Promoting Investments for Sustainable Development

A/RES/76/197View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 18gPromoting investments for sustainable development, published in 2021.

What other versions does this mandate have?

7 versions · 2020–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/127

2025A/RES/80/127Promoting investments for sustainable developmentLatestCompare with previous version
2024A/RES/79/198Promoting investments for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/141Promoting investments for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/77/155Promoting investments for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/76/197Promoting investments for sustainable developmentCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 topics

Covid-19 Development Assistance Foreign Direct Investment Investment Promotion Private Sector Sustainable Development

What does this mandate say?

34 operative paragraphs

Emphasizes that promoting investments in value addition and in the processing of natural resources and productive diversification ensures more inclusive and sustainable development, and in this regard encourages accelerated national efforts and the strengthening of international cooperation in areas that support policies and programmes that increase public and private, domestic and international investments for structural change in the economies of developing countries;

Encourages the promotion of sustainable and innovative financing opportunities and mechanisms to unlock new capital for sustainable investment and upscale sustainable business models, with a special focus on small and medium-sized enterprises;

Notes with concern that many of the least developed countries and small island developing States continue to be largely sidelined by foreign direct investment that could help to diversify their economies, despite improvements in their investment climates;

Also notes with concern the gap in access to capital for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular for businesses led by women, young entrepreneurs and persons with disabilities, and recognizes that financial markets can be a powerful vehicle for economic growth and poverty alleviation, including when they support businesses that have a sustainable development impact and when access to credit is inclusive across all segments of an economy;

Recognizes that foreign direct investment can have positive spillovers, such as know-how and technology, including through establishing linkages with domestic suppliers, as well as encouraging the integration of local enterprises, in particular micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries, into regional and global value chains;

Emphasizes that foreign direct investment may have different impacts on sustainable development goals, and underlines the need to strengthen the alignment of foreign direct investment with national policies and sustainable development strategies;

Recognizes the need to develop and strengthen policies and, where appropriate, enhance regulatory frameworks to better align private sector incentives with sustainable development goals, including incentivizing the private sector to adopt sustainable practices, and foster long-term quality investment;

Encourages national and international efforts to integrate sustainability into the financial system and thus to further reorient capital flows towards investments that are sustainable from an economic, social and environmental perspective;

Encourages financial actors at all levels to work towards the establishment of inclusive, representative and responsible financial practices, including practices related to transparency, disclosure and standards, as appropriate;

Welcomes the progress made by many countries in strengthening the enabling environment for private sector businesses and investments, but notes that more can be done to create competitive business and investment climates, including by increasing efforts to combat corruption, that are well placed to attract private sector investment and participation in support of sustainable development;

Reiterates that greater gender equality in the distribution of economic resources can provide the means for women to generate income and creates positive multiplier effects for the achievement of inclusive, equitable and sustainable economic growth, and in this regard reiterates the need for targeted actions and investments;

Recognizes the importance of private sector engagement with national, international and intergovernmental organizations, Member States and other relevant stakeholders, as appropriate, in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, in an effective, accountable and consultative manner;

Notes the importance of sustainable corporate practices, including integrating environmental, social and governance factors into company reporting, as appropriate, with countries deciding on the appropriate balance of voluntary and mandatory rules, and encourages businesses to adopt principles for responsible business and investing;

Acknowledges the importance of corporate sustainability reporting, encourages companies, especially publicly listed and large companies, to integrate sustainability and due diligence information into their reporting cycles, encourages industry, interested Governments and relevant stakeholders, with the support of the United Nations system, as appropriate, to enhance existing models and develop new models for best practice and to facilitate action for the integration of sustainability reporting, taking into account experiences from already existing frameworks and paying particular attention to the needs of developing countries, including for capacity-building, and welcomes in this context the collaboration of the United Nations Global Compact with the Global Reporting Initiative and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development;

Calls upon Member States to reduce tensions and other risk factors and to foster environments that are conducive to scaling up long-term and sustainable investments, characterized by, inter alia, open, transparent and non-discriminatory investment policies;

Notes with concern the growing number of slum dwellers and the adverse effects on their health, safety and livelihood opportunities, and in this regard encourages targeted investments to ensure affordable and adequate housing as well as sustained investment for Sustainable Development Goal targets in these sectors by 2030;

Emphasizes that the private sector can contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in many ways, including through applying creative and innovative solutions to solving sustainable development challenges, the alignment of its business models with the Sustainable Development Goals, and supporting the efforts of the public sector in, inter alia, disaster risk reduction, climate action and skills development, in accordance with national plans and policies;

Welcomes the growing interest among investors in taking sustainability issues into account in their investment decisions, but acknowledges that further work is needed to analyse, monitor and measure its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals and maximize its positive development impact;

Acknowledges that reducing disaster risk, as outlined in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, is a cost-effective investment in preventing future losses, and encourages Member States to develop standards and regulations for disaster risk-informed public and private sector investments and to ensure that pipeline and bankable projects include disaster risk assessments;

Encourages Member States to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions in an innovative, integrated, transparent, inclusive and equitable manner, which requires sufficient, sustainable and predictable investment through both the public and the private sectors;

Invites all relevant stakeholders to explore the possibilities of taking sustainability factors into account in credit rating assessments and to strengthen credit markets to promote the growth of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular those owned by women;

Recognizes the growing momentum around sustainable investment and finance, and invites private companies to adopt sustainable practices that foster long term value;

Acknowledges with great concern the devastating economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which undermines countries’ ability to implement the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and threatens to upend the progress made recently in promoting investment in the Sustainable Development Goals, notes the role of multi-stakeholder partnerships, including with the public and private sectors, to foster strategic investment in the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in areas that could contribute more to combat COVID-19 and its resulting socioeconomic impacts, including through innovative financing, inter alia, in health-care systems, including universal health coverage; food security, including agricultural and food production and related supply chains; digital connectivity; job creation; sustainable infrastructure development and growth in productivity; as well as to ensure an environment-responsive approach to COVID-19 recovery and to counter the shortfall in investment that the pandemic entails; takes note of the policy actions proposed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in its action plan to facilitate a “Big Push” in private sector investment in the Goals, as contained in the World Investment Report 2020: International Production beyond the Pandemic, calls upon all stakeholders to cooperate in order to enhance resilience and sustainability in global supply chains and strengthen international investment, including by aligning investments with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and encourages cooperation to facilitate cross-border travel of persons for essential purposes, without undermining efforts to prevent the spread of the virus;

Stresses the need to take stock of public and private initiatives to measure investment impacts on the Sustainable Development Goals, identify their similarities and differences, and lay out potential gaps;

Welcomes in this regard the request, in the outcome document of the 2019 Economic and Social Council forum on financing for development follow-up, to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development to further its analysis on the impact and metrics for measurement of the contribution of private sector investments and instruments to the Sustainable Development Goals at the global level, and encourages international support for Member States, according to national circumstances and priorities, to voluntarily develop practical tools on measuring and collecting timely and reliable data on the private sector contribution towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the national level, as appropriate;

Emphasizes that international public finance plays an important role in complementing the efforts of countries to mobilize public resources domestically and that official development assistance, as a critical source for development finance, helps developing countries to secure sufficient public resources to invest in sectors that could accelerate the delivery of the transformational ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and notes in this regard the need to intensify efforts to meet respective commitments, focusing the most concessional resources on those with the greatest needs and least ability to mobilize other resources;

Notes the potential of blended finance, including its ability to crowd in, leverage or catalyse additional financing, and stresses that projects should be aligned with national priorities, have long-lasting development impact and be in the public interest, while recognizing that, for different Sustainable Development Goal investment areas, different types of finance may represent the most effective financing modalities;

Encourages Member States to promote shareholder and consumer engagement that may encourage companies to take into account consumers’ sustainability preferences;

Calls upon development partners to continue to support efforts to strengthen policy frameworks to incentivize finance for productive investment, including building capacity to access available financing, particularly in the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States and African countries, and taking into account the specific challenges faced by middle-income countries;

Notes the policy proposals put forward by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in its World Investment Report 2021: Investing in Sustainable Recovery, in particular the action plan for investment in the Sustainable Development Goals, which is aimed at mobilizing finance, channelling it towards sustainable development and maximizing its lasting and inclusive positive impact, and calls upon the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to work in collaboration with multiple stakeholders to help developing countries avail themselves of the recommendations contained therein, and encourages States, development partners and the private sector to invest in technological development, to build more resilient supply chains, increase productive capacity and economic diversification in developing countries, share and transfer technology and know-how on mutually agreed terms and improve domestic investment climates to facilitate mass production, especially of safe, quality, effective and affordable vaccines, therapeutics and medical equipment, promote job creation, adequate training and capacity-building and wealth creation, increase investment in quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, and increase all components of international public finance, including official development assistance, domestic and international private sector finance, domestic resource mobilization, and trade;

Emphasizes the need for technical assistance and capacity-building support for investment promotion and developing project pipelines and bankable projects, in particular for developing countries;

Calls upon the United Nations system and all relevant stakeholders to support the capacity-building of developing countries in their efforts to close the Sustainable Development Goals investment gaps, especially at the country programme level, on the use of public finance to leverage private investment for projects benefiting sustainable development;

Requests the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, to inform the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session of the implementation of the present resolution, based on their ongoing research, through a dedicated section of the World Investment Report, with a special focus on how to overcome the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on promoting investments for sustainable development as well as concrete recommendations, including on strategic sectors to invest for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and looks forward to the continuing consideration of these issues in the forthcoming reports of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-seventh session, under the item entitled “Macroeconomic policy questions”, the sub-item entitled “Promoting investments for sustainable development”.

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