The SDG Investment Fair aims to mobilize financing for development and scale up private sector participation in development financing though investments in SDG advancing projects mainly in developing countries. Since 2018, The Fair has been focused on an annual event where countries present investment projects that advance their SDG agenda to potential investors. The SDG Investment Fair is evolving from an annual event to a year-round program. The Fair will maintain its principal component of organizing interactive events with prospective investors with the aim to facilitate deal making.
The pool of investors includes Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) members, other institutional investors, infrastructure investors, international financial institutions, and development banks among others. The Fair will also feature one-on-one sessions between participating countries and investors.
The platform also seeks to facilitate knowledge sharing among countries as well as capacity building for the participating countries, to increase their project preparation expertise thus increasing their attractiveness to investors. By introducing these elements into the program, DESA aims to elongate and increase the contact between participating countries and investors to expedite investment and accelerate SDG progress.