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Finance

For the Sustainable Development Goals

Joint-SDG-Fund-Icons-FINAL-RGB-COLOR-Efficiency
137 m
Fund's Investment
Joint-SDG-Fund-Icons-FINAL-RGB-COLOR-Integrated(policy)
214 m
Overall Funding
Joint-SDG-Fund-Icons-FINAL-RGB-COLOR-LNOB-3 (1)
1.5 b
Mobilised Funding
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86
Countries

Developing a new wave of financing strategies and creating market opportunities for scaling up SDG investment. The Fund supports countries in advancing the Agenda 2030 by helping to reinforce their SDG financing ecosystem and catalyzing strategic investments that unlock public and private capital towards the Global Goals.

SDG Financing Video

OUR STRATEGY

COVID-19 has disrupted economic and societal patterns in ways unseen in our lifetime. If progress toward the SDGs was already falling short before COVID-19, vulnerabilities and inequalities have now been further exacerbated. Securing enough resources remains a major challenge, with developing countries facing a growing financing gap estimated at US$ 4.2 trillion per year. Capital and wealth, mostly private, do not or cannot reach the geographies and people that need it the most. This is despite the world has theoretically never been as rich as it is today. Achieving the Agenda 2030 demands policy shifts and a major realignment investment decisions by countries, companies, and individuals. The Joint SDG Fund activates financing levers as accelerators for the achievement of the SDGs. With 79 SDG Financing joint programmes we forge paths and partnerships to unlock capital under the: 

  • Enabling Environment for SDG Financing portfolio: a new wave of SDG-aligned financing strategies –the Integrated National Financing Frameworks– is co-created in 80 countries. We help countries define the financing behind their development priorities, encompassing over 200 financial reforms in budgeting, taxes, public-private partnerships, access to finance and capital markets.  

  • Catalytic Investment portfolio: public and private financial capital is blended to progressively reach scale in the mobilization of capital for the SDGs. Preparatory grants led to the design of 59 blended finance solutions in 34 countries. Catalytic grants provide de-risking and technical assistance solutions has unlocked US$ 1.45 billion in 2021.  

Hiro Mizuno, United Nations Special Envoy on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments

The Joint SDG Fund is in a position to bridge the gap in giving and impact investing. It offers a sustainable investment model by leveraging the power of markets to accelerate businesses, empower communities, and provide a clear path to self-sufficiency.

Hiro Mizuno
United Nations Special Envoy on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments
Portfolio Overview

SDG Financing – Enabling Environment

Fund's Grant
SDG Financing – Enabling Environment
$ 70m
Overall Funding
SDG Financing – Enabling Environment
$ 100m
Countries
SDG Financing – Enabling Environment
80

A new wave of holistic financing strategies in the form of Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) will facilitate transformative shifts in the way capital is allocated and monitored. The work features:  

  • Financing landscape and gap assessments describing financing sources, quantity and quality of public expenditures, SDG costing, and investment opportunities. 

  • SDG-aligned financing strategies that sequence actions to finance long-term development objectives and national plans. They may focus on sectors or functions, e.g., public finance management or debt management. 

  • SDG financing dialogues and platforms of governments, development banks, the financial sector and a broad range of investors and stakeholders to enhance synergies and coherence.  

  • Strengthening capacities of public and private ecosystems in support of financial reforms and the implementation of SDG-aligned financing strategies. 

  • Connecting private capital to the SDGs with investment pipelines, blended finance solutions, standards, and taxonomies that support the tracking of capital flows and their impact.  

  • Design of financing solutions that can unlock capital with market assessments that map opportunities and bottlenecks, feasibility studies, and impact frameworks for thematic products.  

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Integrated financing frameworks help countries strengthen the link between financing and planning processes and overcome impediments to financing the SDGs. Four blocks describe the work to be done by assessments and diagnostics, a financing strategy, monitoring and review systems, and governance and coordination mechanisms. Learn more about INFFs here

INFF

 

Portfolio Overview

SDG Financing – Catalytic Investment

Fund's Grant
SDG Financing – Catalytic Investment
$ 70m
Overall Funding
SDG Financing – Catalytic Investment
$ 114m
Countries
SDG Financing – Catalytic Investment
10

We provide grants channeled to UN Agencies to fill significant gaps left by the market while addressing some of the world’s most pressing problems. We provide design grants (up to USD 200,000) and catalytic grants (up to USD 10,000,000) to be used as de-risking capital that can unblock additional finance towards SDG-aligned targeted investments with potential for replication and scaling up. Our line-up of 18 incubated and 10 funded programmes are clustered into four impact areas: 

Blue Economy

Blue Economy

Blue financing solutions to preserve marine resources and coral reefs while offering income opportunities to coastal communities. Fiji and Papua New Guinea fit into this theme. 

Social Impact

Social Impact

Financing solutions for social impact including health, education, waste, water, and sanitation to improve the well-being of people and communities, especially vulnerable groups. Kenya fits into this category, with a focus on gender equality and health. 

Food Systems and Agriculture

Food Systems and Agriculture

Financing solutions for sustainable agriculture systems and enhanced food security. These include microcredit and microinsurance, downscaling schemes from multilateral development banks, and blended finance facilities supporting agricultural supply chains, smallholder farmers, rural development, nutrition, and sustainable farming transitions. Malawi and Suriname fit into this category. 

Energy and Climate Action

Energy and Climate Action

Green financing solutions for renewable and more efficient energy systems and climate action. These include green financing solutions, from green lending and impact investing to insurance and smart subsidies. Indonesia, Madagascar, North Macedonia, Uruguay and Zimbabwe fit into this category. 

JOINT PROGRAMME PROFILES

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/programme/promoting-sdg-performance-based-budgeting-prioritize-vulnerable-populations-belarus
/programme/roadmap-integrated-national-financing-framework-colombia
/programme/haiti-crisis-national-consultation-reform-priorities-and-financing-options-accelerated
/programme/gabon-and-sdgs-beyond-oil-financing-rapid-and-sustainable-transition-brown-green-economy
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/programme/institutionalizing-and-leveraging-zakat-finance-sdgs-mauritania
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/programme/inff-developing-financing-partnerships-accelerate-sdg-achievements-malaysia
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/programme/roadmap-sustainable-financial-system-suriname
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/programme/strengthened-national-and-subnational-public-financial-management-pfm-mechanisms-south
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/programme/strengthening-domestic-resources-mobilisation-sdgs-financing-sierra-leone
/programme/funding-guidelines-response-violence-against-women-and-children
/programme/joint-programme-influencing-financing-human-capital-development-mali
/programme/un-joint-sdg-fund-support-egypt-integrated-sdgs-financing
/programme/support-development-integrated-national-financing-framework-sdgs-cuba
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/programme/reorienting-public-finance-sdgs-acceleration-and-leveraging-additional-resources-nepal
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/programme/improving-efficiency-effectiveness-and-equity-public-expenditure-jamaica-sdg-acceleration
/programme/create-enabling-environment-leverage-additional-financing-accelerate-sdg-achievement
/programme/strengthening-architecture-and-ecosystem-financing-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs
/programme/efficiency-and-optimization-lao-pdrs-public-budget-finance-sdgs-through-national-plan
/programme/integrated-national-financing-framework-catalyze-blended-finance-transformative-csdg
/programme/unlocking-sdg-financing-pacific
/programme/reshaping-market-conditions-and-strategy-finance-transition-sustainable-development
/programme/strengthening-malawis-financing-architecture-national-and-local-level
/programme/making-finance-work-transformative-change-armenia-un-locking-finance-armenia-2030
/programme/gender-responsive-national-budgeting-and-private-investing-sdg2-zero-hunger
/programme/operationalizing-integrated-national-financing-framework-maldives-prioritize-and-mobilize
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/programme/enhancing-development-finance-and-effectiveness-rwanda-through-integrated-and-innovative
/programme/financing-sdgs-ecuador-and-targeting-chronic-child-malnutrition
/programme/strengthening-namibias-financing-architecture-enhanced-quality-scale-financing-sdgs
The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or any area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Partnerships

Our Partners are made of world renewed SDG financing leaders from commercial banks, impact investing firms, venture capital philanthropy, and international financial institutions. Strategic partnerships are critical for long-term success and to reach the 2030 Agenda.

 

Main Contacts
Lisa-Kurbiel-headshot-2019-square
Lisa Kurbiel
Head of Secretariat