Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the official launch of the Integrated National Financing Frameworks Facility (INFFs).

INFFs were first introduced in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda in 2015. These were meant to provide tools to financing the country’s sustainable development strategies. We knew that without financing, SDG plans will remain a vision rather than a vehicle for change.

INFFs help countries incorporate financing in national planning, and ensure that all financing policies are meant to advance the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals. They also prepare countries to deal with complexity and unpredictability.

In this moment of multiple and cascading crises, a strategic and risk-informed approach to financing recovery is indispensable.

INFFs are a powerful tool.  

First, they help countries to better understand their needs by measuring financing gaps and identifying impediments to investments. By doing so, countries can prioritize policy measures for mobilizing additional resources.

This includes revenue strategies to raise public resources and financial sector development strategies and investment plans to raise private resources.  INFFs also has tools for designing a strategic framework to help strengthen the impact of development cooperation.

Second, they enhance coherence across different financing policies, so that trade-offs can be managed and synergies exploited.

Third, INFFs can help countries better manage risk by having a full picture of all financial flows and their interlinkages. A country can easily identify potential risks by focusing on these linkages. These tools can also help to increase resilience to shocks, such as from climate-related events and pandemics.  

Fourth, they can make SDG financing more predictable by tying financing and budgeting to long-term priorities.

Countries are already using Integrated National Financing Frameworks to invest in key SDG sectors, and are taking forward reforms across public and private finance, through innovations in budgeting, taxation, blended finance, investment promotion, financial sector development, insurance and many other areas.  

These solutions are designed and implemented through country-led processes, guided by Ministries of Finance. Already, over 300 financing reforms have been initiated with 46 countries producing their first SDG-linked financing strategies.

As INFF implementation advances, we hear growing demand from countries for technical support. Commitment among partners is also growing – G20 Leaders endorsed the G20 Framework for Voluntary Support to INFFs last year.

We are adopting a collaborative and innovative approach to meet these demands.

I am pleased to announce that UNDESA, UNDP and OECD are today launching a global Integrated National Financing Frameworks Facility. The Facility will bring together INFF activities across partners and provide a joint platform for coordinated support. It will avoid duplication and leverage our efforts.

The Facility will be both a hub for knowledge sharing at the global level and a platform to grow the INFF community at the local level.

The United Nations is truly grateful to the partners who have offered support to the facility -- Sweden, Italy and the European Union.

I also wish to thank the governments that are pioneering INFFs at the country level in support of the SDGs. Your experiences are providing valuable insights and lessons that we can all learn from and better provide the skillsets that are needed. We are fully committed to continuing to work with you.

I wish you a fruitful and insightful event and encourage you all to engage actively with the Integrated National Financing Frameworks Facility.

Thank you.