26 June 2014
Geneva Event Discusses Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships in Post-2015 Agenda
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An event on multi-stakeholder partnerships in the post-2015 development agenda took place on the margins of the 2014 Annual Session of the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), on 23 June 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland.

sdc-logo-jpg23 June 2014: An event on multi-stakeholder partnerships in the post-2015 development agenda took place on the margins of the 2014 Annual Session of the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), on 23 June 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland.

‘From MDGs to SDGs: How Can Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships Contribute to Financing the Post-2015 Development Agenda’ was organized by the Government of Switzerland, with support of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and with participation of approximately 80 representatives from UN agencies in Geneva, the Global Fund, World Economic Forum, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Sustainable Finance Geneva, the South Centre, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, private sector, civil society, and academia.

Informal roundtable discussions focused on themes such as: types of partnerships with the private sector that could help to finance the post-2015 agenda; how trade can be better leveraged to finance sustainable development; important innovations in financing for sustainable development, and how such initiatives can be brought to scale in the post-2015 era; and the need to balance the financing needs of the poorest countries with the continued financing needs of middle-income countries.

Main points made during the discussions included:

• the need for the UN to improve communication and speak the “language of business”;

• the importance of ensuring that investments remain founded on human rights and development procedures;

• the crucial role of public actors, including UN entities, in ensuring an enabling environment for new investments in the post-2015 era, such as by providing technical assistance to local governments;

• the ability of trade to support the SDGs and the need to scale up initiatives, such as Aid for Trade;

• the relevance of trade to several elements of the post-2015 agenda, notably climate change, sustainable energy and food security;

• the need to encourage South-South trade platforms;

• the need to phase out perverse incentives, notably in the agriculture sector, and to conclude the Doha Development Round;

• in the context of multi-stakeholder partnerships, the importance of improving the governance of funds in order to ensure effective distribution of resources;

• the possibility of creating a global lottery in support of the SDGs, to raise awareness and generate new funds for the post-2015 development agenda;

• the importance of assessing the true costs of natural capital when fostering economic growth, and the need to change development paradigms based on the lessons of the MDGs; and

• the role specific partnerships goals could play in ensuring finance for each SDG.

The organizers highlighted the view that more transparency in financing mechanisms is required, and noted that the UN is not the only tool for innovative financing. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage]

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