SDG #8: Decent work and economic growth

Multi-stakeholder collaboration has proven to be critical to tackle the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and will be essential in the recovery efforts to ?build back better? towards more sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies.

Despite progress in recent decades, in 2019, almost 690 million people, or 8.9 per cent of the global population, were undernourished. After more than a decade of steady decline, the number of undernourished people has been rising since 2014.

Indigenous peoples contribute to mitigation and adaptation strategies including successful struggles against deforestation, mineral, oil and gas extraction in their ancestral lands; their fight against further expansion of monocrop plantations; their promotion of sustainable production and consumption systems through traditional knowledge and values of reciprocity with nature.

While least developed countries have up to now successful to limit direct health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the socio-economic fallout has been extremely hard.

While blended finance can be an option to support post COVID-19 recovery efforts, a new approach to blended finance is necessary to improve its impact.

Further action is needed to better channel investment to countries and SDG-related sectors that are most in need. The development of innovative and scalable global platforms, instruments and funds would be an important first step in this regard.

Business and financials models must be rethought to accelerate and strengthen business? contributions to sustainable development

All financing must be risk-informed and resilient, and sufficient financing must be available for investments in risk reduction and resilience, at national and global levels.

Elevated inequalities place countries in a more vulnerable position to confront the pandemic. Going forward, fighting inequality will be crucial for reducing vulnerability to health and other emergencies and for enhancing the resilience of societies.