Summary sheet
- Agriculture, fisheries, forestry - Agriculture, forestry and fishing
The operation concerns an investment in the Mekong Earth Regeneration Fund (MERF), a fund investing in sustainable forestry and regenerative agriculture projects in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
MERF seeks to transform agri-commodity value chains to regenerate forest and soil, enhance climate resilience and promote social inclusion. The Fund will focus on projects aimed at preserving or regenerating forests and soil that also generate financial returns, enhance the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities, and contribute to reducing or sequestering carbon.
The Fund will be required to have an environmental and social policy and the appropriate management systems in place so as to comply with the EIB's social requirements. The assessment of the environmental, climate and social impacts and risks will be part of the standard due diligence process that the fund will have to carry out for each portfolio company and any underlying investment and, thereby ensuring that the portfolio and these investments are in compliance with national law and in line with the principles and standards of relevant EU environmental legislation as well as the EIB's Environmental and Social Standards.
The EIB will require the promoter to ensure that implementation of the project will be done in accordance with the EIB's Guide to Procurement.