Right now, the global health situation is the cue that financial status is the hope to build the world of future as long as it is green and inclusive. The role of finance is to serve the real economy, society and the biosphere. If an economy can only be solid and sustainable if it is based on a healthy population, which can only survive on a healthy planet. With the help of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a roadmap, it is possible to rebuild the post-Covid world by meeting the social expectations for finance.
Talking about the attendees of the ‘ UN global Compact Leaders’ Summit’ on the 21st of September 2019, Paul Polman , the ex- Ceo of Uniliver stated that business cannot be a bystander in a system that created it in the first place. After implementing the SDGs in the changing process, there will be bottlenecks, setbacks, cynics, sceptics. Courageous leadership is required for all of these. That is where the breakthrough comes from- the people who actually analyse that placing the interests of others above their own is actually in their own self – interest. Many institutions worldwide have chosen to use this model of the SDGs from the AFD- Agency Francaise de Developpement which is a French Development Agency. The model groups the 17 SDGs into 6 transitions- energy, demographic and social, digital and technological, economic and financial, territorial and ecological, and politician and civic. A business plan for finance based on the SDGs makes it possible to process financial flows towards the multiple targets, like financing infrastructure which are beneficial for water sanitation makes it possible to act on the health of populations by improving the terrestrial and aquatic life, to contribute to the economic growth. ( SDG 6, SDG 3, SDG 14 and 15, SDG 8 and 9 respectively. These SDGs are invisible and cross cutting as they concern all the economic sectors in every country, they are the sources of the Universal Language.
The role of finance as seen by the perspective of the SDGs had become even more apparent since the global health crisis due to the pandemic. In august 2020, GISD that is the Global Investors for Sustainable Development issued a report with 64 commendations to boost sustainable finance to better aim the SDGs of which 10 are the main priorities namely, addressing systemic sustainability threats, bettering ESG data and ratings, obeying with transparency and harmonisation necessities, solidifying corporate governance, strengthening public-private partnerships, evolving sustainable finance products and infrastructure. Green bonds, social bonds, maintainable finance, liable investment, impact investing, etc. are some of instruments to exist. Henceforth, as to reconcile financial success with social and environmental success, we must set the continuing dimension back into financing and investment.
