 1960s contributed to the creation of Embraer. UNDP laid the groundwork through partnerships to build the nations capacity in aviation and engineering.
- There is a city-state that also turns 60 this year – Singapore. Their first 10-year development was written with UNDP.
UNDP is strongly involved in shaping the sustainable finance landscape, including at Building Bridges’ events – what tools are proving most effective on the ground?
We’ve been with Building Bridges since day one and one of the tools we’ve brought to the community is the SDG Investor Maps. We’ve developed maps of over 60 countries, using private sector taxonomies and banking standards, helping to identify over 700 investment opportunity areas. Each map provides insights into policy environments, average ROI, ticket sizes – a market intelligence tool designed to shrink the due diligence process. Every opportunity is linked to the SDGs. This is a public good.
What we’ve also heard from investors at Building Bridges is this, “We’re busy. Tell us who we can make a deal with.” The tools are there, but they want plug-and-play partners. That’s why we’ve also built a platform out of our Rome office, focused on energy investment in Africa, supporting projects from feasibility all the way to investment-readiness. We also work on the public finance environment side – to help de-risk these opportunities.
Group photo from the Building Bridges Breakfast Discussion with Marcos Neto, 30 April 2025.
We often hear about the need to “create enabling environments”, but what does that really mean in practice? What are the ingredients that make partnerships work?
Like any good soup – it’s a mix of ingredients. Some intangible – like trust and relationships. Some very practical. If you work in insurance, you already know: climate change is a direct threat to your business. As risk rises – floods, fires – premiums increase. At some point, people will be priced out of coverage. So the industry is desperate for solutions. And the solutions the insurance sector needs are the same ones poor farmers or governments need. It’s a convergence of interests – and urgency.
It’s true for cocoa as well – we’re in Switzerland, think about the value chain. No cocoa = no chocolate. In Côte d’Ivoire – how do we increase yields without deforestation? The answer must work for farmers and for the planet. It’s not about making companies more profitable. I care about farmers livelihoods – but understanding different motivations is important to create shared solutions.
You’ve witnessed the evolution of sustainable finance firsthand. What shifts in collaboration do you think have been the most defining and where should we focus next?
Globally, 2021 stands out. When Italy had the G20 presidency and created the Sustainable Finance Working Group – co-chaired by the US and China. That work led to a roadmap that’s become a major reference point in the G20 and beyond.
And of course, for Building Bridges, we love the grassroots moments – like when we bring small businesses from developing countries to meet investors. Maybe it doesn’t change the world in a day – but if one connection works, the impact can ripple outward.
There was a time when the volume of finance for sustainable development was growing steadily. We were probably becoming too complacent, but now, we’ve hit a turning point. ESG has become politicised – on one end calling it “woke,” on the other, calling it a means for greenwashing. There’s confusion, fragmentation, and a lack of clear standards. We need to pause, reflect, and recommit – not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
This year’s Building Bridges should be a moment of renewal. Let’s move forward – but with more quality, more data, more clarity. Someone said at our breakfast: “We thought the market was 50% sustainable; maybe it’s only 20%.” You know what? That’s okay – as long as that 20% is truly committed to real impact and strong processes, and we can build up with better quality.
My final words:
- Recommit to sustainability as a core business strategy and look at biodiversity risk as a real opporunity.
- Not be distracted by short-term noise, focus on long-term triple impact: social, environmental and financial.
- Get off the fence, sustainability is political whether you like it or not. It is time for public, visible leadership and bold partnerships.
We Build Bridges Storytelling Series
Building Bridges is more than just an event—it’s a space for meaningful collaboration, fresh perspectives, and lasting connections. Through our storytelling series, we highlight the personal experiences that shape each edition. If you have a story to share about your journey at Building Bridges 2024—whether it’s a key insight, a memorable moment, or the impact of the bridges built—we’d love to hear from you!
Do you have a bridge-buidling story to share? Click here to submit one for review.
Our fifth edition brought together 2,476 attendees at the CICG in Geneva, engaged and ready for action. Amid strong headwinds against ESG-related efforts, people from 93 countries gathered at our flagship event to exchange ideas and build bridges across a vast range of critical topics to influence how capital can be better directed to deliver impact for society and for the planet.
In partnership with UNEP-FI for their bi-annual Global Roundtable, the UN’s 18th premier sustainable finance meeting was housed under the same roof.
Four major themes set the stage for informative panel discussions at the Summit and an important backdrop for the three Action Days that animated the entire venue.
This 2024 Event Report captures the spirit, focus, and key insights of our December gathering in Geneva. It encapsulates the knowledge, ideas, and collaborations shared by sustainable finance practitioners committed to driving positive change.
Explore the 2024 Edition here…
Building Bridges is partnering with the InTent Internship Programme (IIP) to offer a paid, full-time internship opportunity with us in Geneva, Switzerland. This three-month internship will run from early July to early October 2025, coinciding with the preparations for and delivery of the 6th edition of the Building Bridges from September 30 to October 2 2025, one of the leading events in sustainable finance.
At Building Bridges, the selected intern will work across departments, supporting programme development, event partnerships, and communications, playing an integral role in shaping our flagship annual summit and engaging with high-level stakeholders from finance, government, and civil society.
The role offers a diverse learning experience in sustainable finance, stakeholder engagement, and international event management, all within a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. The position is based onsite in Geneva and is open to applicants with Swiss or EU nationality, or a valid Swiss work permit.
The deadline to apply is 28 April 2025. For the full job description and to apply, please visit the InTent Internship Programme page.
By Guillaume Bonnel, CEO of SDG Impact Finance Initiative
Can you share the story behind the creation of SIFI? What inspired its formation, and how does it aim to bridge the gap between finance and sustainable development?
SIFI was created in response to the call from the impact finance community to harness expertise and private sector mobilization to mainstream impact investing and address SDG financing needs. Founded through a collaboration of Swiss governmental resources and the philanthropic efforts of UBS Optimus Foundation and, formerly, Credit Suisse Foundation, SIFI is designed as an international platform. Our mission is to mobilise CHF 1 billion in private capital for the SDGs by launching and scaling innovative investment funds in emerging markets.
What has your involvement been in Building Bridges over the years, and how have you seen the platform evolve in its ability to drive impactful financial solutions, particularly through initiatives like crowdsourcing priorities and call for proposals launched at Building Bridges 2023?
SIFI was launched during Building Bridges 2021 and we have attended all of its subsequent editions, co-organizing events on various impact investing topics. We have seen the platform develop substantially, broadening its reach in terms of industries and geographies. I believe that one of its strengths has been to incentivize productive discussions through interactive formats. Building Bridges has thereby transformed itself into one of the main impact investing forums in Switzerland.
From your perspective, how has the understanding of sustainability within the finance sector evolved the last 5 years, since Building Bridges started ?
The consideration of sustainability in the financial sector elicited much hope, holding out the promise of an industry better aligned with the long-term sustainability of social and environmental systems. Unfortunately, this consideration of sustainability remained superficial at best and became a mere marketing argument at worst, and the industry lost much credibility in the process. While sustainable finance did scale to some extent, much of it involved compliance rather than a genuine commitment to systemically align capital flows with sustainability.
As a result, impact investing has emerged as an alternative investment approach dedicated to the generation of positive impact alongside financial returns. While still relatively small, impact investing has grown rapidly as committed investors have moved beyond simple risk avoidance to actively seek measurable positive outcomes. Enabled by the increase in the number of dedicated impact investing products, better data and clearer frameworks, this transformation has been evident at Building Bridges itself over the years, reflected in the growing number of events dedicated to impact investing.
The SDG Impact Finance Initiative is actively supporting this shift and I am confident that impact investing will grow, aligning capital flows with social and environmental sustainability.
In 2024, you were involved in two Action Day events at Building Bridges. What was your experience like as the lead organiser or collaborator, and have any concrete steps or initiatives emerged as a result of those discussions?
We thoroughly enjoyed our participation at Building Bridges 2024, where we co-hosted an event on private impact investments in emerging markets and moderated a Solutions Stage session on SDG financing. We were pleased to see that both sessions’ topics resonated with a diverse audience, sparking meaningful and productive conversations. Building Bridges is a very effective platform for fostering connections among participants who might not otherwise have the opportunity to engage, and our events exemplified this dynamic. We gained valuable insights from the questions and contributions shared during both sessions and have since followed up with several participants.
We Build Bridges Storytelling Series
Building Bridges is more than just an event—it’s a space for meaningful collaboration, fresh perspectives, and lasting connections. Through our storytelling series, we highlight the personal experiences that shape each edition. If you have a story to share about your journey at Building Bridges 2024—whether it’s a key insight, a memorable moment, or the impact of the bridges built—we’d love to hear from you!
Do you have a bridge-buidling story to share? Click here to submit one for review.
Are you interested in advancing sustainable investment opportunities in Africa?
We’re building a dedicated Community within the Building Bridges network to bring together individuals and organisations who share this common interest.
By joining, you’ll receive occasional updates with relevant news, webinars, and event suggestions—both in Europe and across Africa. We’ll also connect members when relevant opportunities arise and consider members for future investor delegations to key conferences in Africa.
If this resonates with you, we invite you to register below so we can learn about your expertise and specific areas of interest.
Background
Building Bridges with Africa has continued to evolve in many ways, including Action Days events, from Demystifying Risk to SDG Investments in African Markets: Spotlight Ghana & Kenya, organised by the Ground Up Project and the SDG Lab in 2022, Exploring SDG Investment Opportunities in Kenya organised by the Nairobi International Financial Centre and UNDP FC4S in 2032, to Bridging SDG Financing for Africa – the time is now! organised by the SDG Partnership Platform, Swiss Government, AlphaMundi and the World Economic Forum and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building In Africa organised by Haruma Buntfu in 2024. We also co-hosted an Africa-focused networking breakfast as part of the Building Bridges 2024 side-event programme with SDG Impact Finance Initiative and AlphaMundi.
We have also led two high-level missions to Kenya, the first learning exchange took place in April 2023 where our team traveled to learn more about the impact investing community in Nairobi, and exchange with financial actors who are implementing new innovative services to support the Sustainable Development Goals. The second mission in June 2024 brought leaders together for the Bridging Africa-Europe SDG Investment Summit. Over 3 days, a delegation of private sector leaders from Europe and East Africa united to strengthen bridges for sustainable investment. This inaugural Summit was a collaboration between Building Bridges, the Embassy of Switzerland in Kenya, and the United Nations in Kenya through its SDG Partnership Platform, with support from the Nairobi International Financial Centre and Equity Bank Group. It aimed to forge links and cultivate trust to enable financing and investment pathways among diverse communities, deepening European investors’ and African stakeholders’ understanding of the region’s and the continent’s sustainable investment landscape.
The Action Event Selection Committee, composed primarily of representatives of Building Bridges’ Founding Partners, is responsible for reviewing and selecting events for the Building Bridges 2025 programme. Each member is assigned one to three themes based on their expertise, with each category being evaluated by at least two committee members. Within a thematic team, there are always at least two representatives from different stakeholder groups to ensure a balanced perspective. Members first review their assigned events individually before collaborating within their thematic team. Finally, the entire Action Event Selection Committee convenes to make the final selections, curating a high-quality and diverse program.
The 6th edition of Building Bridges, taking place from September 30 to October 2, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland, will once again serve as a premier gathering of decision-makers from finance, business, government, civil society, academia, and international organizations. At the heart of this flagship event are the Action Events—a unique, crowd-sourced program that provides organizations with a platform to showcase initiatives, highlight innovative solutions, and engage in critical discussions that drive sustainable finance forward. From decarbonization and biodiversity to sustainable supply chains, climate risk, and regulatory developments, the selected events will contribute to an agenda that is relevant to all but essential for those shaping the flow of capital.
Action Event Selection Committee members:
- Luisa Bernal, Policy Specialist, Sustainable Finance Hub – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- Erol Bilecen, Head Sustainable Finance – Swiss Bankers Association (SBA)
- Catherine Bukhal, Partnership Lead – SDG Impact Finance Initiative (SIFI)
- Chantal Bourquin, Head of Communications, Executive Officer – Fondation Genève Place Financière
- Aurélia Fäh, Senior Sustainability Expert – Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS)
- Amandine Favier, Head Sustainable Finance – WWF Switzerland
- Derek George, Senior Policy Advisor – Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
- Catriona Gourlay, Executive Director – PeaceNexus
- Daniela Lavrador, Director Romandie – Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF)
- Emmanuelle Sée, Head of Equity, Lead Impact Investing – Swiss Life Asset Managers (France)
- Kali Taylor, Executive Director – Sustainable Finance Geneva
- David Uzsoki, Sustainable Finance Lead – International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
- Caroline Wehrle, Senior Policy Advisor Sustainable Finance – State Secretariat for International Finance (SIF)
By Elena Zafirova, Founder & CEO of DIONZ | Advisor | Lawyer | Podcast Host – DIONZ
How was the experience of collaborating with other organisers and speakers in preparation for Building Bridges 2024?
For Building Bridges 2024, I felt incredibly humbled and privileged that a young organisation like DIONZ was selected by the Building Bridges team to present in the main conference room, a session that was live-streamed and allowed for the largest audience. This speaks to the opportunities that Building Bridges creates—not only for the most established organizations at the intersection of finance and sustainability but also for emerging organizations that are actively working to make a difference.
How did it feel to see your event come to life onsite at Building Bridges?
I am deeply grateful for the incredible engagement and positive feedback our session received, especially for our eight DIONZ Members and André Hoffmann, who captivated both the live audience and those watching remotely. It was an unforgettable moment to see their voices and ideas resonate so strongly.
Were there any memorable moments on the day of your event?
The connections formed at Building Bridges have already started to materialise in exciting ways. Follow-up conversations are slowly but surely turning into real-world collaborations, and we are committed to nurturing these relationships.
How have the bridges you built in December evolved, and how do you see them going forward?
At DIONZ, we believe that bridges are not built once—they require ongoing dialogue, trust, and a shared commitment to impact through community and continued learning. Looking ahead, I see these bridges evolving into long-term partnerships that challenge conventional thinking and drive collective action—ensuring that the world continues to prosper in a sustainable and purposeful way.
We Build Bridges Storytelling Series
Building Bridges is more than just an event—it’s a space for meaningful collaboration, fresh perspectives, and lasting connections. Through our storytelling series, we highlight the personal experiences that shape each edition. If you have a story to share about your journey at Building Bridges 2024—whether it’s a key insight, a memorable moment, or the impact of the bridges built—we’d love to hear from you!
Do you have a bridge-buidling story to share? Click here to submit one for review.