Sovereign green bonds appeared just two years ago, and despite the small (but growing!) number of issuers so far, they already account for a significant portion of the volume of the ever-growing green bond market. Sovereign green bonds represent a new instrument for public finance officials and can allow the direct mobilization of capital market resources towards green finance public expenditures, from direct capital investments to fiscal incentives and market reforms. When used smartly, they can be powerful instruments to support the low-carbon and climate-resilient transition of public finance, while also widening the investor pool for a sovereign entity towards ESG and socially responsible investors.

At the same time, their issuance can present new challenges for public finance officials with the need of establishing new processes and a transparency level that might be higher than in the conventional bond market. The discussion will look at the benefits and challenges of the issuance process, the interaction with traditional and impact investors, as well as the milestones for a successful issuance and reporting effort.

It will allow an open dialogue between public finance officials from LAC and the rest of the world, combining those who have already experienced the issuance of sovereign green bonds (including France, Ireland and The Netherlands), and those who are now considering and evaluating this instrument.

This is event was co-organized with the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI).