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On the occasion of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development held in Addis Ababa (13-16 July 2015), UNCTAD will be organizing a high-level side event to addresses the challenge of financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including how to maximize the benefits of private investment and minimize the risks. |
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According to UNCTAD's 2014 World Investment Report, achieving the SDGs will require a significant ratcheting up of investment. The private sector will need to be a vital partner to public efforts to reach the scale of investment required. Recent years have seen a tectonic shift of FDI going to developing countries, but most of this investment is not reaching the poorest economies. What policy strategies and actions can be developed to better target investment to finance development?
The ambitious SDGs that member States are expected to launch this September will contain strong provisions on means of implementation. Continued efforts are needed to increase official development assistance (ODA). However, the investment required to achieve the goals is likely to be beyond the reach of both ODA and domestic public sector resources in many countries, especially in least developed countries. Increased private investment will be needed to complement public investment. Private sector investment will be needed, first and foremost, to generate productive capacity, economic growth and employment. Foreign direct investment can help do this.
What are the policy options available to produce a step-change in the amount of private investment going to finance sustainable development?
Encouragement of responsible investment in sustainable development is critical. An overall policy framework that is conducive to attracting investment is an essential prerequisite for investment-led inclusive and sustainable development. In particular, it is imperative to make special efforts to promote investment in LDCs and other vulnerable economies.
Ministers, heads of international organizations and high-level members of the private sector will consider appropriate policy frameworks for sustainable investment, and propose strategies to engage private sector stakeholders to invest in the SDGs. UNCTAD's 2014 World Investment Report lays out an Action Plan for Investing in the SDGs and will serve as a basis for deliberations at this high-level side event.
Key questions to be addressed:
- What would a strategic, action-oriented policy framework for investment in sustainable development entail, in general and from the perspective of individual countries?
- What factors shape private sector involvement in the sustainable and inclusive growth agenda?
- Which policies can best be deployed to engage private sector financing for the SDGs?
- Should an international governance structure frame different actors' roles?
Related Information:
- 2014 World Investment Report: An Action Plan for Investing in the SDGs
- 2015 World Investment Report: Reforming International Investment Governance
