Jeddah / Tashkent, 26 August 2021— Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) President and IsDB Group Chairman, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser was the keynote speaker at a high-level virtual meeting on 26 August 2021 where the future of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was put to discussion.

The event titled: “Is the Decade of Action for Sustainable Development in Jeopardy?” was held as part of the ongoing series of events in the build up to the upcoming 2021 IsDB Group Annual Meetings, due to take place early next month in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It was organized by IsDB’s SDGs Community of Practice where a host of renown figures exchanged views including; UN Deputy Secretary General, H.E. Amina Mohammed; Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University; Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, Executive Director, IMF; Dr. Obid Khakimov, Director, Center for Economic Research and Reforms, Republic of Uzbekistan; Mr. Ahmed M. Saeed, Vice President, Asian Development Bank; Dr. Mansur Muhtar, Vice President, IsDB; and Dr. Kevin Gallagher, Director, Global Development Policy Center, Boston University.

At the meeting, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to development matters covering all social, economic and endowment aspects with sole aim of creating a better world and leaving no one behind in that endeavor.

He underlined: ‘’The 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development represent an inspiring framework and a common language for the global development community, encouraging collaboration among all development actors and galvanizing development efforts.’’

Another keynote speaker at the event, H.E. Amina Mohammed, commended the partnership between IsDB Group and UN in the field of Islamic finance as an innovative approach in financing the SDGs.

Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, meanwhile, urged for collaboration as a single humanity to achieve the SDGs. “The COVID-19 pandemic has shown our vulnerability as humanity. MDBs like IsDB can play a key role in improving and better mobilizing financing channels for SDGs needed by developing countries,” he reiterated.

The event also saw lively discussions on how challenges such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as climate change have impacted the implementation of SDGs. Many countries that were progressing towards poverty eradication are now continuing to slip back due to the economic fall-out from the pandemic.

The panelists brainstormed on suggested ways and means to remedy the situation in terms of meeting the objectives of Agenda 2030 with minimal setbacks.