Category: 3. Business

The Soft Commodities Forum (SCF) and its partners from Tropical Forrest Alliance, IDH, Olab, Proforest, Responsible Commodities Facility, Sustainable Investment Management, The Consumer Goods Forum – Forest Positive Coalition, and WWF, had a strong presence at London Climate Action Week 2025, standing out amid the high energy and packed rooms focused on Brazil’s critical role in global climate and food system solutions. From regenerative agriculture to forest conservation, support was loud and clear for the urgent need to scale-up holistic, landscape-scale approaches – many of which were on display throughout the week. 

As part of the week’s events the Sustainable Landscapes Partnership (SLP), a joint initiative between tThe Consumer Goods Forum’s Forest Positive Coalition (CGF-FPC) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Soft Commodities Forum (WBCSD-SCF) – organized a session with partners on Transition Finance for Resilient Agricultural Systems. The session aimed to place the spotlight on Brazil’s Cerrado biome, engaging a diverse array of stakeholders, focusing on a highly pressing question:

How can finance accelerate the shift toward sustainable, deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) agriculture in one of the world’s most ecologically critical and agriculturally productive regions? 

The session included interventions from leading programs advancing sustainable agriculture and land-use across the Cerrado, including the Responsible Commodities Facility (RCF), Agri3, WWF, IDH and others. At the heart of these discussions was a shared concern: Supporting the Cerrado’s continued growth as a vital agricultural hub is essential for food security and rural livelihoods. It is of critical importance to protect its unique and irreplaceable ecosystems, which make up a global biodiversity hotspot, a major carbon sink, and a source of drinking water and hydropower for millions of Brazilians. 

The SLP is a key piece in a constellation of complementary solutions. Recognizing that isolated efforts aren’t enough, the SLP brings together value chain actors behind a shared vision for resilient, DCF landscapes. To date, the partnership has mobilized nearly $10 million in joint investment (plus $2.4 million leveraged), supported improved livelihoods on 700+ farms, and advanced climate and nature outcomes across 800,000 hectares. Now, in a crucial moment of expansion, the partnership is seeking $10 million in near-term co-funding and over $10 million annually in sustained, blended capital to scale impact. With multiple pathways to engage, the message is clear: this model works – now is the time to scale it up for an even larger impact. 

Co‑organizers have been advancing sustainable production landscapes and value chains in the Brazilian Cerrado, supported by pioneering initiatives and investors. The event at LCAW became an open forum for lessons learned, benefits, and challenges facing producers and financiers, highlighting collaborative projects that are strengthening productive, traceable and sustainable landscapes in the Cerrado.  

There were two engaging panel discussions as part of the session. On the first panel, COFCO International represented the Soft Commodities Forum by introducing the SLP as a unique model of value-chain collaboration in a room largely focused on finance. They shared how the program has evolved from early-stage grant funding, combining flagship pilot programs under the SCF’s Farmer First Clusters and parallel investments by downstream members of the CGF-FPC, towards a scalable vision for long-term sustainable finance, setting a clear path forward for transformative landscape investment. 

A second panel included perspectives from financial stakeholders such as Rabobank, Agri3 Fund and more. CGF-FPC member Sainsburys brought the retailer perspective to the panel, articulating the value proposition for improving supply chain resilience and investing directly in sustainable solutions at the source of goods that end up on their shelves. 

It was a high-energy session oriented towards understanding solutions, implementation gaps and facilitating matchmaking across stakeholders to accelerate collective solutions in the Cerrado. It certainly helped that it was held high atop the famous Gherkin, a spectacular backdrop for an important dialogue. 

Building a Scalable Long-term Financial Model  

A key theme during LCAW, and particularly during the CGF-FPC session, was the shift from short-term grant funding to long-term, scalable financing models. While public and philanthropic capital remain essential for early-stage support and risk mitigation, participants emphasized the need for innovative financing mechanisms that can attract investment into sustainable landscapes. This includes blended finance models that combine grants, technical assistance, and patient capital to support producers and project developers. 

An exciting announcement came from the Brazilian Treasury about their newly renamed “Caminho Verde” or Green Way program which aims to channel public funds into highly subsidized loans for regenerating degraded pastures, a top lever for advancing regenerative agriculture, while reducing pressure for land-clearing by utilizing long-cleared land. SCF and partners will look for opportunities to access this funding to expand our impact in this area, which is already part of ”the smart mix” of solutions under the SLP and a top priority for the Brazilian government. 

Aligning the Value Chain 

Speakers stressed the importance of value‑chain alignment, from upstream producers to downstream offtakers and retailers. Efforts to promote traceability – particularly for indirect suppliers, harmonize risk methodologies and reporting, and align incentives are essential to building transparent DCF supply chains across the Cerrado and beyond. 

The Soft Commodities Forum and the Forest Positive Coalition continue to collaborate on these strategic points. During LCAW members of both groups held a closed‑door session to deepen coordination on DCF sourcing and reporting – covering indirect supply chains and municipal‑level risk assessment – and to advance joint landscape investments in the Cerrado’s highest‑risk areas, maximizing shared resources and impact under the SLP. 

A Call for Collective Action 

Systemic change cannot be achieved by any one actor alone. Building resilient landscapes and sustainable food systems demands stronger collaboration across corporates, investors, governments, and civil society. While a single solution may not exist, a clear message from the week was the need to better articulate the purpose behind each initiative, align efforts with the right types of funders and investors, and, where possible, coordinate or even integrate approaches to amplify impact and unlock greater investment. 

The SLP remains a vital platform for collective action on DCF soy production in the Cerrado – aligning stakeholders and methods, mobilizing capital, and driving progress toward a future where agriculture supports both people and planet. 

Interested in learning more about the SLP and its impacts in the Cerrado and future opportunities to scale up? Please reach out to Debora Dias (d.dias@theconsumergoodsforum.com) or Matt Inbusch (inbusch@wbcsd.org) for more information on how you can get involved. 

NICOSIA, Cyprus — A consortium made up of ExxonMobil and partner Qatar Energy International has made a second natural gas discovery beneath the seabed south of Cyprus, the government said Monday, a find that bolsters the region’s potential as an energy exporter.

New natural gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean could help Europe lessen its dependence on Russian hydrocarbons by diversifying its energy supply and help buttress a budding energy partnership between Cyprus, Greece and Israel, said John Sitilides, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and geopolitical strategist at Trilogy Advisors in Washington.

“Washington and Brussels would be wise to support this hydrocarbon network to develop a greater measure of critical energy independence for Europe’s hopeful re-industrialization,” Sitilides said.

Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said in a written statement that the ExxonMobil’s vice president, John Ardill, briefed Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides about the discovery at the Pegasus-1 well during a teleconference.

The well was discovered about 190 kilometers (118 miles) southwest of Cyprus at a depth of 1,921 meters (6,302 feet) of water. No estimates of the quantity of natural gas were given. The statement said more assessments will be conducted in the coming months to evaluate the results.

The ExxonMobil-Qatar Energy consortium holds exploration licenses for two areas — or blocks — inside Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone. In 2019, the consortium discovered the Glaucus-1 well inside the same Block 10 where the Pegasus-1 well is located. Cypriot authorities say Glaucus-1 is estimated to contain 3.7 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Overall, Pegasus-1 is the sixth natural gas deposit to be discovered inside Cyprus’ economic zone in the last 14 years. Other deposits include the Zeus, Cronos and Calypso wells, which lie inside Block 6 that is operated by a consortium made up of Italy’s Eni and Total of France. Cronos is estimated to hold 3.1 trillion cubic feet of gas and Zeus 2.5 trillion cubic feet. Calypso is still being evaluated.

The Eni-Total consortium holds exploration licenses for four blocks.

The earliest field to be discovered, Aphrodite, is estimated to hold 5.6 trillion cubic feet of gas. The field is inside Block 12, which is operated by a consortium made up of Chevron, NewMed Energy and Shell.

Agreements with Egypt foresee gas from the Cronos and Aphrodite fields to be sent to Egypt via a pipeline for either domestic use or to be processed at Egyptian facilities for export to Europe and other markets.

Cyprus’ Energy Minister George Panastasiou also said that ExxonMobil, Eni and Total could partner up to jointly develop their gas deposits found in close proximity to each other.

Jaguar Land Rover has said its sales have dropped by 15.1% over the three months to June, partly because of the threat of US tariffs.

The Coventry-based car manufacturer, which also has sites in Solihull and at i54 near Wolverhampton, paused shipments to the US in April after President Trump’s administration introduced new tariff plans.

It said the drop in sales was also partly due to the planned wind-down of older Jaguar models.

In April, the US government said it would launch an additional 25% tariff on car imports, but it later came to a deal with the UK and JLR restarted exports in May.

JLR said its retail sales were down by 94,420 units over the three months to June and wholesale sales dropped by 10.7% to 87,286 units compared with a year earlier.

The US said its tariff on car imports was intended to encourage more car production within the country.

The deal it reached with the UK was to introduce a lower 10% tariff for the first 100,000 UK-manufactured cars imported into the US each year.

UK cars imported to the US beyond this threshold will, however, face a 27.5% tariff.

The car firm said on Monday that wholesale sales in North America dropped by 12.2% year-on-year when it paused shipments.

However, wholesale sales in the UK saw a bigger fall, by a quarter, because of the “planned cessation of the legacy Jaguar models”.

Jaguar stopped selling new cars in the UK late last year to allow it to shift production to new electric models, which are set to go on sale in 2026.

At the time the import tariffs were first announced, Prof David Bailey of Birmingham Business School said one in four JLR cars were sent to the United States.

He said it was the premium and luxury cars which sold especially well there and the US was the second biggest market for the UK’s industry after the European Union.

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Tietoevry Care is proud to announce its inclusion in the Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Healthcare Providers, 2025  as a sample vendor  in semantic interoperability, a key enabler of integrated, data-driven healthcare across Europe.  

“We are proud to be acknowledged by Gartner for our work in advancing interoperability,” said Ari Järvelä, Managing Director at Tietoevry Care. “Our data-driven Lifecare software solutions help healthcare providers unlock the full value of data to enhance caregiver and patient experience and to improve care outcomes.”

Driving Impact Across the Ecosystem  

Tietoevry Care’s Lifecare software solutions support care coordination and collaboration across clinical and social care settings as well as cross-organizational data sharing to support integrated care pathways.   

These capabilities are increasingly vital as European healthcare systems respond to regulatory requirements, citizen expectations for data access, and the shift toward more collaborative models of care.  

 

For more information, please contact 
Tietoevry Newsdesk, news@tietoevry.com, +358 40 570 4072  , +358 40 570 4072 

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Gartner, Hype Cycle for Healthcare Providers, 2025,  Andrew Meyer, 25 June 2025 

GARTNER and HYPE CYCLE are a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved 

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. 

Tietoevry Care is a leading provider of health and social care software in the Nordics. We are modernising the health and social care sector with our modular, open, and interoperable Lifecare software, supporting the daily lives of over 10 million Nordic citizens. Our data-driven approach empowers care professionals to uncover critical insights and deliver the right support at the right time, ensuring a smoother and more personalized care experience for everyone. 

We are part of Tietoevry, a leading technology company with annual revenue of approximately EUR 2 billion*. Tietoevry’s shares are listed on the NASDAQ exchange in Helsinki and Stockholm, as well as on Oslo Børs. www.tietoevry.com   

* Tietoevry Tech Services is excluded due to the divestment signed in March 2025. The transaction is expected to close during Q3 2025. 

The first malaria treatment suitable for babies and very young children has been approved for use.

It’s expected to be rolled out in African countries within weeks.

Until now there have been no approved malaria drugs specifically for babies.

Instead they have been treated with versions formulated for older children which presents a risk of overdose.

In 2023 – the year for which the most recent figures are available – malaria was linked to around 597,000 deaths.

Almost all of the deaths were in Africa, and around three quarters of them were children under five years old.

Malaria treatments for children do exist but until now, there was none specifically for the very youngest babies and small children, who weigh less than 4.5kg or around 10lb.

Instead they have been treated with drugs designed for older children.

But that presents risks, as doses for these older children may not be safe for babies, whose liver functions are still developing and whose bodies process medicines differently.

Experts say this has led to what is described as a “treatment gap”.

Now a new medicine, developed by the drug company Novartis, has been approved by the Swiss authorities and is likely to be rolled out in regions and countries with the highest rates of malaria within weeks.

Novartis is planning to introduce it on a largely not-for-profit basis.

The company’s chief executive, Vas Narasimhan, says this is an important moment.

“For more than three decades, we have stayed the course in the fight against malaria, working relentlessly to deliver scientific breakthroughs where they are needed most.

“Together with our partners, we are proud to have gone further to develop the first clinically proven malaria treatment for newborns and young babies, ensuring even the smallest and most vulnerable can finally receive the care they deserve.”

The drug, known as Coartem Baby or Riamet Baby in some countries, was developed by Novartis in collaboration with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a Swiss-based not-for-profit organisation initially backed by the British, Swiss and Dutch Governments, as well as the World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Eight African nations also took part in the assessment and trials of the drug and they are expected to be among the first to access it.

Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV, says this is another important step on the road towards ending the huge toll taken by malaria.

“Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases, particularly among children. But with the right resources and focus, it can be eliminated.

“The approval of Coartem Baby provides a necessary medicine with an optimised dose to treat an otherwise neglected group of patients and offers a valuable addition to the antimalarial toolbox.”

Dr Marvelle Brown, associate professor at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, says this should be seen as a major breakthrough in saving the lives of babies and young children.

“The death rate for malarial infections, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa is extremely high – over 76% of deaths occur in children under five years old.

“Increase in death from malaria is further compounded in babies born with sickle cell disease, primarily due to a weak immune system.

“From a public health perspective, Novartis making this not-for-profit can help with reducing inequality in access to healthcare.”