How will the stakeholders, the leaders, and the beneficiaries of the development finance world regard UNCDF in 2033?
As a disruptor to the international financial architecture? As a flagship blended finance entity of the United Nations? As an organization that maximized its value proposition--a unique investment mandate and financing expertise to blend and deploy a suite of financial instruments for blended finance solutions in high-risk markets?
If these are the ways that the UNCDF of 2033 will be regarded, then it would have been because of the work that began ten years prior-in 2023.
2023 continued to feature many of the barriers standing in the way of sustainable development for developing countries in general and least developed countries (LDCs) in particular. From the uptick in incidences of conflict to the impacts stemming from climate related disasters; from the continuing economic upheaval acutely affecting underdeveloped economies to the massive debt burdens forcing precious public resources from financing development.
The enormity and complexity of these challenges call for innovations to be realized, partnerships to be developed, and capacities to be optimized-if we are going to witness sustainable development scaled.
In this spirit, the accomplishments of UNCDF in 2023 are more indicative of the organization's future optimization than a reflection of what the organization has already attained.
While this year's results are broken down into three categories reflecting our Strategic Framework—catalyzing additional flows of capital; strengthening market systems and financial mechanisms; accelerating inclusive, diversified, and green economic transformation—there are an array of results that reflect the competencies UNCDF will build itself around for the future.
