Ouverture du sommet Building Bridges

Mr. Secretary General / Monsieur le Secrétaire général,
Excellencies / Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen / Mesdames et Messieurs,

Il y a deux semaines, j’ai participé à New York au Sommet sur les objectifs de développement durable.

J’en ai retenu un élément essentiel : nous ne sommes pas sur la bonne voie pour remplir les objectifs de l’Agenda 2030. Et si nous continuons au même rythme et avec les mêmes ambitions qu’aujourd’hui, nous n’atteindrons qu’une fraction des engagements que nous avons pris en 2015.

Nous avons tous les outils pour agir. Le problème n’est pas là. C’est une question de volonté politique. De cette volonté, et de cette volonté uniquement, dépendra le succès de « l’Agenda 2030 pour le développement durable ».

Pour atteindre les objectifs fixés, nous devons par conséquent mobiliser toutes nos ressources : intellectuelles et humaines, et pas seulement financières.

Et nous avons besoin d’alliances. Des alliances courageuses et déterminées à agir, qui ne cherchent à pas diluer et différer les responsabilités.

Genève est le lieu idéal pour accueillir de telles mobilisations, comme le démontre l’événement qui nous réunit aujourd’hui. Genève est à la fois un centre financier mondial, un des plus grands centre de la diplomatie multilatérale, le siège d’institutions académiques de renom et le foyer d’un très large réseau d’organisations issues de la société civile. Et tous ces acteurs ont un rôle central à jouer pour concrétiser l’Agenda 2030.

Ensemble, ils forment à Genève un écosystème unique, orienté sur les solutions. En tant que président de la Confédération suisse, je suis fier que notre pays puisse offrir un tel forum. Nous sommes déterminés à montrer l’exemple et à tenir nos engagements pour la réalisation de l’Agenda 2030.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Moving forward on the 2030 Agenda is possible. In recent decades, extreme poverty and infant mortality have decreased.

But we need to be clear: in many other areas, we are falling behind. For over eighty percent of the targets, progress is limited, has stagnated or even regressed.

One of the primary reasons for this are financing challenges. Not only public but also private funding is required.

Private capital is widely available, and larger than the public global capital. Thus, private capital must urgently be aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda. The finance gap is greater in least developed countries. We therefore need more investments in the Global South. Enabling environments are decisive for investors to channel their funds into sustainable development.

The Building Bridges Conference is a great opportunity to address these challenges in a tangible manner.

A good example is the UNFCCC Sharm el-Sheikh Dialogue on the Consistency of Financial Flows with the Paris Agreement that is embedded in the conference. For the first time, this allows a collaboration between Building Bridges and the UN Convention on Climate Change.

Ladies and gentleman,

Switzerland is a leading hub for sustainable finance. As an international center for cross-border asset management and global insurance we are good positioned for this role. In this context, it is important to establish comparable and meaningful indicators, such as the Swiss Climate Scores.

The Climate Scores help investors to assess how climate friendly a financial product actually is. The impact on sustainable development needs to be transparent, so investors can reach their full transformative potential.

Last June, the Swiss population has voted in favor of a climate and innovation act. The Swiss government has to ensure that the Swiss financial centre reduces the climate impact of its financial flows.

Switzerland works closely with the private sector to improve framework conditions. A better investment climate contributes to innovation and green investments. As a part of this, Switzerland supports the establishment of international platforms that facilitate the collaboration between (donor) countries and the private sector.

Let me give you one example: The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). Together with other countries such as UK, the Netherlands and Sweden, Switzerland just approved a new strategy up to 2030. It aims to foster collaboration among investors, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and development agencies. The goal is to invest in energy, transport and infrastructure in developing countries with a focus on climate change.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The climate crisis presents us with a huge challenge. Instead of discussing our differences, we have to concentrate on one essential question: what works? How do we attain our goals for the benefit of all?

We have a common interest to find solutions together. The key lies in our collaboration. Building Bridges provides us with an opportunity by bringing all relevant actors together: the United Nations, the financial sector. We need to initiate collaborative, forward-looking and impactful projects. And we need to scale successful models and innovate. In light of the financing gap in the Global South we simply cannot miss out on this opportunity.

Yet, I am convinced there is a way forward. We have all the tools we need: we have a strong reference framework, which is the 2030 Agenda, we have a unique ecosystem in Geneva and we have committed actors here in the room.

Let’s use this conference to give sustainable finance the necessary boost.

Thank you.