On 18 February 2021, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) is holding a Webinar - "National Workshop: Sustainable Finance and Green Bonds to Support Recovery from COVID-19 in Sri Lanka".
Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, much attention has been devoted to estimating the cost of achieving the SDGs and strategizing how to fund them. ESCAP recently estimated the annual additional investment required in the developing countries of Asia and the Pacific at US$1.5 trillion per year. In addition to the investment requirements, selecting the optimal source of funding is critical to meet the SDGs.
Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought an unprecedented socio-economic crisis to the region and required unprecedented policy responses. These policy measures would increase in fiscal expenditure, but how to finance them will be an important challenge. One option is that governments could seek to leverage domestic and foreign private finance, such as by issuing sovereign bonds, including green or sustainable bonds, especially for countries with low to moderate risk of external debt distress.
Under this background, the National Workshop on Sustainable Finance and Green Bonds tries to bring together policymakers, private business and financial sectors, international organization, investors, and other relevant stakeholders in Sri Lanka to discuss the issuance of green and sustainable bonds as a financing tool for sustainable recovery from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.