Investment Needs to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals: Understanding the Billions and Trillions

This paper proposes an analytical framework for SDG needs assessments that translates the 17 SDGs into eight investment areas and integrates climate change adaptation and mitigation. It reviews available needs assessments to provide a first, preliminary estimate of incremental public and private investment needs to meet the goals. The paper also presents a financing analysis and discusses major gaps in our understanding of how the SDGs can be financed. This working paper was updated on November 12, 2015, based on comments received on an earlier version (September 28). Inter alia, this version comprises a more detailed and revised discussion of energy investment needs with a particular focus on climate change mitigation; expanded investment needs for water supply and sanitation; a new suitability score to allow for a direct comparison of different needs assessment methodologies; a more detailed methodology discussion and comparison with alternative approaches; and revised public-private shares of SDG investments.

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