September 2019: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a three-year roadmap of actions and initiatives to mobilize investment and support for financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Secretary-General’s Financing Strategy and Roadmap complements the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development (AAAA) by prioritizing areas of action for the Secretary-General and guiding the UN’s contribution to implementing the 2030 Agenda.

In September 2019, Guterres published a four-year Strategy for financing the 2030 Agenda, on the occasion of a high-level UN Meeting on that topic at UN headquarters in New York, US. In that Strategy, he committed to providing this roadmap. The roadmap was prepared in consultation with the UN system, and informed by from substantive comments from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group. The release of the roadmap coincides with the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, which will take place on 26 September 2019, in New York, US.

A UN Network of Economists aims to enhance thought leadership and support UN Country Teams.

By the text, the actions of the Secretary-General and the work of the UN system on financing sustainable development in collaboration with its partners will support Member States in identifying pathways that can “unleash the might of the global financial system and real economy” to realize the 2030 Agenda.

At the country level, the new generation of UN country teams (UNCTs), including economists and partnership and development financing specialists within Resident Coordinator Offices, will be strengthening UN’s capacity to support Member States on strategic finance. Implementation of specific actions at country level, especially those related to developing financing strategies and investing in initiatives that leverage public and private financing to advance the SDGs, are linked to the UN Joint SDG Fund.

At the global level, Guterres announces the establishment of a UN Network of Economists, which aims to enhance thought leadership, including to support UNCTs with analytical and research work required for effective policy advice.

The Roadmap includes three parts. Part I captures specific actions and “key asks” championed by the Secretary-General, where his leadership can galvanize the change needed to finance the SDGs. Part 2 focuses on priority areas highlighted by the Secretary-General to enhance the work of the UN system to accelerate financing for sustainable development. Part III contains a detailed mapping of activities by the UN system itself, offering for the first time a comprehensive overview of UN’s approach and value addition in financing for sustainable development.

The priority areas identified by the Secretary-General are:

• Integrating the SDGs and the Paris Agreement into economic and financial policies and practice;
• Scaling-up climate finance;
• Highlighting the needs of least developed countries and small-island developing States;
• Establishing global platforms;
• Strengthening partnerships with international financial institutions (IFIs); and
• Accelerating the work of the UN System.

Across these six action areas, Guterres advances 15 “key asks” to policy-makers and regulators, the financial industry, shareholders and citizens, IFIs, and the UN system. The document mentions that progress on execution of parts I and II within the Roadmap will be shared through the UN Sustainable Development Group, while the UN regularly reports on progress against its activities highlighted in part III.

The publication notes that the UN Deputy Secretary-General leads the implementation of the Financing Strategy and Roadmap, on behalf of the Secretary-General, and in coordination with heads of entities within the UN system. [Publication: Roadmap for Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development]