Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, let me extend my warm welcome to all of you to the SDG Investment Fair.
We meet here on the eve of the third United Nations Forum on Financing for Development, which will start tomorrow with the aim of reviewing the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
One of the major contributions of the Addis Agenda is its emphasis on the importance of the private sector in financing sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The private sector includes a wide range of diverse actors. It is great to see such diversity well represented here today.
Meaningful discussions on encouraging private investment in sustainable development, especially in developing countries, must involve both the public and private sectors. The public sector is responsible for ensuring that the regulatory and policy environment encourages responsible long-term investment in sustainable development. At the same time, multilateral institutions continue to play an indispensable role providing funding and catalyzing private and public investment.
Therefore, I am heartened to see an equally diverse group of public sector representatives here at today’s event. I am especially interested in learning about the progress that they have made in building more transparent, stable and predictable investment climates.
As we launch the first SDGI Fair, let me outline a few key objectives that, I believe, could guide some thoughts to our discussions on SDG investment today and beyond.
First and foremost, we need to recognize that investing in sustainable development is a collaborative effort. The investment required to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 will not happen on its own. Governments need to join hands with investors, enterprises, and other visionary institutions and individuals. Today’s SDGI Fair is a unique opportunity to promote global cooperation. Indeed, the presence of both public and private sector representatives, who have been directly involved in large-scale investments in sustainable development, is what makes today’s event so critical.
Second, we need to be willing to listen to and learn from each other. One of the innovative features of the SDGI Fair is that it will dive deep into the nuts and bolts of SDG investing. We are lucky to have many people here that have been directly involved in forging large-scale investments into sustainable development. They can provide us with unique insights on what it takes to create and close large-scale deals. Let’s think outside the box and explore new ways to finance SDG investments. But in doing so we must remain mindful of the local context. More analysis is required to design financial instruments that respond to the unique situation of countries with special needs, such as the Least Developed Countries.
Third, today’s event provides a chance to move from dialogue to action and pave the way for new deals on SDGI. The breakout sessions this afternoon will give space for key players to discuss concrete opportunities to scale up SDG investment. I am convinced that there are many untapped funding opportunities for SDG-focused projects. Often, projects lack funding because the country context is poorly understood. But we also need to be realistic. Risk-adjusted financial returns may on their own not be sufficient to attract adequate private investment. In these cases, I encourage a constructive dialogue among all participants on the appropriate incentives and targeted interventions policy makers can put in place to promote SDG investment.
Finally, let us ensure today’s discussions have a real and tangible impact on people and the planet. Our outcome will feed into the FfD Forum starting tomorrow and the High-level Political Forum in July. But, in the longer term, the SDGI Fair should go beyond informing policy discussions. It should be a place to facilitate new deals and promote large-scale investments into the SDGs. It is not a one-off event but a regular gathering that spurs investment in support of the 2030 Agenda. I therefore urge you all to remain engaged in the SDGI process and to ensure that it will have a lasting impact toward a more prosperous and sustainable future.
Thank you!
On behalf of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, let me extend my warm welcome to all of you to the SDG Investment Fair.
We meet here on the eve of the third United Nations Forum on Financing for Development, which will start tomorrow with the aim of reviewing the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
One of the major contributions of the Addis Agenda is its emphasis on the importance of the private sector in financing sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The private sector includes a wide range of diverse actors. It is great to see such diversity well represented here today.
Meaningful discussions on encouraging private investment in sustainable development, especially in developing countries, must involve both the public and private sectors. The public sector is responsible for ensuring that the regulatory and policy environment encourages responsible long-term investment in sustainable development. At the same time, multilateral institutions continue to play an indispensable role providing funding and catalyzing private and public investment.
Therefore, I am heartened to see an equally diverse group of public sector representatives here at today’s event. I am especially interested in learning about the progress that they have made in building more transparent, stable and predictable investment climates.
As we launch the first SDGI Fair, let me outline a few key objectives that, I believe, could guide some thoughts to our discussions on SDG investment today and beyond.
First and foremost, we need to recognize that investing in sustainable development is a collaborative effort. The investment required to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 will not happen on its own. Governments need to join hands with investors, enterprises, and other visionary institutions and individuals. Today’s SDGI Fair is a unique opportunity to promote global cooperation. Indeed, the presence of both public and private sector representatives, who have been directly involved in large-scale investments in sustainable development, is what makes today’s event so critical.
Second, we need to be willing to listen to and learn from each other. One of the innovative features of the SDGI Fair is that it will dive deep into the nuts and bolts of SDG investing. We are lucky to have many people here that have been directly involved in forging large-scale investments into sustainable development. They can provide us with unique insights on what it takes to create and close large-scale deals. Let’s think outside the box and explore new ways to finance SDG investments. But in doing so we must remain mindful of the local context. More analysis is required to design financial instruments that respond to the unique situation of countries with special needs, such as the Least Developed Countries.
Third, today’s event provides a chance to move from dialogue to action and pave the way for new deals on SDGI. The breakout sessions this afternoon will give space for key players to discuss concrete opportunities to scale up SDG investment. I am convinced that there are many untapped funding opportunities for SDG-focused projects. Often, projects lack funding because the country context is poorly understood. But we also need to be realistic. Risk-adjusted financial returns may on their own not be sufficient to attract adequate private investment. In these cases, I encourage a constructive dialogue among all participants on the appropriate incentives and targeted interventions policy makers can put in place to promote SDG investment.
Finally, let us ensure today’s discussions have a real and tangible impact on people and the planet. Our outcome will feed into the FfD Forum starting tomorrow and the High-level Political Forum in July. But, in the longer term, the SDGI Fair should go beyond informing policy discussions. It should be a place to facilitate new deals and promote large-scale investments into the SDGs. It is not a one-off event but a regular gathering that spurs investment in support of the 2030 Agenda. I therefore urge you all to remain engaged in the SDGI process and to ensure that it will have a lasting impact toward a more prosperous and sustainable future.
Thank you!
File date:
Sunday, Abril 22, 2018