Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond

The high-level meeting is part of the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond initiative launched by the UN Secretary-General and the Prime Ministers of Canada and Jamaica in May 2020.

Together with the UN Secretary-General, the Prime Ministers of Canada and Jamaica convened a High-Level Event on 28 May 2020 to facilitate discussions with national leaders, international organizations and other stakeholders on developing financing solutions that will support countries in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate its negative impacts on development initiatives worldwide, particularly in relation to progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Following the meeting, six discussion groups were convened to propose solutions in:

• external finance and remittances, jobs and inclusive growth;
• recovering better for sustainability;
• global liquidity and financial stability;
• debt vulnerability;
• private sector creditors engagement; and
• illicit financial flows.

Canada, Jamaica and the Secretary-General convened a follow-up meeting with financial ministers on 8 September 2020, during which a wide array of perspectives and priorities were distilled and incorporated into a menu of policy options developed by the six discussion groups. Interventions during the High-Level Event held on 29 September 2020 were incorporated into these policy options.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin virtual coverage of the high-level meeting was made possible by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).