J.-M. Severino et P. Baraton contribute to the book "Financing Sustainable Development"

The Ferdi (Foundation for International Development Research and Study) gathered the contributions of more than 40 authors, selected from amongst the leading international experts from the North and the South, in the newly released book "Financing Sustainable Development - Addressing Vulnerabilities".

Jean-Michel Severino, President of Investisseurs & Partenaires, and Pierrick Baraton, Research Officer, publish an article putting forward the rise of impact investment as a major innovation in view of the 'post-2015' agenda.

Presentation of the Book

The new international development agenda, with global public goods featuring prominently, is setting a course for universal sustainable development. Achieving the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require the mobilisation and allocation of a huge amount of public and private resources. This book examines how finance can help to ensure the sustainability of development by taking into account the various types of vulnerabilities faced by developing countries.

Structured around the three dimensions of sustainability – economic, social and environmental– this collection of complementary contributions outlines how new development finance can help to tackle vulnerabilities and thus promote sustainability. The book highlights the role of new types of finance, as well as the continuing relevance of public development assistance for the poorest and most vulnerable countries. It emphasises the need for differentiated funding mechanisms according to the characteristics of the recipient countries and the challenges they face.

Discover the Summary

Focus on Impact Investment

If the book underlines the importance of Official Development Aid, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable countries, it also highlights the role of new types of investments, able to bring innovative solutions to development challenges.

J.-M. Severino and P. Baraton put the focus on the 'nascent category of impact investment", which is likely to "form, over the coming decade, a class of highly significant  assets able to play a major role in development aid and in the management of global public goods."

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• Patrick Guillaumont, president of the Ferdi, presents the book
• Le Point Afrique, July 1st, 2015: "How to finance sustainable development" (in French)

About the Ferdi

The mission of the Foundation for International Development study and Research is to promote a fuller understanding of international economic development and the factors that influence it. With its network of over 150 experts, Ferdi supports research activities that use the most directly relevant instruments and methods to study developement and strenghten the potential of the French-speaking world in this area.