Reflections from September 2023
Finance in Common Summit – 4-6 September, Cartagena, Colombia

This year the Finance in Common summit (FICS) was organised in Cartagena with more than 500 public development banks in attendance with about 100 CSOs presence from around the world. While there has been an improvement of CSOs engagement in FICS this year such as participation in sessions, there is still an opportunity for FICS to be more inclusive in the future.
CSOs reflections on FICS
This year the FICS became a great platform to meet and deepen relations with PDBs.
NDB: Lunch meeting with NDB VP, Leslie Maasdorp from SA to discuss challenges with CS to engage with bank officials, highlighting challenges regarding transparency, accountability, ESF and gender. He provided good ideas for strategy to enable better progress.
Leslie also has a strategic role at the FICS as the MDB working group co-Chair . Other important conversations were held with DBSA, World Bank, EIB, AFD, AIIB, UN Women.
Forus and the members Event: 'Strengthening Relations between CSOS and PDBs' : This side event was organized with the PDBs in attendance, which further paved way to reignite the working group with PDBs, members states and CSOs. The side event had the following outcomes
a. Basic content for TOR to be developed re structure for ways of working;
b. CSO-PDB Social Pact;
c. Project Monitoring Initiative.
 
 CSO Declaration on FICS
a. Civil Society was able to work together in 2-3 weeks to put together a statement on 4 thematic areas signed by around 100 CSOs in 50 countries (at community, natl, real and global levels). The Declaration was also included in the 2023 FICS Communique with recognition of CS as an important stakeholder in FICS.
 
CSO inclusion in FICS.
While we did not manage to have a replacement speaker in FICS, Forus was able to negotiate that they have a CSO speaker, FIDH President in the Closing Plenary along side the President of Colombia, Head of FICS Secretariat and PDB FICS hosts.
Alice delivered a very strong statement for CS highlighting the important role and concerns of CS and civic space,  communities and human rights. The CSO Declaration was also formally shared at the FICS during this session.
 
ADA was invited to speak in two side events

1. Leveraging private and public sector finance for sustainable infrastructure: 5th September : This roundtable aimed at contributing to the international debate and aligned with several global initiatives to convey the message that increased infrastructure investments are key to boost a sustainable and long-term economic/social recovery and to speed up the green transition. On the other side, it aims to focus on how private sector investments can be better mobilized with public sector support to achieve sustainable development and climate goals.

In this regard, financial institutions play a pivotal role, serving as catalyser for financing sustainable projects by bridging the gap between public and private sectors, mobilizing and allocating capital effectively, leveraging public funds and combining them with private investments, while also having the expertise to conduct rigorous due diligence, assessing the feasibility of projects, strengthening origination capabilities and developing risk mitigation strategies through financial solutions such as loans, guarantees and equity investments.
Furthermore, financial institutions have the power to unlock additional infrastructure investment to promote sustainable development in most fragile countries and in the emerging economies by prioritising green, sustainable projects that adhere to ESG criteria, exploring innovative financing solutions and addressing the “Infra Gap” between private investor appetite for infrastructure and existing pipeline of bankable projects.
 

1. Public Development Banks’s financing programmes for Women’s MSMEs and Women’s financial inclusion. The event deliberated on women’s empowerment, the trends and innovations in PDBs’ response to women’s and women entrepreneurs’ needs in terms of access to finance and technical assistance support, as well as highlighted how to track outcomes and impacts. ADA shared perspectives on what more can be done to truly impact women’s lives and livelihoods reflecting on the discussions held and broadening it to what the future could look like with the right types of interventions by PDBs. 

FICS Final communique

SDG Action Weekend

To maximize the SDG Summit’s impact, the Secretary General is convening an SDG Action Weekend, which generated opportunities for stakeholders, UN entities, and Member States to convene inside the United Nations Headquarters and set out specific commitments and contributions to drive SDG transformation between now and 2030.

The SDG Action Weekend consisted of the SDG Mobilization Day on Saturday, 16 September, and the SDG Acceleration Day on Sunday, 17 September at UNHQ in New York.
The SDG Mobilization Day (16 September) created an opportunity for stakeholders from all sectors to convene inside the United Nations Headquarters and mobilize towards an ambitious SDG Summit and UN General Assembly High-Level Week.
The SDG Acceleration Day (17 September) centred around the UN High-Impact Initiatives.
Civil society, the private sector, youth, scientists, local and regional governments, and other stakeholders all have a key role in the implementation of the SDGs. Their participation, contributions and catalytic mobilization were essential to the success of the SDG Summit and its follow-up.
Find a full overview of official weekend activities here

Find a detailed programme of main sessions here

Find the Side Events Programme here

Fine the Side Events Summaries here

Find the list of Offsite Side-Events here

Find FAQs here

Learn how to participate here

Learn more about the High Impact Initiatives and their links to the SDG Action Weekend and High-level Week (EPUB Available here)
 
Joint Declaration by UN Experts towards SDG Summit on human rights
 
Human rights must be at front and centre of Sustainable Development processes: UN experts - GENEVA , 5 September 2023
 
Gathered together for their Annual Meeting in June, UN human rights experts adopted a Joint Declaration reflecting on the critical role of the SDG summit halfway to the 2030 Agenda deadline.The joint declaration underscores the critical role of human rights as a tool for transformative changes urgently needed to meet all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
 
Echoing the statement by the Secretary-General that “the SDGs are in deep trouble”, the UN experts called on all governments to fully implement the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development by prioritising those furthest behind, including those historically excluded an in situations of vulnerability. International human rights obligations and recommendations should be integrated into national action plans and domestic implementation mechanisms, the experts said.
 
3rd SDG 16 Plus Asia Forum
ADA with the members and partners organised the third SDG 16 Plus Forum Asia to promote the SDG16+ approach to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda / SDGs and other related issues in Asia and respond to the global challenges based on the Asian experiences in the spirit of global solidarity. The forum was organized by the ADA in cooperation with JANIC, TAP Network, FORUS and GCAP.  It is part of the Global People’s Assembly held during the Global Week of Action in the context of the SDG Summit in New York in September-18-19 2023. 
You tube recording
SDG 16 Plus Asia Forum- Civil society declaration
Nowhere in the Middle: APRCEM NGO Constituency on the outcomes of the SDG Summit
 
SDG Summit - 2023
 

The 2023 SDG Summit took place on 18-19 September 2023 in New York. It marked the beginning of a new phase of accelerated progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals with high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to 2030.
Convened by the President of the General Assembly, the Summit marked the half-way point to the deadline set for achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. It was the centerpiece of the High-level Week of the General Assembly. It responded to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world and is expected to reignite a sense of hope, optimism, and enthusiasm for the 2030 Agenda. The Summit is adopted a political declaration that will provide a roadmap for putting the world back on track to achieve the SDGs by their 2030 deadline. The Summit was informed by the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report prepared by an independent group of scientists and the 2023 Special Edition of the SDG Progress Report by the Secretary-General. More information about the 2023 SDG Summit is available on the website at: hlpf.un.org/sdg-summit.

Forthcoming Events

APFSD 11- Call for Stakeholder Participation on APFSD Website
 
The 11th?APFSD will be organized from?20-23 February?under the theme: “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: The effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions in Asia and the Pacific”?at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand.
 
In alignment with the focus of the 2024 HLPF, the Forum will assess progress on the SDGs under review: Goal 1 (No poverty); Goal 2 (Zero hunger); Goal 13 (Climate action); Goal 16 (Peace, justice, and strong institutions) and Goal 17 (Partnership for the Goals). The Forum will also support the presentation of voluntary national reviews (VNRs) at the 2024 HLPF.
 

REGISTER HERE

[Attention] Please review questions here before beginning application: Here
[Attention] Browse the list of applicants to confirm receipt of application: Here

Deadline to apply is 31 October 2023 (midnight Bangkok time).  
The APFSD Secretariat invites representatives of major groups and other stakeholder organizations (*) to participate in the Forum and contribute to assessing the progress on the SDGs. 
(*Includes organizations for children and youth, women, indigenous peoples, farmers and fisherfolk, business and industry, scientific and technological community, workers and trade unions, persons with disabilities, ageing and the elderly, volunteers, local authorities, education and academic, urban poor, and other organizations)
In alignment with the focus of the 2024 HLPF, the Forum will assess progress on the SDGs under review: Goal 1 (No poverty); Goal 2 (Zero hunger); Goal 13 (Climate action); Goal 16 (Peace, justice, and strong institutions) and Goal 17 (Partnership for the Goals).
Below are the APFSD and APFSD-related opportunities for stakeholders to engage:

• Preparatory Youth Forum 
• Preparatory People's Forum for major groups and other stakeholders 
• APFSD main plenary sessions and round table discussions 
• Associated pre-events
• Side events

For more information, please view the 2024 Call for Application
 
 
Side Events
Deadline to submit an application is 31 October 2023.  
The APFSD Secretariat invites Member States, major groups and stakeholders, United Nations system entities and other intergovernmental organisations to organize virtual or in-person side events to share their vision, intervene, promote ideas, and spark action.
Held outside the official programme, side events are expected to deepen the discussion on the theme of the 2024 APFSD, on the SDGs under review, and on VNRs.
Side events will be held in-person or virtually. Each event will have a maximum duration of 75-90 minutes and is to be independently organized by the partner organizations. Organizers are requested to hold their event in English or make their own interpretation arrangements. Side events should be open to all APFSD participants.
Side events should be closely linked to the theme of the 2024 APFSD, the cluster of Goals under in-depth review (*), and/or related to Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs).
(*): Goal 1 (No poverty); Goal 2 (Zero hunger); Goal 13 (Climate action); Goal 16 (Peace, justice, and strong institutions) and Goal 17 (Partnership for the Goals).
Use this online form to submit a proposal.
For more information, please view the 2024 Call for Proposal for Side Events Guide.
 

Subregional preparatory meetings for the APFSD 2024:

- South and South-West Asia, Kathmandu, Nepal, 10-12 October 2023
- North and Central Asia, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 01-02 November 2023
- South-East Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, 06-07 November 2023
- East and North-East Asia, Beijing, China, 20-22 November 2023
- Pacific, Suva, Fiji, 21-22 November 2023
 
 
Interesting Readings
 
https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/reforms-could-boost-world-bank-lending-developing-countries-by-nearly-190-bln-2023-09-26/
 
To help with sharing the report we’ve put together a small social press kit you can use/share with comms colleagues to draw on https://socialpresskit.com/time4gpi
Over 50 leaders and expert thinkers from across sectors and regions have come together to create a strong rallying call to rethink sustainable development finance in a new report 'Time for Global Public Investment'.
 
Read here https://globalpublicinvestment.net/
https://earth4all.life/news/analysis-outlines-urgent-policy-actions-needed-to-accelerate-sdg-progress/
 
‘A development finance system for a new world order’ from Development Cooperation Review’s G20 edition.
 
https://x.com/david_mcnair/status/1701615843073806703?s=46
 
US now to host the 2026 g20: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/09/fact-sheet-delivering-an-ambitious-agenda-for-the-g20/#:~:text=In%20a%20sign%20of%20the,host%20the%20G20%20in%202026.
 
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/09/joint-statement-from-the-united-states-india-brazil-and-south-africa-on-the-g20/
 
https://abcnews-go-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/Business/wireStory/african-union-joining-g20-powerful-acknowledgement-continent-1-103049326
 
https://www.wri.org/news/statement-uns-global-stocktake-report-offers-damning-report-card-global-climate-effort
 
https://www.wri.org/news/statement-more-leadership-needed-g20-countries-global-crises-despite-some-positive-signals
 
https://nation.africa/kenya/health/us-climate-reparations-to-developing-countries-envoy-john-kerry-4359808 . The US will not pay for the climate reparation to the developing countries
 
And here is Homis follow up piece  on Marshall Plan concept . FYI for Marshall Planners…
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-global-sustainability-program-lessons-from-the-marshall-plan-for-addressing-climate-change/
 
https://www.bond.org.uk/news/2023/09/four-ways-to-reimagine-public-development-banks-to-nurture-more-equitable-sustainable-and-rights-based-development/ - 4 ways to reimagine the PDBs
Good piece from Reuters which starts to share some of the investments and announcements coming out of ACS (near the end)
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/africa-climate-summit-opens-with-focus-financing-continental-unity-2023-09-04/
 
https://www.cgdev.org/publication/strengthening-multilateral-development-banks-triple-agenda  G20 summit is happening in New Delhi, India later this week. One of the working groups set up was on Strengthening MDBs under the co-convenership of N K Singh and Lawrence Summers. Here is the first report submitted in June 2023 to be discussed and by the Finance Ministers now and the second report is expected around the WB AGM in October 2023. The report advocates many things, but limits it to increased financing, financing mechanisms and doesn't talk about greater representation, democratisation etc. It is also silent on the debt but does talk about provisions for the countries affected by natural disasters. One of the key highlights is that it advocates for higher contributions from G20 countries and tripling of the current level of lending by 2030. The three point agenda includes: (i) adopting a triple mandate of eliminating extreme poverty, boosting shared prosperity, and contributing to global public goods;(ii) tripling sustainable lending levels by 2030; and (iii) creating a third funding mechanism which would permit flexible and innovative arrangements for purposefully engaging with investors willing to support elements of the MDB agenda. Read the full report here
 
FICS -Forus - https://www.ipsnews.net/2023/09/ndb-spotlight-lesotho-highlands-water-project-benefits/

NGO MG GLOBAL AND REGIONAL ORGANIZING PARTNERS

CONTACT DETAILS

GLOBAL ORGANIZING PARTNERS (NGOMAJORGROUPOPNY@GMAIL.COM):
JESSICA BRIDGERS (JESSICA.BRIDGERS@WFA.ORG)
LANI ANAYA (LANI@MYWORLDMEXICO.ORG)
OLI HENMAN (OLI.HENMAN@ACTION4SD.ORG)

REGIONAL ORGANIZING PARTNERS:

CENTRAL AFRICA: BERNARD LUTETE DI LUTETE (BERNLUTETE@YAHOO.FR)

EASTERN AFRICA: HENRY ORIOKOT (HENRYCIDC@GMAIL.COM)

NORTHERN AFRICA: AYMAN OKEIL (MAAT@MAATPEACE.ORG)

SOUTHERN AFRICA: JOSEPH MIHAYE (AMINIAC15@GMAIL.COM)

WESTERN AFRICA: KOFI KANKAM (ERI@ERI.KABISSA.ORG)

CARIBBEAN: DONOVAN MCLAREN (KEVOY1@YAHOO.COM) AND JOSEPH SEVERE (UNASCADHAITI@GMAIL.COM)

NORTH AMERICA: KEHKASHAN BASU (KEHKASHANBASU@GREENHOPEFOUNDATION.COM) SOUTH AMERICA: ROSARIO DIAZ GARAVITO (R.GARAVITO@THEMILLENNIALSMOVEMENT.ORG) ASIA: JYOTSNA MOHAN (JYOTSNA@ADA2030.ORG)
CENTRAL ASIA: ARTEM STEPANENKO (A.STEPANENKO@ECA-CES.RU)
EUROPE: LARA-ZUZAN GOLESORKHI (GOLESORKHIWOW@GMAIL.COM)
MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA: ANIS BRIK (ANISDAGO@GMAIL.COM)
PACIFIC: EMELINE SIALE (SIALE@PIANGO.ORG)

• ADA's official website has been renewed. All the information related to the implementation of SDGs in Asia and actions conducted by Asian CSOs will be accumulated on this website. Please visit www.ada2030.org
• ADA's Facebook page has been activated! The page will channel useful information among civil society actors in Asia. Feel free to tag @Asia Development Alliance in future collaboration. The page is accessible with this web address: https://www.facebook.com/ada2030/ 
• ADA Twitter account @alliance_asia