LDC Portal - International Support Measures for Least Developed Countries - Finance

HLPF 2023: LDCs' Access to Finance, Missing Links and Ways Forward (UN-OHRLLS, Canada, Nepal, Lesotho)

MTAVARES1 — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:15:00 +0000

Wednesday, 19 July 2023 - 1:15pm

19 July 2023. Despite the trend towards more financing through multilateral platforms, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) still face myriad challenges to accessing sufficient resources to achieve their sustainable development and climate objectives. With support from Canada, UN OHRLLS conducted a study in late 2022/early 2023 that directly engaged with LDC finance and planning ministries to better understand and synthesize their experience in accessing traditional loans and grants, as well as climate finance, to advance national projects and programs. This event will present the findings of the study and a high-level panel will discuss the recommendations and ways forward.

More information and report: LDCs' Access to Finance - Missing Links and Ways Forward | Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

tags:

UN-OHRLLS

HLPF

Finance

Canada

Lesotho

Nepal

HLPF side-event by UNCDF: Increasing access to finance for SMEs to drive economic transformation in LDCs

MTAVARES1 — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Wednesday, 19 July 2023 - 8:00am

19 July 2023. This event will explore key constraints along with concrete solutions, including reforms that would be necessary in the development finance architecture, to increase flows of public and private finance to SMEs, which must play a key role in helping to accelerate economic transformation in LDCs. More information here.

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LDCs at the 2022 UN SDG Investment Fair

MTAVARES1 — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 14:00:00 +0000

1-2 December 2022. The UN SDG Investment Fair promotes high impact sustainable development projects in emerging and frontier markets. It is a platform for connecting investors, private and public institutions, and representatives from UN agencies to facilitate dealmaking in investment projects that advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2022 the programme includes specific sessions on LDC:

Enhancing public-private collaboration for sustainable development in the Least Developed Countries
Policy Roundtable: Fostering Private Infrastructure Investment in LDCs

More information and registration here: December 2022 SDG Investment Fair | Financing for Sustainable Development Office (un.org)

Programme here: SDG Investment Fair - December 2022 - Programme_0.pdf (un.org)

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UNCDF and the BRIDGE Facility on “How To Fill The Gap With Loans And Guarantees In LDCs For Clean Energy, Climate And Women Empowerment Project”

MTAVARES1 — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 18:00:00 +0000

Thursday, 02 June 2022 - 2:00pm

2 June 2022.

This event will showcase how loans and guarantees can help attract much-needed capital that can be used towards creating sustainable businesses that lead to structural transformation in LDCs, with a particular focus on unlocking financing for small- and medium-sized enterprises and small and medium-sized infrastructure projects. These projects lead to job opportunities, stimulate economic activity and sectoral transformation which are pathways towards Stockholm+50’s objective of a healthy planet for all. This can be seen in the results of both UNCDF initiatives: the Gambia’s solar power plants and the Portfolio guarantee in Papua New Guinea to support women owned MSMEs.

The event will bring together representatives from international organizations, LDC and donor / developed country governments, and private sector, to share experiences and perspectives on challenges and opportunities for how guarantees can most effectively be used to enable sustainable development pathways for LDCs towards achieving a healthy planet for all.

Information and registration here: Webinar Registration - Zoom

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EU cooperation with LDCs/La coopération de l´UE avec les PMA

MTAVARES1 — Wed, 25 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

Wednesday, 25 May 2022 - 3:00pm

Information here.

On 25 May 2022 from 1500-1630 CEST, ECDPM is organising a virtual panel discussion on a renewed partnership with LDCs : ‘EU cooperation with LDCs’. ECDPM’s Alexei Jones and San Bilal are participating in this event.

Panelists:

– H.E. Teneng Mba Jaiteh, Ambassador of the Gambia to the EU

– Luc Chevaillier, adjoint au sous-directeur du développement, secrétaire des affaires étrangères

– Laura Senett, Policy Specialist, United Nations Capital Development Fund

– Tiina Satuli, Counsellor, Delegation of the EU to the United Nations

– Philippe Latriche, adviser SDGs and Inequalities, European Commission, DG INTPA

– Izabella Toth, Director Institutional Fundraising and Donor Relations at Cordaid

English and French interpretation will be provided for this event.

ECDPM is collaborating with the French presidency of the Council on some of their main priorities for development cooperation. One of their priorities is EU cooperation with LDCs, for which Council Conclusions are foreseen to be adopted at the FAC DEV on 20 May.

In that context, we have recently published a paper with some recommendations for a renewed EU partnership with LDCs. In this paper, we argue that there is a need for a more tailored approach to EU development cooperation and development finance that better addresses the specific needs and overlapping vulnerabilities of LDCs, and that these tailored policies should be accompanied by measures, notably in trade, climate and food security. We believe enhancing policy coherence for development is an essential principle for a renewed cooperation and partnership with LDCs.

The event will be an opportunity to share views and recommendations for the EU and Team Europe on how to strengthen the cooperation with LDCs.

S’inscrire à la la réunion

Le 25 mai 2022, de 15h00 à 16h30 CEST, l’ECDPM organise une table ronde virtuelle sur la “Coopération de l’UE avec les Pays Moins Avancés”. Alexei Jones et San Bilal de l’ECDPM participent à cet événement.

Intervenants:

– H.E. Teneng Mba Jaiteh, Ambassadrice du Gambia auprès de l’UE

– Luc Chevaillier, adjoint au sous-directeur du développement, secrétaire des affaires étrangères

– Laura Senett, Le Fonds d’équipement des Nations Unies

– Tiina Satuli, Delegation de l’UE auprès les Nations Unies

– Philippe Latriche, Conseiller ODD et Inégalités, Commission Européene, DG INTPA

– Izabella Toth, Directrice de la collecte de fonds institutionnelle et des relations avec les donateurs chez Cordaid

Une interprétation anglais-français sera proposée pour cet évènement.

L’ECDPM collabore avec la présidence française du Conseil de l’UE sur certaines de leurs principales priorités en matière de coopération au développement. L’une d’entre elles concerne un partenariat renouvelé avec les PMA, au sujet dequel des conclusions du Conseil devraient être adoptées par les ministres du développement le 20 mai.

Dans ce contexte, nous avons récemment publié un document contenant des recommandations pour un partenariat renouvelé de l’UE avec les PMA. Dans ce document, nous soutenons qu’il est nécessaire d’adopter une approche plus adaptée de la coopération au développement et du financement du développement de l’UE qui réponde mieux aux besoins spécifiques et aux vulnérabilités multiples des PMA, et que ces politiques adaptées devraient être accompagnées de mesures, notamment dans le domaine du commerce, le climat et la sécurité alimentaire. Nous pensons que le renforcement de la cohérence des politiques pour le développement est un principe essentiel pour une coopération et un partenariat renouvelés avec les PMA.

L’événement sera l’occasion de partager des points de vue et des recommandations pour l’UE et Team Europe sur la manière de renforcer la coopération avec les PMA.

tags:

Development cooperation

European Union

Doha Programme of Action (DPOA)

From the Green Climate Fund: updated simplified approval process for LDCs, SIDS and African States

MTAVARES1 — Fri, 20 May 2022 19:00:00 +0000

20 May 2022. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board closed its 32nd meeting. In addition to the approval of new projects and other decisions, the Board "adopted an updated Simplified Approval Process (SAP), simplifying climate finance access for small-scale projects in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and African States". Full press release here: Green Climate Fund Board approves USD 325.2 million and policies for accelerated climate action | Green Climate Fund

Front Page Article:

The Role of Blended Finance in the LDCs and the Potential for Private Sector Investment - UNCDF

MTAVARES1 — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Thursday, 28 April 2022 - 8:00pm

Recording available here.

The purpose of the event was to highlight the need for blended finance and the role that donors can play through UNCDF. Potential investee companies, development finance institutions and certain donor and LDC governments participated.

High-Level Leaders Dialogue: Green and Climate Resilience Bonds – Scaling up Access to Affordable Finance in Developing Countries, notably in LDCs

MTAVARES1 — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Tuesday, 26 April 2022 - 8:00am

Reports from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change raise the alarm bells on a lost decade for sustainable development and a shrinking window of opportunity to address the devastating impacts of climate change. Transitioning to a green, climate resilient global economy will require the mobilization of unprecedented capital. However, developing countries, notably LDCs and African countries, continue to have the lowest access to affordable finance. Improving developing countries’ capacity to leverage the potential of green and climate-resilient bonds could be a game-changer for financing nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and national adaptation plans (NAPs). However, green bonds still represent only a fraction of total bonds issued globally and only a small number of developing countries are accessing such market, notably in Africa, where in 2020, Africa still only accounted for 0.003% of total green bond issuance.

Building on UNCDF’s Sovereign Borrowers Conference held during the 2021 General Assembly, the Government of Malawi and Chair of the LDC Group, with UNCDF, UNDP and the GCF will bring together global leaders to highlight the actions needed for developing countries, particularly LDCs, to leverage debt markets to increase their access to affordable finance for climate action. Outcomes will contribute to “Our Common Agenda” and the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs.

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UNCDF events on finance in LDCs at the FFD Forum

MTAVARES1 — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 20:00:00 +0000

During the 2022 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development, UNCDF and partners will be holding side-events on Green and Climate Resilience Bonds in LDCs, Guarantee Mechanisms as Catalysts of LDC Structural Transformation and Blended finance in LDCs. More information here and in our events page.

Photo UNCDF/John Rae

Front Page Article:

FP Virtual Dialogue: Mobilizing Financing for Inclusive Development

MTAVARES1 — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Tuesday, 19 April 2022 - 10:00am

The world’s least developed countries (LDCs) face a severe financing gap that has not been sufficiently covered by official development assistance (ODA) and has been compounded by the economic crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, private capital has largely stayed on the sidelines, due to underdeveloped financial industries and investor risk perceptions. Not only is the financing gap constraining LDCs’ ability to build critical infrastructure, advance social services, and recover from the pandemic, but it also impedes progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Governments around the world need to stimulate inclusive and resilient growth to recover from the pandemic, while at the same time addressing rising environmental and sustainability challenges. Blended finance—which combines public, donor, and private funds into the same investments—is increasingly considered a promising means of financing critical projects in least developed markets. These models provide a unique opportunity to diminish perceived risk and strengthen local markets for investment, while also relieving budgetary pressures and stimulating economic activity for governments. While there has been success with launching sustainability projects with blended finance across LDCs, more needs to be done to fill the massive financing shortfall and access to capital.

Foreign Policy, in partnership with Microsoft, will host a conversation examining the role blended finance is playing to support sustainable economic growth across LDCs. Funders and project developers will shed light on a range of projects benefiting from this collaborative financing model and the impacts this approach is having on lives and livelihoods. This timely conversation will explore strategies to close the financing gap, scale project finance, and increase investments that will expand economic opportunity across the least developed countries.

Join the conversation online with #BlendedFin4LDCs

More information: FP Virtual Dialogue: Mobilizing Financing for Inclusive Development – Foreign Policy

tags:

Finance

Blended finance