UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said here Monday that private sector and financial sector is "absolutely crucial" to 3-5 trillion-U.S.-dollar annual investment needed to finance UN sustainable development goals.
"We have a blueprint for peace, prosperity and dignity for a healthy planet in the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are our roadmap for inclusive, sustainable and fair globalization," Guterres said, adding that "finance can make or break all our carefully laid plans."
Speaking at the 9th annual United Nations Private Sector Forum during the 72nd Regular Session of the UN General Assembly, the UN chief said that "My strategy will focus on three key areas - making the 2030 Agenda more firmly embedded into international economic and financial policy making, working harder to support countries in brokering partnerships for innovative finance, and championing international initiatives that can harness finance for critical areas."
"The world has the resources to deliver the 2030 Agenda. Let us organize ourselves and liberate them and deliver them to where they are needed most," he said.
To build upon these efforts, the secretary-general announced plans to host a multi-stakeholder Finance Summit in New York next September.
More than 300 chief executives, heads of State and government, UN and civil society leaders, attended the forum with the theme of Financing the 2030 Agenda: Unlocking Prosperity.
President Doris Leuthard of the Swiss Confederation emphasized in her keynote address the critical role the global finance community plays in achieving the Global Goals.
Leuthard said that an estimated nearly 10 billion U.S. dollars were invested in 2015 and managed by companies based in Switzerland, adding that "there are a number of keys we can use to unlock this prosperity to ensure that investments with positive social and environmental impacts become the mainstream choice."
Underscoring the need for innovative finance models to support climate change adaptation, resilience, mitigation and recovery, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore called upon business leaders to take action.
For those that doubt that we can succeed in this challenge, Gore said "always remember that political will is itself a renewable resource."
Since 2008, the UN Private Sector Forum has annually gathered CEOs and Heads of State at the United Nations to discuss pressing issues such as climate change, global development and human rights.
