LDC Portal - International Support Measures for Least Developed Countries - UNCDF

HLPF side-event by UNCDF: Increasing access to finance for SMEs to drive economic transformation in LDCs

MTAVARES1 — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Wednesday, 19 July 2023 - 8:00am

19 July 2023. This event will explore key constraints along with concrete solutions, including reforms that would be necessary in the development finance architecture, to increase flows of public and private finance to SMEs, which must play a key role in helping to accelerate economic transformation in LDCs. More information here.

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UNCDF

SMEs

Finance

HLPF

UNCDF and the BRIDGE Facility on “How To Fill The Gap With Loans And Guarantees In LDCs For Clean Energy, Climate And Women Empowerment Project”

MTAVARES1 — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 18:00:00 +0000

Thursday, 02 June 2022 - 2:00pm

2 June 2022.

This event will showcase how loans and guarantees can help attract much-needed capital that can be used towards creating sustainable businesses that lead to structural transformation in LDCs, with a particular focus on unlocking financing for small- and medium-sized enterprises and small and medium-sized infrastructure projects. These projects lead to job opportunities, stimulate economic activity and sectoral transformation which are pathways towards Stockholm+50’s objective of a healthy planet for all. This can be seen in the results of both UNCDF initiatives: the Gambia’s solar power plants and the Portfolio guarantee in Papua New Guinea to support women owned MSMEs.

The event will bring together representatives from international organizations, LDC and donor / developed country governments, and private sector, to share experiences and perspectives on challenges and opportunities for how guarantees can most effectively be used to enable sustainable development pathways for LDCs towards achieving a healthy planet for all.

Information and registration here: Webinar Registration - Zoom

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The Role of Blended Finance in the LDCs and the Potential for Private Sector Investment - UNCDF

MTAVARES1 — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Thursday, 28 April 2022 - 8:00pm

Recording available here.

The purpose of the event was to highlight the need for blended finance and the role that donors can play through UNCDF. Potential investee companies, development finance institutions and certain donor and LDC governments participated.

From UNCDF: US$60+ Million in Commitments for UN-Affiliated Impact Investment Vehicle Announced at the Finance for Development Forum

MTAVARES1 — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 17:00:00 +0000

Full news article here: US$60+ Million in Commitments for UN-Affiliated Impact Investment Vehicle Announced at the Finance for Development Forum - UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)

Excerpt: "Over US$60 million has been committed from six member states and development institutions representing Canada, the United States, Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden and the Nordic states through the Nordic Development Fund—to the BUILD Fund, a blended impact investment vehicle, as well as its associated technical assistance facility, to finance small and medium-sized businesses in the world’s least developed countries (LDCs) to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The announcement of the financing commitments was made today at this year’s Finance for Development Forum (FFD) in New York.

The Bamboo-UNCDF Initiative for the Least Developed (“BUILD”) is an innovative blended impact finance vehicle designed to bring finance to small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and entities that have the potential for strong development impact in the world’s frontier markets or least developed countries. Managed by Bamboo Capital Partners, the Fund provides growth capital to businesses identified, supported and nurtured by UNCDF. The BUILDER Technical Assistance (TA) Facility is managed at arm’s length by UNCDF, which will be closely involved in pipeline generation, portfolio building, and business advisory support to businesses."

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High-Level Leaders Dialogue: Green and Climate Resilience Bonds – Scaling up Access to Affordable Finance in Developing Countries, notably in LDCs

MTAVARES1 — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Tuesday, 26 April 2022 - 8:00am

Reports from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change raise the alarm bells on a lost decade for sustainable development and a shrinking window of opportunity to address the devastating impacts of climate change. Transitioning to a green, climate resilient global economy will require the mobilization of unprecedented capital. However, developing countries, notably LDCs and African countries, continue to have the lowest access to affordable finance. Improving developing countries’ capacity to leverage the potential of green and climate-resilient bonds could be a game-changer for financing nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and national adaptation plans (NAPs). However, green bonds still represent only a fraction of total bonds issued globally and only a small number of developing countries are accessing such market, notably in Africa, where in 2020, Africa still only accounted for 0.003% of total green bond issuance.

Building on UNCDF’s Sovereign Borrowers Conference held during the 2021 General Assembly, the Government of Malawi and Chair of the LDC Group, with UNCDF, UNDP and the GCF will bring together global leaders to highlight the actions needed for developing countries, particularly LDCs, to leverage debt markets to increase their access to affordable finance for climate action. Outcomes will contribute to “Our Common Agenda” and the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs.

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UNCDF events on finance in LDCs at the FFD Forum

MTAVARES1 — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 20:00:00 +0000

During the 2022 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development, UNCDF and partners will be holding side-events on Green and Climate Resilience Bonds in LDCs, Guarantee Mechanisms as Catalysts of LDC Structural Transformation and Blended finance in LDCs. More information here and in our events page.

Photo UNCDF/John Rae

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Launch of Good Practices in South-South & Triangular Cooperation in Least Developed Countries, 16 March 2022

MTAVARES1 — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Wednesday, 16 March 2022 - 9:00am

The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), in partnership with the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) will jointly launch the “Good Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation in the least Developed Countries: From the Istanbul Programme of Action to Achieving Sustainable and Resilient Development” publication. This special volume has a particular focus on LDCs, mapping and sharing around 80 good practices relevant to the implementation of the SDGs as well as the IPoA priorities in these countries while spotlighting the role of South-South cooperation in supporting sustainable development. This publication aims to demonstrate the potential of South-South cooperation in LDCs to attain the objectives of supporting national and regional development efforts, strengthening institutional and technical capacities and improving the exchange of experience and know-how. The publication aims to facilitate and promote peer and cross-regional learning and collective efforts among LDCs and their development partners in addressing LDCs’ special development challenges and building resilience.

More information and registration here.

A Brief History of the LDCs: podcast with CDP member Taffere Tesfachew, by UNCDF Capital Musings

MTAVARES1 — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 14:30:00 +0000

CDP Member Taffere Tesfachew discusses the history of the LDC category, support by the UN system to the category, and the prospects and challenges for LDCs, including issues related to graduation, in the context of the crisis induced by COVID-19 and climate change: #32 A Brief History of the LDCs - Capital Musings (uncdf.org)

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UNCDF's BRIDGE Facility: Dedicated Finance for the LDCs

MTAVARES1 — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:03:00 +0000

Among solutions being discussed in the preparations for LDC5 is “the establishment of a dedicated and sufficiently large blended finance de-risking facility for LDCs that is focused on providing catalytic capital to growth SMEs, small investment projects and other strategic investments with transformative SDG potential, in order to unlock further commercial and semi-commercial investments. If properly resourced, UNCDF’s BRIDGE Facility can serve as a dedicated financing mechanism, which can include flexible financing that can be used to attract additional resources from the private sector to SDG-aligned investments that can scale to address the needs of the LDCs, including for graduating LDCs.” An event held on 28 July 2021 provided information on the facility and on recent experiences by SMEs in LDCs. A recording can be viewed here and the presentation here.

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