News

Following the Global Advisory Council meeting on Tuesday 25th of November, delegates participated in a roundtable on “Investment for Resilience: Building Pathways to Finance for Commonwealth Nations.” The session was introduced by Rupert Dewey from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and Philippa Martinelli, Head of Climate and Transition Finance at the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, and chaired by Jean-Jacques Jouanna from Novazure.

The discussion centred on the Commonwealth Investment Network (CIN), which was launched at CHOGM 2024 in Samoa to help deliver the Commonwealth Plan of Action on Investment. The CIN is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat, with the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance appointed as delivery partner for the current phase to March 2026.

The network provides a collaborative platform linking governments, investors, DFIs, technical partners and the private sector to strengthen investment ecosystems, support the development of bankable, climate-positive projects, and mobilise finance for sustainable infrastructure across the Commonwealth — particularly in the Caribbean and Pacific SIDS in its initial phase.

The roundtable examined barriers that prevent infrastructure projects from securing early-stage development finance and explored practical steps to enhance project preparation, capacity building, and investor readiness.

Supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the discussion also looked ahead to CHOGM 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda, convening under the theme “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.”

Further information on the CIN can be found here:

https://thecommonwealth.org/growth-opportunity-caribbean-and-pacific-businesses