30 September 2025, New York City – Last week the global sustainability community gathered in New York just weeks ahead of COP30: set to be a pivotal moment to galvanise global action to end deforestation. And as President Lula has called for many times, the success of this vital global mission depends on international climate finance reaching the Indigenous and traditional communities who have safeguarded forests for generations.

Everland is proud to be playing our part.

Our Executive Chairman Gerald Prolman was honoured to join Puyr Tembé, Secretary of Indigenous Peoples for the State of Pará (where COP30 will be held) and Global Citizen co-founder Michael Sheldrick on stage at the Global Citizen NOW summit last Wednesday. Speaking to an audience of political and corporate leaders, Gerald reiterated Everland’s commitment – and announced that we are exceeding our targets – to unlock financing for 20 Indigenous and traditional community-centered forest conservation projects across Amazonia through our Outcome Bond partnership with BNP Paribas.

The critical importance of this initiative was underlined time and again last week in NYC, especially during the high-level panel discussion Realizing an Equitable Future: The Role of the Private Sector.

From left to right: Beto Borges, Todd Stevens, Constance Chalchat, Judith Simon, Puyr Tembé, Laysa Mathias (Co-ordinator of Planning and Institutional Development of the Secretariat for Indigenous Affairs, State of Pará and interpreter for Secretary Tembé) and Joshua McCarron

Co-hosted by Everland and WCS, this event brought together a powerful coalition of Indigenous and financial sector leaders, and conservation and carbon market experts, to discuss the Outcome Bond initiative and the new Equitable Earth Standard:

“It’s important to have more movements like this, that give the opportunity for the Indigenous voices to be heard. It’s possible to work together and create it not for the Indigenous people, but with the Indigenous people from the beginning. Together, we can walk one path for a better future”
Puyr Tembé, Secretary of Indigenous Peoples for the State of Pará, Brazil

This is more than finance. It’s a blueprint to channel private capital directly into the hands of the most effective guardians of the Amazon, delivering impact for climate, nature, and Indigenous rights. As we prepare for COP30, initiatives like this show how finance can help secure the Amazon’s future — by its people, for its people, and with it, our own.”
Constance Chalchat, Chief Sustainability Officer, BNP Paribas CIB and Global Markets

“REDD+ finance is essential [but] the market has to ensure social integrity. Therefore, at Forest Trends, we’ve been privileged to participate in the development of a new carbon standard – Equitable Earth – one that has Indigenous peoples and local communities at its center.”
Beto Borges, Director, Communities and Territorial Governance Initiative, Forest Trends

“The projects that we’re talking about with this [Outcome Bond initiative], are exactly the projects that we want to have in our portfolio because we know deeply that projects that are co-managed, co-designed, and for the communities and Indigenous peoples – are the ones that will be the most successful.”
Judith Simon, Chief Operating Officer, Equitable Earth

“When you have a credible standard like Equitable Earth, when you have Indigenous leadership, and when you have innovative financing like the Amazon Outcome Bond initiative – then, honestly, you have an ecosystem of solutions for success.”
Todd Stevens, Executive Director of Markets, WCS 

“The Outcome Bond initiative that we’ve started with BNP Paribas is designed to provide $50 million to fund the development of 20 projects. The amount of finance those projects will generate for communities over the next ten years is in the billions of dollars. But we need buyers to have confidence that this work is being done with the highest integrity. So, we’ve brought together all the expertise needed from across the voluntary carbon market to provide a level of institutional oversight and governance that’s never been seen before in our marketplace.”
Joshua McCarron, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Business Development, Everland

______________________________________________________________

Alongside our partners, Everland continues to work towards the goals of the Outcome Bond initiative. Ultimately, once financing is secured, we expect to channel at least $1 billion to 20 Indigenous and traditional community-centered forest conservation projects over the next ten years.

We will share more news soon. Watch this space.