Secretary-General launches Digital Financing Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals

by **claud39** Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:05 pm

https://www.un.org/press/fr/2018/sga1842.doc.htm

[size=36]Secretary-General launches Digital Financing Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals[/size]

NOVEMBER 29, 2018

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the launch of a task force to propose strategies to capitalize on the potential of financial technology to advance the goals of sustainable development. The Digital Finance Task Force is composed of leaders from various sectors in developed and developing countries. She is co-chaired by Ms. Maria Ramos, Chief Executive Officer of Absa Group (South Africa), and Mr. Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
"We have already seen how technology has helped to develop financial inclusion - an important goal for so many 1.2 billion people in just six years," Guterres said. "But we have just begun to harness the potential of finance and digital investments to realize the broader agenda put forward in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. "
The Task Force, which will focus on the digitization of finance at the systemic level, includes experts from the investment community, financial markets, governments and civil society, as well as leading banks and innovators in the field of finance. the field of digital payments, which demonstrates the interest in the digitization of finance. The members of the Task Force will serve in their personal capacity. The full list of Working Group members, as of today, is below.
"Digitization makes it possible to process financial data much faster, more accurately and on exponentially larger scales," said Ms. Ramos. "Not only financial institutions but financial systems as a whole are being transformed by the digital revolution. We have a historic opportunity to ensure that the resulting financial systems put people first. "
Co-Chair Steiner discussed promising examples of financial technology solutions that advance sustainability, from the transformation of personal savings into long-term drivers of investment such as government bonds, to the use of blockchain and tokenisation to support the development of renewable energies.
He noted that, to date, these innovations are usually standalone solutions. "In most countries, domestic savings are still not efficiently channeled to the larger scale financing needed for sustainable development. We need to understand how to use digitization to direct capital flows to key tasks related to sustainable development goals, from biodiversity to the connection of rural economies to opportunities in the global market, which to date remain largely untapped. of reaching the "fintech" revolution.
The Task Force on Digital Financing will meet in January 2019 in Davos, and is expected to present in September 2019 its preliminary report with recommendations to the Secretary-General.
Members of the Task Force on Digital Financing:
Co-Chairs

Ms. Maria Ramos (South Africa), President and CEO, Absa Group
Mr. Achim Steiner (United Nations), Administrator, United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

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Members
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Ms. Maiva Atalina Emma Ainuu-Enari, Governor, Central Bank of Samoa
Mr. Mats Granryd, Executive Director, GSMA
Ms. Natalie Jabangwe, President and CEO, EcoCash
Mr. Xiandong (Eric) Jing, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Ant Financial Services
Mr. Bradley Katsuyama, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, IEX
Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN-Women
Ms. Ambareen Musa, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Souqulmal
Mr. Patrick Njoroge, Governor, Central Bank of Kenya
Mr. Richard Samans, Director General, World Economic Forum
Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
Mrs Aurélie Adam Soule Zoumarou, Minister of Economy and Communications

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Please note that this list will be updated as soon as possible.
For media inquiries: contact Anne Folan by email: Anne.folan@uncdf.org ; or by phone: + 1-202-731-0506.[/size]

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

For the media • Unofficial document.