Sustainable Development: Business Leaders launch new collaboration with the UN
- Making blended finance work with impact.
- Developing and sharing innovative instruments and platforms to mobilize and channel investment to countries and sectors most in need.
- Addressing institutional and regulatory impediments to longer-term investment by the private sector in sustainable development.
The new phase of the GISD Alliance will run until 2025. The deliverables and recommendations arising from the Alliance’s work will feed into agreed actions among UN Member States at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development proposed for 2025.
Leading the GISD Alliance’s new phase to create lasting impact are José Viñals, Group Chairman of Standard Chartered, and Shinta Kamdani, CEO of Sintesa Group. Ms. Kamdani replaces departing Co-Chair Leila Fourie, CEO of Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
“Collaboration between public and private sectors, across emerging and developed economies, is the cornerstone of sustainable progress. During my tenure as co-chair, I have witnessed how the GISD’s unique platform empowers emerging markets to connect with key role players across borders to identify and solve for the hurdles to large-scale financing of sustainable development,” said Fourie.
“Ongoing collaboration is critical if we are to meet the diverse funding needs of the SDGs. In making progress, the GISD Alliance will strive to deliver impact at scale and speed where the needs are greatest. The shared commitment of private and public funds, applied as blended finance, provides a powerful mechanism for delivery and deserves our continued focus,” Viñals stated.
“Closing the SDG gap requires both capital investment and a suitable business environment to roll out the investment. The role of advocacy and engagement will be imperative for the next phase of the GISD Alliance, especially in pipelining finance towards the real sectors. In that regard, collaboration will be the key to ensuring that our joint efforts are systemic and truly create significant change,” concluded Kamdani.
Launched by the UN Secretary-General in 2019, the GISD Alliance has broken ground on innovative solutions to scale up long-term finance and investment for sustainable development.
Heads and senior executives from Citi, Standard Chartered, Bank of America, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Sintesa Group, Agricultural Bank of China, and Investec were among the attendees at the annual UN meeting.
