Istanbul Development Dialogue (IDD), launched in 2015 as a ‘Dialogue on Inequalities 2015’, is an annual development forum where policy-makers, business leaders and diverse experts discuss the current global development issues. This year, IDD 2018 took place on the 3th and 4th April, focused on how to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda with special focus on the following “5P”: “Partnerships”, “Peace”, “People”, “Planet”, “Prosperity”. SDG Philanthropy Platform attended at the event as a representative of UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development, and below are the key learnings from the event.
Partnerships
The first day kicked off in a collaborative spirit as many of the speakers touched on how we can establish effective relationships amongst civil society, UN agencies, government and the private sector. During our “Financing Global Goals” session, we had the privilege to hear from four international financial institution heavyweights discussing how we can turn billions into trillions. The panellists iterated that the private sector needs to serve society and work with entrepreneurs that have the appetite to solve problems linked to the SDGs. They addressed the issue of investment stakeholders working in silos and not collaborating to attain their common goals. For example, Ms. Athenosy (Senior Economist, Council of Europe Development Bank) mentioned innovative financial instruments, such as the social inclusion bonds, that have financed projects in social housing, education, job creation and have attracted a large amount of high-quality investors. Similar messages were echoed during the “Business Perspectives” panel where the CEO of HSBC Turkey, Selim Kervanci, boasts the success of HSBC’s SDG framework. The initiative shows strategic commitment to the SDGs as they will provide $100bn in cleantech and carbon emission reduction financing by 2025.
Sustainable Development in Europe and Central Asia - where do we stand?
With the SDG on top of the national agenda, European and Central Asian countries have the chance to significantly move their development vision forward and set off innovative reforms that can positively impact the quality of living standards. As Ms. Irena Vojackova-Sollarano (UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Turkey) highlighted at the beginning of this panel, there are three main aspects that require special attention when talking about sustainable development in Europe and Central Asia: prices, innovation and governance. Mr. Sergei Guriev, Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, argued that it is of utmost importance to tackle these challenges by letting the private sector drive the development agenda and utilise technology as a tool to facilitate electronic procurement and as an opportunity to achieve work inclusion. Mr. Igor Luksic, Director for Southeast Europe PwC, added that the real struggle in involving the private sector in the achievement of the SDGs does not lie on financial issues, but rather on canalizing and coordinating the efforts in the same direction.
European and Central Asian countries have successfully affirmed themselves into the global economy, however, a large proportion of the population is still living below the poverty line. Pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals has to remain at the core of Europe and Central Asia’s priority.
Innovation and Technology
"Innovation” and “Technology” dominated the conference discourse. Achim Steiner, the Administrator of the UNDP, described innovation as “one of the defining comparative advantage of UNDP”, and continued that “the SDGs are truly a driver for innovation”. Cihan Sultanoğlu, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, also mentioned “innovation” in her opening remarks, but from a different angle: On the one hand innovation and technology are key to achieving the SDGs, on the other hand, we need to reconsider how we can get “innovation right” for the SDGs. While a variety of technological innovations have improved well-being of the poor, provided services and mobilize financing as never before, governments are increasingly concerned about new threats to privacy and human rights. Innovation and technology should not be a driver of inequality but can create more ideas and products that all can benefit from in common.
Many more panels discussed on the relationships between innovation, technology and the SDGs, and how to drive and scale up “right innovation”, ensuring “leave no one behind”. Here are some key remarks.
- Right Innovation and technology have been creating transparency and accountability for government. Our current challenge is that “how can we create the “right incentives” to drive innovations? (Mr. Sergei Guriev, Chief Economist, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development)
- The SDGs have opened the door for new innovation, and the private sector actors are playing an essential role in driving innovations, creating jobs and enhancing sustainable development. (Mr. Marcos Athias Neto, Director, UNDP Istanbul International Centre for Private Sector in Development)
- We need to cooperate with Private Sector in order to ensure technology investments and mobilization of local technological systems for the improvement of children’s education. (Ms. Afshan Khan, Regional Director, Europe and Central Asia, UNICEF)
- We need to ensure that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is not creating an additional division, like the disparities between men and women. (Ms. Yuriko Shoji, Deputy Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, FAO)
- Technology and innovations offer us the opportunity to address the needs of women and girls, related to their sexual and reproductive health. It allows us to CLOSE the information GAP and make more informed choices. It can help us reduce inequalities, both health and economy. (Ms. Marta Diavolova, Regional Adviser for Strategic Partnerships, UNFPA)
"Innovation" and “Technology” are not just the buzzwords. If we drive the “right innovations”, use new technologies in a “right way”, we can make a great impact on the most vulnerable population while reducing inequality.
To conclude, Istanbul Development Dialogues stimulated inspiring ideas and innovative approaches on how to solve topical issues. We witnessed international development titans lock horns on ideological disagreements, grassroots activists silence entire audiences with their passion and inspiration but also a wave of collaboration to fight for a common objective.