The Mandate

The SDSN Global Commission on Urban SDG Finance has a mandate to harness the insights of mayors, climate and finance experts, city networks leaders, practitioners, and scholars to develop and champion innovative ideas and solutions for increasing urban SDG finance in different geographies and contexts and balancing mitigation and adaptation finance.

The Commission, which is co-chaired by Jeffrey Sachs, the Co-Chair and Founder of SDSN; Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, France; and Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is composed of mayors, finance and urban experts, and scholars to address the critical situation of urban Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Finance. A Secretariat, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania under the direction of Penn IUR Co-Director and Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research and Education, Eugénie L. Birch; Penn IUR Faculty Fellow and Professor, Penn Carey Law, William Burke-White; and Penn IUR Fellow and former mayor of Quito, Mauricio Rodas, supports the Commission.

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Meeting the Challenge

The Commission assigned Task Forces to analyze barriers to urban SDG finance, evaluate existing proposals to improve urban finance access, and develop new strategies and mechanisms to better align the Global Financial Architecture (GFA) with urban needs. The Task Forces meet virtually and at aligned events, such as UN Climate Week and COP28.

By Spring 2024, the Commission will produce a number of outcomes, including a final report proposing actionable reforms to the GFA and new mechanisms to secure urban SDG finance; briefs produced by each Task Force based on deep research and informed by the comparative perspectives of mayors and finance experts that address the impediments to urban SDG finance; and ancillary materials including scenario-based analysis of options for urban SDG finance.

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Timeline

Formal launch of Commission at the Paris Hôtel de Ville Paris during an official side event of the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact.

Virtual Commission and Task Force Meetings.

Informal and formal in-person meetings of Commission members at the G20 Summit (September 9-10, 2023); UN Climate Week (September 18-24), G7 meeting (October 28-29), and COP 28 (November 30-December 7).

Development and circulation of post-COP28 second round report draft that includes Task Force findings and outcomes from G20, UN Climate Week, G7 and COP28 meetings.

Finalization and publication of the Commission Report.

Continuing outreach and advocacy ahead of the Summit of the Future and G21 meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.