COP28 Event: Climate and Health Finance: Strengthening the Role of Development Banks and Finance Institutions

Mamta started as Vice President for Human Development at the World Bank on July 1, 2020. In this role she oversees the Global Practices for Education; Health, Nutrition, and Population; Gender; Social Protection and Jobs – as well as the Human Capital Project. Mamta has held many leadership positions at the World Bank, including as Director of Operations Policy (2019), Director of Strategy and Operations in Infrastructure (2018), Director of Strategy and Operations in the Africa Region (2015-2018), and Regional Country Director for the EU, based in Brussels (2012-15). An economist by training, she has had technical roles in Social Protection and Labor (1996-2004) and Education (2006-10). She has a Bachelors’ Degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi and a D.Phil in Economics from the University of Oxford. Mamta has written extensively on poverty, demography, education, pensions, and skills and is well-known for her econometric studies on fertility in India.

An expert in economics and international financial institutions, Rémy Rioux has held high-level positions in a career devoted to development, climate and Africa. After serving as chief of staff of the French Economy and Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici, he was appointed by Laurent Fabius Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Development, and coordinated the finance agenda for the French presidency of COP21. Rémy Rioux has led the French Development Agency (AFD) since 2016, which has seen its mandate expanded and its resources significantly increased. In November 2020, Rémy Rioux hosted the first Finance in Common Summit in Paris inviting, for the first time ever, all 530 public development banks from all over the world, which now form a global coalition to collectively shift their strategies, investment patterns, activities and operating modalities to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the objectives of the Paris Agreement. He chairs the Finance in Common (FiCS) Executive Committee.

Thomas Östros serves as Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) since January 2020. Vice-President Östros’s areas of oversight in the EIB include primarily financing of energy, health and life sciences and development. He also oversees financing operations in Austria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and in some countries outside Europe. Relations with the EIB Group Audit Committee, corporate responsibility as well as diversity and inclusion are also in Vice-President Östros’s portfolio in the Bank. Prior to joining the EIB, Mr Östros worked at the International Monetary Fund since 2015, serving as Executive Director of the Nordic-Baltic Constituency since 2016. Previously, he had been the Managing Director of the Swedish Banker’s Association, Minister for Fiscal Affairs and Deputy Minister of Finance, Minister for Education and Science as well as Minister for Industry and Trade, serving in government from 1996 through to 2006. His academic background is in economics and public administration.

Her Excellency Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat is Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation and previously served as Egypt’s first female Minister of Tourism from January 2018 to December 2019. Prior to that, Al-Mashat was Advisor to the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Previous positions include Sub-Governor for Monetary Policy at the Central Bank of Egypt and Senior Economist at the IMF. Al-Mashat has several publications in monetary policy, financial stability and institutional reforms in transition and emerging markets. She was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2014. She holds a PhD and MA in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park and a BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo.

Farid Fezoua is the Global Director for Health, Education, and Services at the International Finance Corp (IFC), a member of the World Bank and the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. Based in Washington DC, he is responsible for managing IFC’s investment and advisory services in health and education, tourism, retail, and property, leading a team responsible for an $8.2 billion investment portfolio. Prior to joining IFC, Farid was President and CEO of General Electric Africa, leading GE’s operations in Sub-Saharan Africa, including developing sustainable solutions to strengthening health systems. Farid is a member of the steering committees for the Regionalized Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative and the Impact Investments Initiative (Triple I) for Global Health, and he also sits on the HealthManagement editorial board.

As Vice President (Finance) & CFO, he is responsible for managing Islamic Development Bank’s (IsDB) USD 35 billion balance sheet and multi-billion funding and investments programs. IsDB has successfully issued several AAA-rated Islamic benchmark bonds and is active in global financial markets. He led the issuance of inaugural Green Bond in 2019 and Sustainability bond of IsDB in 2020. Prior to joining the Islamic Development Bank, he served as head of the World Bank Global Islamic Finance Development Center in Istanbul. Before that he served at the World Bank Treasury for more than 25 years in the areas of capital markets, asset management, risk management, and financial sector. Islamic finance has been his research focus and he has co-authored several articles and books on Islamic finance. He earned his Ph.D. in international finance from the George Washington University (GWU) and served as Professional faculty at GWU and Carey Business School of Johns Hopkins University.

Ms. Kampeta Pitchette Sayinzoga has 16 years of progressive professional experience as an international development practitioner in both public and private institutions within Rwanda and the East African Region focusing on designing and implementing reforms. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Development Bank of Rwanda Plc. Development Bank of Rwanda Plc (BRD). Prior to joining the Bank, she was the Director General of the National Industrial Research and Development Agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. She served in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for over a decade including 6 years as the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of Rwanda Bankers Association and Economic Policy Research Network. She holds a Master’s degree in Economic Development and Policy Analysis from University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.

Since August 2021, Sir Danny Alexander drives Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) strategic direction, including its sectoral and country priorities, investment strategy and programming, and operating budget. He oversees AIIB’s environmental and social policies, other operational policies and their implementation. He also leads on developing the Bank’s culture and on the digital transformation of AIIB. Previously, Alexander served as AIIB’s Vice President and Corporate Secretary since joining the Bank in February 2016. He was responsible for governance and the Bank’s relations with its shareholders, Board of Governors, and Board of Directors. Before this, he was Chief Secretary to the Treasury of the United Kingdom and was one of the leaders of UK’s coalition government between 2010 and 2015. He holds a BA in philosophy, politics and economics from the University of Oxford and is an honorary fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford. Sir Danny is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University’s School of Public Policy and Management.