HELENA VIÑES FIESTAS Head of Sustainability Research and Policy FINANCE AT THE HEART OF THE SDGs FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) aimed at ending extreme poverty by 2030 as well as stimulating inclusive economic growth, and job creation the overall ambition of achieving the 17 SDGs on a that, could help to create the sorts of economic global scale (1), it is essential to encourage inclusive foundations that will enable countries, committed growth as well as development and sustainable peace to inclusion and building peace, to transition out of fragility over the long term .(6) can be no sustainable peace without sustainable development (2) . Two billion people live in countries where development DEALING WITH THE RISKS (3). The World Bank estimates These real and perceived risks are the main impediments that extreme poverty will increasingly be concentrated to progress in attracting more and better investment in these contexts, rising from 17% of global poverty today to 46% by 2030, partly due to high population investors mean that all FCS tend to be tarred with growth rates and weak economic development (4) the same brush and avoided by responsible investors, . as too high risk. Responsible investors are also deterred from investing in geographical areas that A JOINT EFFORT IS REQUIRED levels of corruption, human rights or environmental violations. They do not wish to be associated with It is now widely accepted that if all countries are to social or environmental controversies. These factors meet the SDGs, “trillions” not “billions” of dollars, will dissuade investors from making discerning choices, be required, in investments, both public and private in capital and in capacity, at national and global are the same. levels capacity to meet the majority of the challenges on and a proactive, responsible private sector, operating ACTING AS A RESPONSIBLE COMPANY 33