Brazil | May 19, 2026

The inaugural Climate Week Zurich emerged as the largest climate week in continental Europe, with more than 270 events unfolding across the city over six days. Business leaders, policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors gathered to discuss mitigation, adaptation, resilience, and the technologies and financial models likely to shape the next phase of the climate transition.

Within this expanding ecosystem, Swissnex brought Amazonia to the center of attention. Through two curated events, we convened actors from science, finance, conservation, and entrepreneurship to examine how emerging climate and biodiversity strategies increasingly depend on collaboration with the forest and its communities. These themes were further amplified by the CEO of Swissnex in Brazil, Benjamin Bollmann, who joined a panel discussion at the Villars Institute House at UBS.

Living Forest Coalition Dinner at Zurich Zoo

The week opened with an invite-only dinner at Zurich Zoo’s Masoala Rainforest Hall around the soon-to-be launched Living Forest Coalition, a new initiative from Swissnex to strengthen Switzerland-Amazonia collaboration.

Bringing together Swiss-based actors from science, finance, conservation, and philanthropy, the discussion focused on how such a coalition could help better align fragmented efforts across regions and sectors. Rather than introducing new agendas, the emphasis was on improving coordination between existing ones.

The conversation centred on the practical conditions for longer-term cooperation and on how Amazonia-rooted approaches could gain greater international continuity and recognition.

Represented organisations included Frontiers, the Swiss Leading House Latin America, the University of St. Gallen, the Wyss Academy for Nature, Brainforest, NatureFinance, reilo, WWF, the University of Basel, the Swiss National Science Foundation, Innovate 4 Nature, ZHAW, Restor, Precious Woods, Silvania, and the University of Zurich.

From Zurich to Amazonia: Co-Creating the Future of the Bioeconomy

Later in the week, Swissnex in Brazil and the Frontiers Planet Prize hosted the only public event of Climate Week Zurich fully dedicated to Amazonia.

Speakers highlighted different dimensions of the Amazon-climate interface: from biodiversity dynamics, to lived experience in the forest and emerging models of socio-bioeconomic development. Together, these perspectives grounded the discussion in both planetary science and local realities.

The second half of the event showcased organisations already active in the Amazon region, including NatureFinance, the Wyss Academy for Nature, Amazonia Impact Ventures, Earthworm Foundation, and reilo.

Swissnex also presented ongoing initiatives such as the “Switzerland & Amazonia” report, nexBio Amazonia, and the forthcoming Living Forest Coalition.

Across the discussion, a consistent signal emerged: strong appetite for longer-term, cross-sector collaboration linking research, investment, and implementation in Amazonia.

The two Swissnex events and the discussion at the Villars Institute House reflected a broader shift visible throughout Climate Week Zurich: from parallel initiatives toward more interconnected approaches to climate and nature, with Amazonia increasingly part of that system.