ABU DHABI, UAE – The UAE recently participated in the first Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) meeting within the G20 Finance Track for 2023, which was held for the first time under the Indian Presidency.
The meeting, which was held at Guwahati, Assam, India, sought to discuss the 2023 SFWG work plan and agree on the group’s priority areas for 2023 in line with the priorities of the Indian Presidency.
The UAE delegation included Thuraiya Alhashmi, Director of International Tax Department at the Ministry of Finance; and Khalifa Alfaheem, Senior Director, Monetary Operations, Monetary Management at the Central Bank of the UAE.
G20 members, invited countries, SFWG country members and international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also attended the meeting.
During the two days of the meeting, members shared views on the proposed work plan for the SFWG in 2023, the planned way forward for the working group, and the reports that the group will submit during 2023.
The members discussed gaps and challenges to mobilizing finance for climate action, as well as best practices and financial instruments that can enable finance for sustainable development goals 2030.
The members also discussed capacity building and technical assistance required to fill the knowledge and skills gaps to attract private capital.
The UAE thanked India for directing the G20 efforts towards promoting joint action on climate finance, as well as international organizations that studied climate financing gaps.
The UAE also stressed on the need to coordinate with the G20 Sherpa Track and other working groups in the finance track, such as the International Financial Architecture (IFA) Working Group, to review the best means of securing climate finance.
On sustainable development goals (SDGs), the UAE emphasized the significance of coordinating and diversifying the exchange of key financing policies related to the achievement of these goals.
The UAE also previewed the country’s efforts in activating the SDGs financing system and the most prominent initiatives and partnerships that have been activated in this regard.
The next SFWG meeting will take place March 21-23 to discuss the progress made on the 2023 work plan.