Implementing the Addis Ababa Action Agenda: The 2017 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development Follow-up

“The Addis Agenda and the SDGs can bring the public and private sector together for sustainable development.” —Ms. Preeti Sinha, Senior President, YES Institute, India

Building on the official summary of the forum by the President of ECOSOC, a new publication has been released to provide detailed coverage of the substantive discussions at the 2017 Second Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) forum on financing for development follow-up (FfD forum), held from 22 to 25 May 2017 in New York. It also includes a series of annexes containing summaries of the side events held during the forum and other relevant documents.

Overall, the 2017 FFD forum sent a strong signal that the international community remains deeply committed to global collaboration and to enhance partnerships for sustainable development, despite a challenging global macroeconomic environment and the threats posed by climate change, humanitarian crises and conflicts. Moreover, the role of the private sector was extensively discussed during the forum, especially during a roundtable on “Domestic and international private business and finance”. 

In addition to establishing an innovative exchange with the private sector to develop new partnerships, initiatives focused on social entrepreneurship, impact investing, improving business regulatory environments, bridging the gap between SMEs and funding opportunities and investing in women.

The forum’s extensive programme included: a ministerial segment featuring the special high-level meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), general debate and ministerial roundtables; and an expert segment organized around a series of round tables and panel discussions on themes spanning the entire scope of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (Addis Agenda). The FfD forum resulted in intergovernmentally agreed conclusions and recommendations which provided input to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. 

For additional information, please visit: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/ffdforum/