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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development
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Finance

Description

Finance for sustainable development is the subject of Chapter 33 of Agenda 21 and Chapter X of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

Decisions on finance for sustainable development were taken by the Commission at its second, third, fourth, sixth, and eighth sessions, and by the General Assembly at its nineteenth Special Session [Earth Summit + 5] in its Resolution S/19-2 on the Programme for the Future Implementation of Agenda 21. All decisions of the CSD after the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 had a section on finance in connection with the themes considered in those sessions (excluding CSD’s 11th session, which defined the programme of work of the Commission).

Financing was addressed in paragraphs 253 to 268 of the outcome of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (20 - 22 June 2012), “The Future We Want”. Member States recognized “the need for significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources and the effective use of financing, in order to give strong support to developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development, including through actions undertaken in accordance with the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and for achieving sustainable development goals”.

The conference established an intergovernmental committee of experts and tasked it to prepare “a report proposing options on an effective sustainable development financing strategy to facilitate the mobilization of resources and their effective use in achieving sustainable development objectives”. The committee delivered its report in August 2014. The report informed the negotiations on the third international conference on financing for development, held in July 2015 in Addis Ababa.

Financing is addressed in the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development as part of the means of implementation under each of SDG 1-16 and under SDG 17. Paragraph 40 of the Summit outcome document, “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, specifies the relationship between the actions and policies agreed in Addis Ababa and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and reads “The means of implementation targets under Goal 17 and under each Sustainable Development Goal are key to realizing our Agenda and are of equal importance with the other Goals and targets. The Agenda, including the Sustainable Development Goals, can be met within the framework of a revitalized Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, supported by the concrete policies and actions as outlined in the outcome document of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Addis Ababa from 13 to 16 July 2015. We welcome the endorsement by the General Assembly of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We recognize that the full implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda is critical for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets”.

The newly established annual FfD Forum represents an important step forward in reinvigorating and strengthening the United Nations FfD follow-up process. The FfD Forum was established in accordance with paragraph 132 of the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda, recognizing the need for a dedicated follow-up and review of the financing for development outcomes as well as the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The FfD Forum is held annually at the United Nations Headquarters in New York with universal intergovernmental participation. It results in intergovernmentally agreed conclusions and recommendations that are fed into the overall follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development.

The First Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) forum on financing for development follow-up (FfD forum) was held from 18 to 20 April 2016 in New York.

The Second Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) forum on financing for development follow-up (FfD forum) was held from 22 to 25 May 2017 in New York.

The Third Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) forum on financing for development follow-up (FfD forum) was held from 23 to 26 April 2018 in New York.

Displaying 1 - 15 of 82
Title Type Date
Expert Group Meeting on SDG 17: Thematic review Concept Notes 1-Feb-2019
A/RES/71/216 - Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 21 December 2016 Resolutions and decisions 9-Mar-2018
A/72/208 - Follow-up to the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on children Secretary-General Reports 24-Jul-2017
A/72/204 - Administration of justice at the United Nations Secretary-General Reports 24-Jul-2017
A/72/203 - Measures taken and progress achieved in follow-up to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration… Secretary-General Reports 24-Jul-2017
A/RES/71/217 - Follow-up to and implementation of the outcomes of the International Conferences on Financing for… Resolutions and decisions 3-Feb-2017
A/RES/71/215 - International financial system and development Resolutions and decisions 25-Jan-2017
Thematic discussion 9: Financing sustainable transport: Domestic resource mobilization, international… Background papers/Special studies 11-Nov-2016
SDG Industry Matrix - Financial Services Other documents 1-Mar-2016
A/70/472/Add.1 - Implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the… Resolutions and decisions 23-Dec-2015
A/70/470/Add.2 - International financial system and development: Report of the Second Committee Resolutions and decisions 15-Dec-2015
A/70/470/Add.3 - External debt sustainability and development: report of the Second Committee Resolutions and decisions 15-Dec-2015
A/70/470/Add.4 - Commodities: report of the Second Committee Resolutions and decisions 15-Dec-2015
A/70/470 - Macroeconomic policy questions: Report of the Second Committee Resolutions and decisions 14-Dec-2015
A/70/471 - Follow-up to and implementation of the outcomes of the International Conferences on Financing for Development… Resolutions and decisions 14-Dec-2015
Displaying 1 - 15 of 86
Title Category Date Sort ascending
India Member States 27-Apr-2015
Bangladesh Member States 24-Apr-2015
European Union Closing Session 24-Apr-2015
Hungary Member States 24-Apr-2015
Cabo Verde Member States 23-Apr-2015
LAC Youth Alliance Major Groups 23-Apr-2015
Australia Member States 23-Apr-2015
International Budget Partnership Major Groups 23-Apr-2015
Farming First Coalition Major Groups 23-Apr-2015
Armenia Member States 23-Apr-2015
Stakeholder Group on Ageing Major Groups 23-Apr-2015
Canada Member States 23-Apr-2015
CECOEDECON Major Groups 23-Apr-2015
Egypt Member States 23-Apr-2015
Jubilee USA Network Major Groups 23-Apr-2015

Milestones

  • January 2015 AAAA
    The Addis Ababa Action Agenda is the outcome document of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development and consists of a new global framework for financing sustainable development. The conference convened to: (1) assess the progress made in the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration; (2) address new and emerging issues; and (3) reinvigorate and strengthen the financing for development follow-up process. Launched in October 2014, the intergovernmental preparatory process of the Conference consisted of substantive informal sessions and informal interactive hearings with civil society and the business sector through March 2015, as well as drafting sessions on the outcome document in January, April and June 2015.
  • January 2015 Targets 17.1 -17.5
    Within Sustainable Development Goal 17- "Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development", targets 17.1 -17.5 are devoted to finance. They aim to: strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection (17.1); fully implement official development assistance commitments of developed countries, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; encourage ODA providers to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries (17.2); mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources (17.3); assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress (17.4) as well as adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries (17.5).
  • The first session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on SD Financing was held between 28th -30th August 2013 and aimed at identifying ways to mobilize resources from a variety of sources and use effective financing to provide wide support to developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development.
  • In “The Future We Want”, Member States recognized “the need for significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources and the effective use of financing, in order to give strong support to developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development, including through actions undertaken in accordance with the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and for achieving sustainable development goals”.
  • A three- day Summit, held from 24th to 26th June 2009, was organized by the United Nations to observe and assess the impact of the economic crisis and identify emergency and long-term strategies able to attenuate the impact of the crisis and promote fruitful exchanges on how to change the structure of the international financial systems and taking into consideration all the needs and concerns of all Member States.
  • January 2008 Doha Declaration
    The Doha Declaration on Financing for Development (A/CONF.212/L.1/Rev.1*) represented the outcome document of the follow-up conference, held in Doha, Qatar from 29th November to 2nd December 2008, to review the Monterrey Consensus of the 2002 International Conference on Financing for Development. The Conference included plenary meetings and six interactive multi-stakeholder round tables on the six major thematic areas of the Monterrey Consensus.
  • January 2002 JPOI (Chap.10)
    Finance for sustainable development is the subject of Chapter X of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. As paragraph 81 reads "The internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration and Agenda 21, as well as in the present plan of action, will require significant increases in the flow of financial resources as elaborated in the Monterrey Consensus, including through new and additional financial resources, in particular to developing countries, to support the implementation of national policies and programmes developed by them, improved trade opportunities, access to and transfer of environmentally sound technologies on a concessional or preferential basis, as mutually agreed, education and awareness-raising, capacity - building and information for decision -making and scientific capabilities within the agreed time frame required to meet these goals and initiatives".
  • January 2002 Monterrey Consensus
    Known as the outcome document of the UN International Conference on Financing for Development held n Monterrey in 2002, the Monterrey Consensus has become, since its adoption, the major reference for international development cooperation. The document embraces six areas of Financing for Development: 1) mobilization of domestic financial resources for development, 2) mobilization of international resources for development: foreign direct investment and other private flows. 3) International Trade as an engine for development. 4) increase of international financial and technical cooperation for development. 5) external debt. 6) addressing of systemic issues: enhancing the coherence and consistency of the international monetary, financial and trading systems in support of development.
  • January 1992 Agenda 21(Chap. 33)
    Chapter 33 deals with the financing of the implementation of Agenda 21, which reflects a global consensus integrating environmental considerations into an accelerated development process. Paragraph 2 of Chapter 33 points out how "for each of the other chapters, the secretariat of the Conference has provided indicative estimates of the total costs of implementation for developing countries and the requirements for grant or other concessional financing needed from the international community".