Doha, Qatar, 28 September 2026 – H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, called on Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to move from coordination to joint delivery. He highlighted 3 mechanisms, namely country-led planning, an integrated approach, and long-term strategic partnerships as ways to turn policy reforms into climate resilient infrastructure investment.

H.E. Dr. Al Jasser made the remarks during the flagship seminar, “Scaling Up Climate Finance for Impact: Turning Policy Reform into Resilient Growth,” at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Doha. The seminar examined how policy reforms can mobilize public and private capital and accelerate investment in sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

He said the challenge was not a lack of projects, but a lack of success in implementing them. He stressed the need to focus on implementation to ensure projects are delivered.

Dr. Al Jasser highlighted that IsDB programs begin with countries’ own priorities rather than the Bank’s policy directives. He cited Kazakhstan’s national water security program as an example, noting that IsDB is financing its US$1.15 billion first phase, which includes more than 3,400 kilometers of canals. The program is expected to deliver significant benefits to the country’s agricultural sector.

He also outlined the IsDB Group’s integrated approach, which brings together sovereign financing, private sector lending, trade and investment insurance, and trade financing to deliver projects in member countries.

H.E. Dr. Al Jasser stressed the need to move from one-off country deals to long-term strategic partnerships. He cited IsDB’s Lives and Livelihoods Fund, which brings together philanthropists from different regions, as well as the Bank’s engagement with the Global Partnership for Education, the Green Climate Fund and the Middle East Green Initiative.

He also pointed to IsDB financing of US$436 million for the rehabilitation of irrigation and canal systems in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region, more than US$600 million for dams in Oman, and nearly €189 million for projects in Morocco’s arid south.

On financing instruments, he said sovereign project finance, results-based financing and Islamic finance complement each other. Most of IsDB’s first results-based operations were co-financed with other MDBs, including the Asian Development Bank in Kyrgyzstan, the African Development Bank in Morocco and the OPEC Fund in Uzbekistan. He explained that IsDB finances the assets and projects that follow government policy reforms and welcomed the scrutiny that results-based financing brings from stakeholders, saying it helps institutions improve.

Closing the panel, H.E. Dr. Al Jasser challenged MDBs to select a country where several institutions already work and deliver an adaptation project jointly, addressing the coordination and ownership gaps that had held back previous projects. He expressed confidence that a successful project could serve as a model for future collaboration.

The seminar opened with keynote addresses by Ms. Zou Jiayi, President of AIIB, and H.E. Mr. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Minister of Finance of Qatar. The panel also featured H.E. Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Finance of Egypt, and Ms. Nargiz Nasrullayeva, a member of AIIB’s International Advisory Panel. Dr. Ludger Schuknecht, AIIB Vice President for Policy and Strategy, moderated the discussion.