Collaboration and ESG language to unlock funding for sustainable infrastructure projects

September 5, 2023

Developing countries face many challenges in mobilising private sector investment for sustainable infrastructure projects. Solutions include international cooperation and common environmental, social and governance (ESG) taxonomies. To close the climate finance gap, we need additional private investment especially in low- and middle-income countries.

To serve this purpose, Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are encouraged to expand their support for sustainable infrastructure projects and increase their risk appetite. Furthermore, collaboration among G20 public development banks (PDBs) is encouraged to leverage their strengths and promote transformative impact.

A common ESG language will also help standardise assessments of sustainable investments, reduce greenwashing and attract specialised capital. The G20 is called upon to strengthen institutional networks among developing countries, to strengthen the PDBs, and to create a universal ESG taxonomy for sustainable finance.

Ultimately, the recommendations in this paper aim to contribute to a more sustainable global economy by fostering cooperation, reducing investment risks, and accelerating the flow of funds to sustainable infrastructure projects.

Speakers
Sabrine Emran
Economist
Sabrine Emran is a Finance graduate specializing in financial markets and commodities. She holds a Grande Ecole master’s degree in Management from IESEG School of Management and ISCAE Group, as well as a Specialized master’s degree in Financial Markets from Paris Dauphine University and ENSAE ParisTech. Sabrine Emran started her career in investment writing and product development in the asset management branches of insurance companies and investment banks in Paris, working mainly on alternative investment asset classes. She was also recently a commodities analyst, focusing on risk management strategies for energy and agricultural commodities as well as foreign exchange risks. Sabrine Emran joined the Policy Center for the New south in September 2022 as an economist where she ...

RELATED CONTENT

  • Authors
    Axel Berger
    Andreas Freytag
    Simon J. Evenett
    Christian von Haldenwang
    Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz
    Raul Ochoa
    Agustin Redonda
    Karl P. Sauvant
    November 26, 2018
    *The recommendations put forth below have been published, both print and online, in the Financial Times.  The leaders of the G20 will meet on 30 November and 1 December in Buenos Aires for their annual summit. They need to acknowledge that the last two years have been characterized by strong headwinds for the world economy. This time, however, it is not a mixture of poor macroeconomic policies and bad business decisions – as in 2008 when they met in Washington for their first summi ...
  • Authors
    Bouchra Rahmouni
    November 22, 2018
    Nowadays, links between development and security are widely recognized by many, just as they were during the development of the Marshall Plan. As mentioned in the United Nations "A More Secure World" report, threats to one are intrinsically a threat to all. Thus, 17 UN-agreed goals were agreed upon to help end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by 2030, including goal 16 for "peaceful and inclusive societies". Last month, the UN’s inaugural Africa Dialogue S ...
  • November 14, 2018
    Depuis plus de 70 ans, le franc CFA est la monnaie commune à quatorze pays du continent africain. Procéder à une comparaison entre les taux d’inflation et de croissance des pays membres de l’Union économique monétaire de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (UEMOA) et de la Communauté économique et monétaire de l’Afrique centrale (CEMAC), permet d’analyser les taux d’inflation et de croissance d’une vaste région regroupant deux communautés : l’une, ayant choisi le franc CFA comme monnaie, composée ...
  • Authors
    November 13, 2018
    Livelihoods of northern Niger’s population depended for centuries on trade and cross-border movement of licit goods with Libya. Historical trends of domestic and regional shocks demonstrated the ability of local communities to adapt and adjust to transformations caused by these shocks to survive. People moving through and living in the area have different motivations and reasons to cross to Libya and beyond, but economic drivers remain the key factor. The local economy has suffered ...
  • Authors
    Yassine Msadfa
    November 5, 2018
    Il y a une dizaine d’années, le nombre et la complexité des taches que pouvaient effectuer les robots semblaient encore limités. Aujourd’hui, certains robots, munis d’une intelligence artificielle développée, réussissent à apprendre et à exceller dans des jeux de stratégie assez complexes, comme les échecs ou le jeu de GO. Le développement de la robotique, de l’intelligence artificielle et de l’automatisation, en général, s’est fait de façon relativement rapide, incitant plusieurs e ...
  • Authors
    November 5, 2018
    Islamic finance is a way of doing finance while respecting the Islamic ban on interest-based transactions and ensuring risk sharing between parties in all operations. Contracts are supposed to rule out features that would make them akin to gambling or “making money from money.” Furthermore, engagements in businesses considered immoral or ethically problematic are not allowed. Islamic finance therefore means, among other features: no pure debt securities, with interest replaced by t ...
  • Authors
    Sabine Cessou
    November 1, 2018
    Le séminaire de haut niveau, organisé par OCP Policy Center ce 2 novembre 2018 à Rabat, est axé sur « La migration : réconcilier les visions du Nord et du Sud ».  Il sera question dans cette rencontre, organisée en partenariat avec le Ministère délégué auprès du ministre des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération internationale, Chargé des Marocains résidant à l’étranger, des affaires de la migration et l’IeMED, de la coopération internationale pour « lever les obstacles à la mob ...
  • Authors
    Bouchra Rahmouni
    October 19, 2018
    There are various definitions of Energy Security (ES) and numerous ways of understanding the concept. For this blog’s purpose, we will choose the familiar understanding of the latter as put forward by the George W. Bush Administration, i.e. it represents a situation where four characteristics are met, an energy supply that is: (1) Reliable (2) affordable (3) environmentally sound and (4) accessible.  Thus, ES represents the situation where there’s availability of energy at all time ...
  • Authors
    Sabine Cessou
    October 10, 2018
    La seconde thématique des Dialogues stratégiques, dont la 6ème édition s’est tenue le 4 octobre 2018 à Paris, a porté sur les réformes en cours au sein de l’organisation panafricaine. La rencontre est d’abord revenue sur le contexte global dans lequel opère l’Union africaine (UA). La géopolitique en Afrique n’est pas seulement menée par les ex-puissances coloniales et la Chine, mais bien par les pays africains eux-mêmes, a ainsi rappelé l’ancien ministre français des Affaires étran ...
  • Authors
    Sabine Cessou
    October 8, 2018
    « Amérique latine, crises et sorties de crises », telle était la première des deux thématiques des 6èmes Dialogues stratégiques, organisés le 4 avril par HEC Paris (Centre de géopolitique) et OCP Policy Center. Un tableau mitigé a été dressé, avec des signes de reprise et une croissance supérieure à 2 % qui n’empêchent pas des situations de crise comme au Brésil, au Nicaragua ou au Vénézuela. Crise d’un modèle d’oligarchies anti-capitalistes Au Vénézuela, la corruption paraît si e ...