After a deep dive into philanthropy at the Gulf Philanthropy Forum in day 1, the keynote officially opens the Majlis by drawing a through-line across all three days: from the philanthropic themes and governance frameworks of Day 1, through the natural capital investment structures and real-asset transactions of Day 2, to the venture ecosystem where governance-ready ventures become the delivery infrastructure for resource security at scale in day 3. Highlighting the diverse stakeholders, their agendas and how the programme is structured to uncover meaningful partnership opportunities that drive acehive financial, commercial, strategic and impact objectives.   

The Majlis Host frames the central thesis: natural assets - forests, agricultural land, rural energy infrastructure - are not side plays for impact, they are gradually becoming core asset classes, competing for institutional capital alongside real estate, infrastructure, and private equity. Funding the infrastructure of natural capital is of great strategic interest to sovereign-linked funds who sit at a unique intersection: managing large capital reserves while facing structural dependencies on imported food, water scarcity, and energy transition pressures. This panel examines how leading sovereign-linked funder are embedding natural capital into mainstream portfolio construction - not as an ESG add-on, but as a core strategic asset class. This panel sets the frame for the day of dialogue at the convergence of capital, nature, energy, and water.

DFIs and progressive banks have long declared an ambition to build a pipeline of impact asset managers across natural capital, rural energy access, and water infrastructure in the Global South. Yet the gap between stated intent and actual seed and anchor LP commitments remains persistent. This disconnect is driven in part by risk frameworks and underwriting standards that are not calibrated to early-stage, locally rooted managers—despite their proximity to bankable opportunities. Without more flexible mandates, first-loss capital, and deliberate seeding strategies, the market will continue to fall short of producing institutional-grade vehicles capable of deploying capital at scale.

Family offices are moving beyond blind pool commitments and stepping into the driver’s seat. Instead of allocating into opaque fund structures with limited control, they are backing and shaping real assets directly, from agri-processing to energy and water infrastructure. This roundtable explores the rise of SPVs as the preferred vehicle for hands-on investors: sharper economics, direct ownership, and the ability to actively influence outcomes. The conversation will unpack how leading families are co-investing at the asset level, leveraging their networks, and building strategic positions in natural capital that align with long-term priorities - not fund cycles.

A closed Chatham House session exclusively for family office principals. Bridges directly from Day 1's governance and succession discussions into the specific question of how a family transitions its investment strategy toward natural capital, agri value chains, and energy access infrastructure. Facilitated by a senior GCC family office.

The dismantling of USAID and diversion of EU commission funds toward Ukraine has created a structural rupture in global development finance - most acutely in sectors underpinning natural capital: rural energy access, watershed management, agri extension, and community forestry. Foundations filling this vacuum face a decisive question: can they evolve fast enough to deploy capital through instruments - concessional loans, first-loss tranches, PRIs - that leverage private co-investment? Building directly from Day 1's Gulf Philanthropy Forum, this panel examines what that transition demands.

The session examines how carbon revenue streams serve as first-tranche catalytic capital in a blended structure, de-risking rural electrification programmes, funding community water infrastructure, and providing patient capital to establish agri value chains before commercial investors can underwrite them., technical assistance to ventures, alignment with incubators and/or co-investments.

The forests, and agricultural landscapes of Global South are simultaneously the foundation of community livelihoods and the raw material base for global food, ingredient, and commodity supply chains. GCC investors - among the world's largest food and ingredient importers - are beginning to treat direct investment in African bioingredients, rural electrification and water access, and agri value chains as both a commercial opportunity and a sovereign food and resource security investment.

Annual global individual giving exceeds $1 trillion, yet the vast majority flows through channels disconnected from the natural capital, energy access, and water security agenda. This session combines video case studies of organisations that have successfully activated community-level giving around natural capital causes with examination of how waqf endowments can serve as perpetual financing vehicles - connecting Day 1's Islamic giving governance session to the real-asset investment agenda, and previewing the Day 3 waqf structuring clinic.

* Networking Dinner follows the fireside session