BIOFIN (UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative)

This award recognises a United Nations finance initiative that has proven that investing in biodiversity is a direct and measurable driver of carbon removal. In 2025 alone, the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) helped partner governments unlock over US$2.7 billion for nature, supporting 41 countries to implement financial solutions ranging from green bonds to ecological fiscal transfers.

Through its first payment‑for‑environmental‑services scheme in Cuba, BIOFIN enabled the verified removal of 999,473 tonnes of carbon across 12,646 hectares of sustainably managed forest. By financing ecosystem restoration and the protection of natural carbon sinks, BIOFIN turns biodiversity finance into a quantifiable climate solution. More than a funding mechanism, BIOFIN has become the global architecture for aligning economic policy with nature‑positive outcomes. In 2025 it expanded its methodology to over 130 countries, directly supporting the implementation of the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

By helping nations move from pledges to practice, this initiative has demonstrated that biodiversity carbon systems are not only feasible but essential for achieving net‑zero goals. For building the financial infrastructure that makes nature‑based carbon removal investable, verifiable and scalable, BIOFIN receives this recognition.

Score: 89

Reference: https://www.undp.org/news/global-momentum-nature-finance-undps-biodiversity-finance-initiative-helps-countries-unlock-over-27-billion-nature