Nadia Calviño, President of the European Investment Bank Group has been participating in the 2024 Financing for Development Forum this week, at the United Nations in New York. The Forum which is organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is designed to bring together stakeholders to address the current global challenges and advance policies for financing long-term sustainable development priorities. This is President Calviño’s first visit to the United Nations since she took up her post in January.
Speaking from United Nations headquarters in New York, President Nadia Calviño said,
“Reinforcing the global financial safety net with a sound framework for cooperation among multilateral partners is more important than ever in these challenging times.
In the midst of today’s strains and conflict some might wonder if the Sustainable Development Goals are still as relevant as they were.
Well, they are more relevant than ever.
As the former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said, they are a declaration of interdependence, connecting territories, connecting public policies, connecting generations and keeping us united .
They are our compass, pointing the way towards a better future for humankind. “
She also outlined the key elements of a package of measures announced by Multilateral Development Banks last week on the margins of the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in New York.
“As a proud member of the family of Multilateral Development Banks, the European Investment Bank is strongly engaged in the ongoing work to deepen our collaboration, to strengthen the framework of development financing and increase the impact and scale of our collective efforts to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals - enshrined in the EIB’s DNA. I am pleased to say that we have made real progress this week.”
“…the 10 heads of the MDB’s meeting in Washington agreed joint steps and initiatives and a clear roadmap with targets and with dates, to make progress in five critical areas to strengthen the multilateral financial system and deliver greater impact and scale, with projects that can improve people’s lives and well-being.’’
Read the full speech here: President Calviño at the Financing for Development Forum (eib.org)
You can also read the EIB Group President’s opening speech at the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Investment Fair: President Calviño at the 2024 SDG Investment Fair (eib.org)
Background information
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is a member of the Multilateral Develeopment Bank family and the long-term lending institution of the European Union (EU). It finances sound investment, contributing to EU policy goals within and outside the European Union. Together with the European Investment Fund the EIB forms the European Investment Bank Group.
We aim to support at least €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027 outside the EU, around one third of the overall target of the European Union’s Global Gateway’s initiative.