Aligning the Financial Systems in the Asia Pacific Region to Sustainable Development: Asia-Pacific High-Level Consultation on Financing for Development

Adequate, appropriate finance is crucial for sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific UN (ESCAP) estimates that the region needs to invest around US$2.5 trillion a year between 2013 and 2030 to achieve key sustainable development goals. The region’s developing financial and capital markets provide a unique opportunity for innovative financial and capital market policies, regulations and standards that can align private capital flows to the financing needs of sustainable development. Notably, the region’s savings, US$8.4 trillion in 2012, represents more than half of the world’s total savings, the channeling of which will make a significant difference to regional and international progress towards sustainable development.