Private Sector & Development magazine articles

To attain SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), sustainable food systems – including small-scale farming, agri-SMEs, and local food processing – will require structured development. This necessitates private engagement (bringing innovation and efficiency) and responsible private finance. To enable this, development partners and the UN need to support governments to establish a conducive environment.

Financing international trade through the banking system is essential to facilitating trade between countries. While this type of financing is readily available in developed economies, certain Southern countries are experiencing chronic shortages. On the African continent, for example, the supply of essential goods, especially cereals, represents a specific challenge and is particularly dependent on trade flows (intercontinental as well as internal to Africa) which need to be facilitated to safeguard the Continent’s food security. This is exactly what Proparco’s Trade Finance guarantee programme aims to do.

The financial sector is increasingly mainstreaming climate-related risks into its analyses, in particular through the action of the NGFS, an international network of central banks and regulators. Details and analyses from Jean Boissinot, Deputy Director for Financial Stability at Banque de France and Head of the NGFS Secretariat.