UNCDF and 17 Asset Management today signed an agreement to create a partnership that will direct flows of private investment capital to the least developed countries (LDCs) and help close the financing gap towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“The Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the SDGs call for more resources, including new flows of private capital, to achieve the ambitious global goals. The goal of this financing is to maximize the development impact for the poor and, ultimately, to eradicate poverty,” said UNCDF Executive Secretary Judith Karl.

“We’re excited about this innovative partnership with 17 Asset Management because it demonstrates how impact investors can use a partnership with the United Nations to enhance the value and impact of their investments to achieve a wide range of development outcomes, particularly in the ‘last mile,’ where UNCDF works. For the Least Developed Countries, this partnership will provide critical financing for their efforts to build infrastructure and support business development in the poorest and most remote regions of their countries.”

Through this partnership, 17 Asset Management will offer investors new investment products to support the SDGs. 17 Asset Management will also help finance UNCDF’s work in the world’s poorest countries, including to develop investable projects in the LDCs that also have measurable and specific development impacts in SDG-linked areas including financial inclusion, local economic development, women’s economic empowerment, food security, and climate change.

“Our mission is to offer clients the opportunity to align their investments with the advancement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We believe the SDGs provide an excellent opportunity to design and distribute investment products that align with investor interests and attract private capital to participate in the implementation and realization of the Global Goals,” said John Morris, CEO of 17 Asset Management. “By combining UNCDF’s deep experience, local market knowledge, infrastructure, and access with 17 Asset Management’s product design and distribution expertise, we can work to close the SDG funding gap,” he added.

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