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
    Co-signed by
    and 50 African intellectuals
    April 13, 2020
    50 African intellectuals including Kako Nubukpo, Alioune Sall, Carlos Lopes, Cristina Duarte, Felwine Sarr, Achille Mbembe, Reckya Madougou, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Franck Hermann Ekra and Hakim Ben Hammouda co-signed this call to mobilize the intelligence, resources and creativity of Africans to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. Severe Acute Respiratory Ryndrome Coronavirus 2, (SARS-CoV-2), is the scientific name for the virus responsible for a highly contagious and potentially fata ...
  • Authors
    Yonas Adeto
    Thomas Gomart
    Paolo Magri
    Greg Mills
    Karin Von Hippel
    Guntram Wolff
    April 9, 2020
    Covid-19 should change global politics. The speed and scale of its transmission, and the severity of its impact is not, we know now, to our cost. As the virus rapidly tracks people vectors worldwide, the control of its impact is inextricably linked to the availability of resources and depth of governance. For these reasons, global leaders should focus on its impact among the most vulnerable, and in particular in Africa. Just three months ago, on 31 December 2019, Chinese authoritie ...
  • Authors
    Yonas Adeto
    Thomas Gomart
    Paolo Magri
    Greg Mills
    Karin Von Hippel
    Guntram Wolff
    April 9, 2020
    Alors que le coronavirus se propage à travers le monde, la capacité d’atténuer son impact est liée aux ressources disponibles et à l’efficacité des autorités publiques. Voilà pourquoi il nous paraît primordial que les dirigeants internationaux se concentrent sur les conséquences de la pandémie sur les plus vulnérables, en particulier en Afrique. Il y a trois mois, le 31 décembre, les autorités chinoises informaient le bureau de Pékin de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) d’u ...
  • Authors
    Yonas Adeto
    Thomas Gomart
    Paolo Magri
    Greg Mills
    Karin Von Hippel
    Guntram Wolff
    April 9, 2020
    في وقت توجه فيه كل دول العالم تركيزها نحو الشأن الداخلي لمواجهة وباء فيروس “كورونا”، أكد العديد من الباحثين المغاربة والأجانب في الشأن الاقتصادي والسياسي على ضروة التفكير بطرق يستطيع من خلالها فاعلون خارجيون تقديم المساعدة للدول الفقيرة، “ويجب أن تتم الاستجابات في إفريقيا من خلال تنفيذ أفضل الممارسات فيما يتعلق بالتعاون الدولي”. وفي ذات السياق دعا الخبراء، وجلهم مسؤولون عن مراكز دراسات أوربية وإفريقية ذات صيت عالمي، من بينهم الخبير الاقتصادي المغربي كريم العيناوي، مدير مركز السياسا ...
  • Authors
    April 8, 2020
    Les 20 et 21 février, les chefs d'État ou de gouvernement de l'Union européenne ont entamé la dernière phase de négociation du cadre financier pluriannuel 2021-2027 de l'UE, le budget de l'Union pour sept ans. Bien que ce Conseil européen ait peu progressé - une longue tradition à ce stade des négociations au sein de l'UE - les discussions se sont concentrées sur les réductions proposées des fonds structurels et des fonds de soutien à la politique agricole commune, et sur le solde n ...
  • Authors
    Mouhamadou Moustapha Ly
    April 7, 2020
    Le Covidonomics est la branche de l’analyse économique qui s’intéresse aux mécanismes par lesquels la pandémie affecte les économies du monde ainsi que les réponses de politiques économiques qui puissent répondre aux défis inhérents à la propagation du Covid-19. */ La présente contribution propose des réponses de politiques économiques et sanitaires qui soient contextualisées suivant trois périodes. La crise sanitaire Covid-19, au même titre que l’angoissante question du changemen ...
  • April 6, 2020
    Why every country in the world is facing a challenge of flattening coronavirus curves? Which policies to contain or at least slow the spread of coronavirus have been applied? What must be done to mitigate the recession accompanying containment policies? Is "doing-nothing" economically b...
  • Authors
    April 6, 2020
    The global reach of COVID-19 is now clear. In a short time, country after country has suffered outbreaks of the new coronavirus, with each facing a three-fold shock: epidemiologic, economic, and financial. In addition to dealing with their own local coronavirus outbreaks, emerging market and developing countries have faced additional shocks from abroad. Flattening pandemic curves saves lives The coronavirus crisis is primarily a public health issue, demanding containment policies ...
  • Authors
    Mouhamadou Moustapha Ly
    April 6, 2020
    Covid-19 has a far-reaching impact and is imposing a slowdown on the world economy, raising fears of the worst consequences on production, jobs and the immediate future of developing economies. Fiscal and monetary authorities around the world are engaging in policies to support their economies with unprecedented funds and initiatives. The African continent, also affected by the pandemic, is pursuing courageous economic (fiscal and monetary) policies, but the main question is what ne ...