As official development assistance stagnates and demands on the multilateral system intensify, the future of international cooperation increasingly hinges on how we fund it. Convened by UNU-CPR as part of its Global Governance Innovation Platform (GGI), this workshop identified practical, institutional mechanisms that international organizations can use to mobilize sustainable finance at scale.
While global crises proliferate, many international organizations remain fiscally constrained, particularly those tasked with governing new frontiers such as digital technologies, biotechnology and climate resilience. As German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan emphasized at the 2025 Hamburg Sustainability Conference, “In times of scarcity, new creativity is needed to find alternative sources of financing.”
This expert workshop moved beyond conceptual debates on "innovative finance" by examining specific funding tools like Unitaid’s airline ticket levy or IFFIm’s bond-based financing. It convened economists, policymakers, institutional leaders and funders to map what works and identified enabling conditions and opportunities for cross-sector adaptation.
Agenda Highlights
Keynote: Helge Elizabeth Zeitler | Director, German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Panelists from ITU, UNICEF, IFAD, UNESCO, Pandemic Fund and more
Moderated by researchers and finance experts from UNU-CPR, IDRC and IFAD
For More Information, download the Concept Note here.
