Discussion Paper 01 – February, 2020: The Sustainable Investment Gap and How to Close It: Cities, Infrastructure and SDG Investment Gap

Agenda 2030 is now on its last decade and substantial finance is needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on time. Results from this UN-Habitat estimation show that while there is a profound SDG and infrastructure investment gap of $38 trillion over the next 10 years, the current total public and private investment capacity is considerably larger at $98 trillion.

While traditional financing is not enough to cover the SDG and infrastructure investment gap, an evolving landscape of financing offers a possibility to closing it completely. While funding indeed does exist, it is currently not flowing into the right areas to close this investment gap. Redirecting even a part of these assets would make a significant difference.