Remarks by the President of the General Assembly
H.E Ms. Annalena Baerbock,
Private Sector Forum
at the Second World Summit for Social Development 2025
5 November 2025, Doha, Qatar
[As Delivered]
Good morning,
Excellencies,
Minister
Ladies and gentlemen,
As we are here with business leaders, let’s talk numbers.
The window of time to deliver on our commitments under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is rapidly closing, with only a little over four years remaining.
And with the annual financing gap for the Sustainable Development Goals currently standing at 4 trillion US dollars, one of the key barriers we face is financing.
But we know, and you know, that money as such is not the problem.
There is plenty in our global economy.
The question rather is how and where it is invested.
It is crystal clear that public financing alone cannot close the SGD gap.
Therefore, it is up to you, it is up to us, to essentially mobilize private institutions and investors to provide capital for sustainable development.
The good thing is there has been progress.
We know the solutions.
Private capital mobilization reached an all-time high of 21.9 billion US dollars in 2022.
Yet this still represents less than 20 percent of total funds mobilized — and it must grow significantly to meet the moment.
And let me be clear: we are not asking the private sector to act out of charity.
Businesses stand to gain directly from contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The evidence is compelling.
Companies with strong Environmental, Social and Governance performance report operating margins 10 percent higher and a cost of capital 20 percent lower.
In simple terms: they are more profitable.
Inclusive business models — those that create employment, expand access to services and uplift communities — strengthen societies.
They are investments in social stability and market confidence.
They help create the very environment in which business can grow and prosper.
The opposite is also true.
When inequality deepens, markets fracture.
When societies prosper, markets expand — to the benefit of both the public and private sectors.
And this is increasingly recognized by the business community itself.
As just one example, The UN Global Compact CEO Study of 2024 found that nine in ten CEOs believe sustainability is key to long-term success.
In the climate field, the world recognized two years ago at the COP in Dubai that the future is renewable, creating a win-win situation for private investments.
And there is no way backward. Even if you deny the climate crisis. Because we have reached a peak, and this is the good thing about the peaks; no one wants to have stranded investments.
Consider Africa, which is abundant in sunlight and starving for more electricity.
This is a prime opportunity for renewable energy investment, yet, and this is the thing we have to tackle, only 4.2GW of renewable capacity was added in 2024, compared to over 421GW in Asia the same year.
So then the question is: how do we bring the finance to the places that need it?
Not only to end social injustice but also to unlock the potential of renewable energy.
To unlock this potential and deliver mutual benefits for communities and investors alike, we must dismantle the barriers holding back capital flows.
And I have been working in this field in a previous capacity a lot.
It’s not that investors do not want to invest. It’s not that governments do not want to work together.
And this is the point which also touches me.
What’s needed is an enabling environment.
And this is why we have to build on trust. This is why international cooperation matters. Because with price volatility it is to trust that your investment is not stranded.
Building that environment requires common financial frameworks fit for the 21st century, scaled-up international funds, and the removal of unnecessary restrictions that stifle innovation, as outlined in the Sevilla Commitment on financing for sustainable development.
Indeed, social development is one of the most transformative investments a business can make.
Yet today, 1.3 billion people still live in poverty, facing barriers to education, healthcare, and opportunity.
This is not only a moral failure — it is a profound loss of human and economic potential.
Every person who rises out of poverty has the potential to become an entrepreneur, an innovator, a consumer — a driver of shared prosperity.
Inclusive business models could unlock an estimated 12 trillion US dollars in market opportunities and create 380 million jobs by 2030.
And the private sector is not starting from zero.
There is strong guidance already available: including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; the United Nations Global Compact and the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy.
All of these provide clear frameworks for responsible and impactful business conduct.
We know the solutions are there. It is now up to us to join forces, to stand together, and to understand that we are all – consumers, citizens, UN institutions and business people – better together.
I thank you.