Financing the SDGs: Moving from words to action

Background

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda provides a global framework for financing sustainable development and strengthening collective action to address global challenges. It contextualizes SDG 17 – “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development” -- with concrete policies and actions.

Aligning financing and all means of implementation for the 2030 Agenda will require significant reshaping of public polices and financial systems in line with sustainable development. The challenge is driven by both the scale of financing needed to achieve the SDGs and the necessary shift in public and private incentives towards long-term horizons for sustainable development. This will require action from the local to global levels, and by diverse stakeholders. In the intergovernmentally agreed outcome document of the 2019 ECOSOC Financing for Development Forum, UN Member States agreed on the need to align a wide range of financing sources and instruments with the 2030 Agenda as part of their implementation of the Addis Agenda.

This session will convene experts to share lessons and make concrete recommendations for how some of the key ideas contained in the 2030 Agenda and the outcome document of the 2019 ECOSOC Financing for Development Forum could be translated into reality, including on sustainable investment, domestic resource mobilization and illicit financial flows.

This session will have a roundtable format.

Background note is available here

Information for Expert Group Meeting on SDG17 is available here

Proposed guiding questions:

What are the opportunities for improving the composition and allocation of financing to maximize sustainable development impact at the national and global levels? What concrete initiatives and tools could be used to promote sustainable investments where they are most needed, such as in the least developed countries (LDCs)?
What are the key impediments to long-term investments for sustainable development? Which national strategies and policies have proven effective in facilitating long-term and quality investment?
How can tax systems be strengthened to ensure that countries mobilize domestic resources more effectively? What policies lead to improved progressivity of fiscal systems to address inequalities in a context of inclusive growth? How can development cooperation be leveraged to better support these efforts?
What are the major gaps and challenges hindering global action on stemming illicit financial flows? How can international cooperation strengthen good practices on promoting timely recovery and repatriation of stolen assets to foster sustainable development?

Chair:

H.E. Mr. Valentin Rybakov, Vice President of ECOSOC

Presentation:

Ms. Yongyi Min, Development Data and Outreach Branch, Statistics Division of UN DESA

Keynote speaker:

Mr. Homi Kharas, Interim Vice President and Director of the Global Economy and Development program, Brookings Institution

Moderator:

H.E. Mr. E. Courtenay Rattray, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the UN, and Co-facilitator for 2018 FfD outcome document

Resource persons:

H.E. Mr. Zied Ladhari, Minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation, Tunisia
H.E. Mr. Dag-Inge Ulstein, Minister of International Development, Norway
Ms. Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of ECA
Mr. Thomas Gass, Head of the South Cooperation Department of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Mr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice President of the World Bank Group

Lead discussants:

Mr. Iñigo Urkullu Renteria, Lehendakari (President) of the Basque Government, Spain (MGoS)
Ms. Olivia Prentice, Director, COO, Impact Management Project, Bridges Fund Management
Mr. Lubin Wang, Chief Representative Officer ICBC Africa, Non-Executive Director Standard Bank Group

Followed by interactive discussion