Image

The notion of ‘Means of implementation’ (MOI) – as defined by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) on Financing for Development, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development-  describes the interdependent mix of financial resources, technology development and transfer, capacity‐building, inclusive and equitable globalization and trade, regional integration, and the enabling environment required to implement the 2030 Agenda.

UN DESA is mandated to assess the implementation of the international agreements on Financing for Development, including the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA), and the means of implementation (MOI) contained in the 2030 Agenda. The Department also coordinates the work of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Financing for Development, tasked to assess the state of sustainable finance; the annual Investment Fair, supporting dialogue among government and private sector representatives on investment capacity and impact on SDG implementation and mobilization of sustainable investment; the Tax Committee, fostering international tax cooperation; the Committee on Development Policy on LDC graduation, advising the ECOSOC on issues related to smooth graduation from LDC status; the UN Forum on Forests, promoting sustainable management and financing of all types of forests; and the implementation of the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2030.

Drawing on the work of these bodies, UN DESA develops knowledge resources, tools and methodologies to assists governments, UN resident coordinators and UN country teams to secure the MOI for the SDGs through domestic resource mobilization, including taxation, and the use of various kind of international support measures and mechanisms in the areas of trade, finance and forest.

UN DESA offers the Member States the following tools:  

1. An online knowledge platform (Upcoming) to access the global debate on financing for development, including progress, policy challenges, and new approaches in the AAAA’s various action areas, such as:  

• Domestic public resources;  

• Domestic and international private business and finance;  

• International development cooperation;  

• International trade as an engine for development;  

• Debt and debt sustainability;  

• Addressing systemic issues; and  

• Science, technology, and capacity building.  

Also available through the platform are new methodologies and tools developed by the IATF for its 2019 Financing for Development Report (FFDR), the Committee on Tax Cooperation, and the United Nations Forum on Forests: 

• To address financial gaps, such as the Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs); 

• To mobilize domestic and international resources for the SDGs, including through taxation; 

• To mobilize financing from all sources for sustainable forest management through the Global Forest Financing Network (GFFFN). 

2. Knowledge networks of key institutions and stakeholders, including: 

• The Inter-Agency Task Force taking stock of the Financing for Development conferences;  

• The network of donors and investors associated with the Investment Fair; and 

• The network of multi-stakeholders associated with the DCF.  

3. Capacity development support 

UN DESA provides a variety of training workshops to support national efforts to mobilize domestic and international resources, specifically: 

• The areas of taxation, including transfer pricing, double taxation, and illicit financial flows issues, as well as aspects of taxation policies and fiscal systems:  

1. UN Primer on Tax Treaties  

2. UN Primer on Transfer Pricing  

• Municipal assets management for which UN DESA/FSDO has developed a diagnostic tool for assessing the needs of municipalities when designing and implementing ASSET Management Plans (AMAP) in support of the SDGs, which could be used in the training of trainers (TOT) workshops;  

• National Forest Financing Strategies (NFFS) mobilizes funding for cross-sectoral forest-related projects and supports the development of project proposals for multi-lateral financings, such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environmental Fund (GEF);

• Training Module for Development of National Forest Financing Strategies; 

• Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network’s Clearing House, an online platform and database of forest financing opportunities and flows, provides:  

1. Providing a comprehensive, up-to-date database of forest financing opportunities from all sources, incorporating existing initiatives and sources of information, including information on how to access them;  

2. A web-based interactive platform for exchanging data, lessons learned, and best practices among users, including the conceptualization of projects and,  

3. Data source for assessing progress on target 15. b of the Sustainable Development Goals and Global Forest Goal.