Date & Time
January 27, 2026
8:30 – 10:00 am EDT
Location
Virtual (Zoom)
Registration required in advance
Organizer
NGO Committee on Financing for Development
A substantive committee of the Conference of NGOs
Co-Sponsors
Women First International Fund (formerly Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund)
Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Loreto Generalate
New Humanity NGO of the Focolare Movement
Vivat International
ManUp Campaign
Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, Inc.
PEAC Institute
The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD)
Biozid Climate Institute
Background & Rationale
With less than five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda, progress across the SDGs remains uneven and insufficient. Persistent financing gaps in water and sanitation, clean energy, infrastructure, and innovation constrain progress, particularly in climate-vulnerable and low-income contexts, disproportionately affecting women, children, rural populations, and marginalized communities.
Objectives
The side event will:
Explore innovative, integrated financing and partnership approaches to accelerate progress across interlinked SDGs
Showcase practical financing mechanisms delivering inclusive and sustainable outcomes
Highlight the role of education and human capital investment
Strengthen understanding of accountability, transparency, equity, and sustainability through partnerships
Support alignment between Financing for Development commitments and inclusive SDG implementation
Thematic Focus
Financing SDG Interlinkages through Partnerships
The session focuses on the interconnections between access to water and sanitation, clean and affordable energy, and resilient infrastructure, and examines integrated financing and partnership models addressing these linkages.
Key Financing & Partnership Approaches
Blended finance
Green and sustainability bonds
Debt-for-nature swaps
Pooled funds and risk-sharing instruments
Municipal finance and participatory budgeting
Multi-stakeholder partnerships at national, municipal, and community levels
Guiding Discussion Questions
Designing integrated financing approaches for multiple SDGs with equitable, rights-based outcomes
The role of multi-stakeholder partnerships in accountability, transparency, and local ownership
Integrating education, skills, and human capital into SDG financing strategies
Expected Outcomes
Policy-relevant insights and actionable recommendations on innovative financing and partnerships to accelerate SDG progress, strengthen accountability, reduce inequalities, and deliver inclusive, sustainable outcomes.
Speakers
Ms. Maria Dimitriadou – Special Representative to the UN, Head of Multilateral Affairs, World Bank
Mr. Karen Vardanyan – Chief Finance Officer, United Nations Capital Development Fund
Mr. Laurie Lane-Zucker – Founder & CEO, Impact Entrepreneur, PBC
Mr. Frank Jungmann – Starkmacher Impact
Mr. Alex Mwaura – Country Director, Digital Green, Kenya
Ms. Elizabeth Herald – Founder, Water Unity Network