Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this expert group meeting on “Closing the Investment Gap on Sustainable Infrastructure and scaling up the SDG Investment Fair”.
We are at a critical stage for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. At the High-level Political Forum, which concluded yesterday, governments and stakeholders from every corner of the world came together to help guide the transformative vision of the 2030 Agenda. In their vibrant and in-depth discussions, challenges, as well as commonalities and interlinkages, were highlighted, with the underlining principle to leave no one behind.
And, while important progress towards achieving the Goals is evident, more needs to be done to set our planet on a true path towards sustainability.
Financing is a key enabler in this regard. We need to redouble our efforts to align investments with sustainable development. It is no question that profitable investments and sustainable development will need to converge. For this objective, a focus on the long-term and sustainability, need to shift to the core of investment decisions.
Achieving this transformational change will require efforts by both the public and private sector. Governments need to address investment risks by creating enabling environments and regulatory frameworks through policies that are conducive for attracting sustainable investments. They also need to develop project pipelines that are ready for investments.
At the same time, a change of business practices and incentive structures to nudge sustainable investment, will be required.
For example, investors need to evaluate the social and environmental impact of their investment portfolios. Benchmarks and compensation packages should be reoriented based on long-term considerations. Furthermore, companies should embrace sustainable development in business strategies and adjust their corporate cultures.
To facilitate a frank and direct interaction between governments and the investor community on these issues, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and its partners organized the first SDG Investment Fair in April this year.
The SDGI Fair broke ground for a new level of engagement of the private sector in financing for sustainable development. At the Fair, high-level representatives from governments and the private sector discussed investment opportunities in emerging markets. They shared experiences with financing sustainable, large-scale high impact projects in areas such as renewable energy and agriculture.
We have received very positive feedback on the SDGI Fair from all stakeholders involved. We also heard the call for scaling up the Fair in the coming years. Participants have indicated the strong value added by the SDGI Fair as a platform for knowledge-sharing and matching countries with investors looking for sustainable investment opportunities. Furthermore, in the outcome document of the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development, Member States have called on the United Nations to continue to bring together relevant stakeholders to discuss and disseminate the benefits of SDG investing.
Excellencies,
This expert group meeting is kicking off the preparatory process for next SDG Investment Fair, which will take place in April 2019. Our goal is to establish the Fair as a platform for action towards closing the investment gap for the SDGs. For this purpose, we want to build close relationships with Member States that have taken concrete steps to mobilize private investment. We also want to expand further our engagement of the investor community, which has been a strong stakeholder in the Financing for Development process. Today’s and tomorrow’s discussion are the first steps towards this aim.
I wish to thank our organizing partners, CDP [originally: Carbon Disclosure Project] and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, for sharing their experience in supporting countries with the preparation of project pipelines for sustainable investment. I also thank the German government and GIZ for their generous support of this meeting and the SDGI Fair.
I invite all participants here to bring your unique expertise, your projects ready for investment, and your financial firepower to the 2019 SDG Investment Fair. Please talk to my colleagues from the Financing for Sustainable Development Office about how you can engage in the preparatory process.
Let me conclude by reassuring all of you that DESA remains fully committed to supporting all stakeholders in mobilizing additional financing for sustainable development.
Through our collaboration, we have the chance to unleash the full potential of private business and finance to close the investment gap for the SDGs.
I wish you a successful meeting.
Thank you.
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this expert group meeting on “Closing the Investment Gap on Sustainable Infrastructure and scaling up the SDG Investment Fair”.
We are at a critical stage for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. At the High-level Political Forum, which concluded yesterday, governments and stakeholders from every corner of the world came together to help guide the transformative vision of the 2030 Agenda. In their vibrant and in-depth discussions, challenges, as well as commonalities and interlinkages, were highlighted, with the underlining principle to leave no one behind.
And, while important progress towards achieving the Goals is evident, more needs to be done to set our planet on a true path towards sustainability.
Financing is a key enabler in this regard. We need to redouble our efforts to align investments with sustainable development. It is no question that profitable investments and sustainable development will need to converge. For this objective, a focus on the long-term and sustainability, need to shift to the core of investment decisions.
Achieving this transformational change will require efforts by both the public and private sector. Governments need to address investment risks by creating enabling environments and regulatory frameworks through policies that are conducive for attracting sustainable investments. They also need to develop project pipelines that are ready for investments.
At the same time, a change of business practices and incentive structures to nudge sustainable investment, will be required.
For example, investors need to evaluate the social and environmental impact of their investment portfolios. Benchmarks and compensation packages should be reoriented based on long-term considerations. Furthermore, companies should embrace sustainable development in business strategies and adjust their corporate cultures.
To facilitate a frank and direct interaction between governments and the investor community on these issues, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and its partners organized the first SDG Investment Fair in April this year.
The SDGI Fair broke ground for a new level of engagement of the private sector in financing for sustainable development. At the Fair, high-level representatives from governments and the private sector discussed investment opportunities in emerging markets. They shared experiences with financing sustainable, large-scale high impact projects in areas such as renewable energy and agriculture.
We have received very positive feedback on the SDGI Fair from all stakeholders involved. We also heard the call for scaling up the Fair in the coming years. Participants have indicated the strong value added by the SDGI Fair as a platform for knowledge-sharing and matching countries with investors looking for sustainable investment opportunities. Furthermore, in the outcome document of the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development, Member States have called on the United Nations to continue to bring together relevant stakeholders to discuss and disseminate the benefits of SDG investing.
Excellencies,
This expert group meeting is kicking off the preparatory process for next SDG Investment Fair, which will take place in April 2019. Our goal is to establish the Fair as a platform for action towards closing the investment gap for the SDGs. For this purpose, we want to build close relationships with Member States that have taken concrete steps to mobilize private investment. We also want to expand further our engagement of the investor community, which has been a strong stakeholder in the Financing for Development process. Today’s and tomorrow’s discussion are the first steps towards this aim.
I wish to thank our organizing partners, CDP [originally: Carbon Disclosure Project] and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, for sharing their experience in supporting countries with the preparation of project pipelines for sustainable investment. I also thank the German government and GIZ for their generous support of this meeting and the SDGI Fair.
I invite all participants here to bring your unique expertise, your projects ready for investment, and your financial firepower to the 2019 SDG Investment Fair. Please talk to my colleagues from the Financing for Sustainable Development Office about how you can engage in the preparatory process.
Let me conclude by reassuring all of you that DESA remains fully committed to supporting all stakeholders in mobilizing additional financing for sustainable development.
Through our collaboration, we have the chance to unleash the full potential of private business and finance to close the investment gap for the SDGs.
I wish you a successful meeting.
Thank you.
File date:
Thursday, July 19, 2018