Climate adaptation is no longer a choice, but rather a vital priority. Alongside efforts to rapidly cut emissions, which must be scaled urgently, climate adaptation is central to national security, economic stability and shared resilience. It protects people and the planet, strengthens local economies, and gives communities the tools to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing climate. We know that financing adaptation pays off — every dollar provided generates more than ten in benefits — saving lives, boosting productivity, and building a safer, healthier world —but much more is needed now to prevent significant losses and damages.
The scaling of adaptation finance is at a critical juncture as countries consider a successor to the Glasgow Pact Adaptation Finance Target which expires in 2025, and develop the Baku to Belem Roadmap, a plan for scaling climate finance to developing countries to meet the goal of at least US$ 1.3 trillion per year by 2035. COP 30 in Brazil will be a crucial milestone in mobilizing the global effort to scale up financing for adaptation and loss and damage for years to come.
This session, which will be held online and in-person on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week will examine the critical importance of adaptation to development, growth, stability and equity, as well as profile several new mechanisms being developed to bring adaptation and loss and damage finance to scale from a variety of public and private sector leaders. Ultimately this session seeks to reinforce that adaptation is everyone’s business, and that it must be financed, fast and fair.
Ms. Megan Rowling, the editor of Climate Home News, will moderate the event. Megan has two decades as a journalist with the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF), developing its award-winning coverage of climate change. She has written extensively on international climate politics and finance, with a focus on the developing world, for which she won a UN Correspondents’ Association award in 2016.
Philip Yang is the founder of the URBEM Institute, dedicated to sustainable urban development, and a Senior Fellow at CEBRI. He previously served as a diplomat with Brazil’s Itamaraty from 1992 to 2002, with postings in Beijing and Washington. He attended the University of São Paulo and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School.
Mr. Jay Koh is Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Lightsmith Group, with more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of investment and public policy. He previously served as Head of Investment Funds and Chief Investment Strategist at OPIC, where he manag ed a $2.6 billion emerging markets private equity program, and held senior roles at Siguler Guff, R3 Capital, and The Carlyle Group. Jay is Founder and Chair of the Global Adaptation & Resilience Investment Working Group (GARI), launched at COP21, and serves on the board of NYSERDA and the advisory committee of the NY Green Bank. He is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Her Excellency Ms. Ilana Victorya Seid has served as Palau’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations since September 2021, when she presented her credentials to Secretary-General António Guterres. Before her appointment, Ambassador Seid was the founder and CEO of the e-commerce company Sunday Morning and earlier built a career spanning technology and finance. She worked as a software engineer and project manager in New York, and as an investment banker with Lehman Brothers and Nomura Securities across Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States. Ambassador Seid holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University. She brings a unique perspective to diplomacy, combining her private sector leadership with global financial and technology expertise to represent Palau on the international stage.
Ms. Gillian Martin was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy in June 2025. She has represented Aberdeenshire East in the Scottish Parliament since 2016, serving previously as Minister for Energy and the Environment, Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work, and Minister for Climate Action. She also held the role of Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy in 2024. Before entering politics, Ms. Martin lectured in television production at North East Scotland College, ran her own video production company, and worked for a decade in the North Sea energy sector designing safety courses and managing emergency media response teams.
Malcolm Dalesa, currently serves as Climate Advisor at the Vanuatu Permanent Mission to the UN. Mr. Dalesa is supporting the implementation of Vanuatu’s Climate Diplomacy program which includes Vanuatu’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion with regards to climate change and human rights campaign.
Mr. Dalesa has an environmental management and sustainability development background. Malcolm has over 10 years of experience leading local community and national development initiatives; particularly in the climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction space.
Ms. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is an environmental and Indigenous Peoples’ activist from the Mbororo community in Chad. She serves as Chair of the FSC Indigenous Foundation Council and coordinates AFPAT, advocating for Indigenous rights and climate action. Hindou has co-directed the World Indigenous Peoples’ Pavilion at COP21, COP22, and COP23, and represents gender and the Congo Basin region within IPACC. She has been recognized among BBC’s 100 Women, TIME’s Women Leaders in Climate Change, and as a National Geographic Explorer.
Ms. Tariye Gbadegesin became CEO of the Climate Investment Funds in March 2024, leading over $11 billion in climate finance across 70+ developing countries. She previously served as CEO of ARM-Harith Infrastructure Investments and Co-Chair of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative. With two decades of experience in climate and infrastructure finance, she has structured more than $3 billion in investments and designed blended finance platforms to mobilize public and private capital. Tariye holds degrees from Amherst College and Harvard Business School.
Director General for International Climate Action, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), Germany
Dr. Heike Henn is Co-Lead change office to build and head a new department for International Climate Action in the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) of Germany. She has more than thirty years of experience in development and climate policy: research, non-governmental organizations, and government. She has been a GCF Board member from 2019 to 2021, and a Member of Transitional Committee on Loss and Damage 2023. She has also served as Coordinator of the German G8 Africa Personal Representative, Head of German Development Cooperation in Burundi and Rwanda, Head of Division Special Initiative ONEWORLD – No Hunger and as Head of Division of Policy Issues of Cooperation with Civil Society and Private Organizations She studied political science, economics and law.
Mr. Manjeet Dhakal leads the LDC Support Team at Climate Analytics, providing technical analysis and strategic advice to the Chair and members of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group in the UN climate negotiations. He has supported successive LDC
Chairs from Nepal, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Bhutan, Senegal, and now Malawi, and played a key role in the Group’s contributions to the Paris Agreement in 2015. With more than a decade of experience in the UNFCCC process, Mr. Dhakal has worked extensively with LDC ministers and officials to strengthen climate leadership and institutional capacity. He previously served as Program Director at Clean Energy Nepal and was honored as an International Climate Champion by the British Council.
Mr. Neale Richmond was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for International Development and Diaspora in January 2025. He has previously held ministerial roles in the Departments of Finance, Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and Social Protection, with a focus on financial services, SMEs, and supporting the transition to green and digital economies. Elected as a TD for Dublin Rathdown in 2020, he earlier served in Seanad Éireann as Fine Gael Spokesperson on European Affairs and chaired the Special Select Committee on Brexit. He began his political career on Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and has also represented Ireland on the EU’s Committee of the Regions. He holds degrees in history and politics from University College Dublin.
Ms. Omotenioye Majekodunmi
Director General, National Council on Climate Change of Nigeria (invited)
Mrs. Omotenioye Majekodunmi is Director-General of Nigeria’s National Council on Climate Change, appointed in 2025. A climate finance expert and environmental lawyer with over 17 years of experience, she has worked with global and national institutions on renewable energy, carbon markets, and climate governance. She previously served as the Council’s Financial Adviser, playing a key role in shaping Nigeria’s climate policies and international engagements.
Alice de Moraes Amorim Vogas is Programme Director of the COP30 Presidency. Alice began her career in the financial sector as a lawyer at Icatu Holding S/A and has over a decade of experience in international and sustainable development, working with civil society, academia, and philanthropy. Before joining the COP30 team, she was Head of the Extraordinary Advisory Office for COP30 at Brazil's Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. She was Director of Partnerships and Communications at iCS - Instituto Clima e Sociedade and Chair of the Board of the Foundations 20 Platform. She also coordinated the iCS Climate Policy and Engagement Programme, was Senior Climate Leader at WINGS, where she coordinated the global #PhilanthropyForClimate movement, and spent a year as a Humboldt Chancellor Fellow working with Lisa Badum (Green Party) in the German Parliament. Alice holds a Law degree from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and a Master’s in Late Development Economic Policy from the London School of Economics (LSE).
