Dear colleagues,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to this expert meeting in preparation of the official launch of the “Global Investors for Sustainable Development” (GISD) Alliance.
The Secretary-General has made financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a top priority. Investments on a massive scale in sustainable infrastructure, social services and low-carbon production methods are needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. While some areas might be best suited for public investment, other areas will require substantial and long-term investment from the private sector.
For this reason, the Secretary-General decided to establish the GISD Alliance as part of his Strategy for Financing the 2030 Agenda. The Alliance will use the insights of its CEO members to unlock impediments and promote solutions for mobilizing long-term private investment for sustainable development. In addition, GISD will facilitate the alignment of business operations, finance and investment with sustainable development.
GISD will also serve as a platform to advocate for actions by decision makers from businesses, governments and international organizations. These actions may include:
Until then, a lot of work needs to be done. This expert meeting is a critical milestone towards the establishment of GISD. The objective of the meeting is to develop an Issues Paper and Action Plan. Both will be used by the CEO-members as the basis for their work during the next two years.
The Issues Paper and the Action Plan should identify a few specific, actionable solutions that are feasible and will yield a high impact.
For this purpose, the documents need to be clear, concise and speak the language of the private sector.
Furthermore, the solutions need to address multiple levels:
Dear colleagues,
The combined expertise in this room and those connected from other parts of the world, makes me confident that this meeting will result in a high-quality outcome. I thank our colleagues from EOSG, UNCTAD, Global Compact, PRI, UNDP, UNEP-FI, UNCDF, the Regional Commissions, the UN Office for Partnerships, our partners from the World Bank Group and the external experts.
I am grateful that all partners are coming together to galvanize support for the Secretary-General’s efforts towards scaling up investment for sustainable development.
Let me also extend a special thank-you to our colleagues from the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) for their active participation and their generous contribution for the implementation of GISD.
In closing, I encourage you to have a very open and frank discussion today. A strong Issues Paper and Action Plan will be crucial to ensure that GISD will be able to hit the ground running from September.
Thank you.
It is my pleasure to welcome you to this expert meeting in preparation of the official launch of the “Global Investors for Sustainable Development” (GISD) Alliance.
The Secretary-General has made financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a top priority. Investments on a massive scale in sustainable infrastructure, social services and low-carbon production methods are needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. While some areas might be best suited for public investment, other areas will require substantial and long-term investment from the private sector.
For this reason, the Secretary-General decided to establish the GISD Alliance as part of his Strategy for Financing the 2030 Agenda. The Alliance will use the insights of its CEO members to unlock impediments and promote solutions for mobilizing long-term private investment for sustainable development. In addition, GISD will facilitate the alignment of business operations, finance and investment with sustainable development.
GISD will also serve as a platform to advocate for actions by decision makers from businesses, governments and international organizations. These actions may include:
- incorporating sustainable development considerations into regulatory and standard-setting frameworks,
- broadening the interpretation of fiduciary responsibilities, and
- developing enabling accounting and reporting standards.
Until then, a lot of work needs to be done. This expert meeting is a critical milestone towards the establishment of GISD. The objective of the meeting is to develop an Issues Paper and Action Plan. Both will be used by the CEO-members as the basis for their work during the next two years.
The Issues Paper and the Action Plan should identify a few specific, actionable solutions that are feasible and will yield a high impact.
For this purpose, the documents need to be clear, concise and speak the language of the private sector.
Furthermore, the solutions need to address multiple levels:
- individual firms,
- entire industries,
- policies and regulations, and
- the investment recipient context.
Dear colleagues,
The combined expertise in this room and those connected from other parts of the world, makes me confident that this meeting will result in a high-quality outcome. I thank our colleagues from EOSG, UNCTAD, Global Compact, PRI, UNDP, UNEP-FI, UNCDF, the Regional Commissions, the UN Office for Partnerships, our partners from the World Bank Group and the external experts.
I am grateful that all partners are coming together to galvanize support for the Secretary-General’s efforts towards scaling up investment for sustainable development.
Let me also extend a special thank-you to our colleagues from the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) for their active participation and their generous contribution for the implementation of GISD.
In closing, I encourage you to have a very open and frank discussion today. A strong Issues Paper and Action Plan will be crucial to ensure that GISD will be able to hit the ground running from September.
Thank you.
File date:
Thursday, June 13, 2019