Introductory Remarks
Masood Ahmed, President, Center for Global Development
Featuring
Remy Rioux, Chairman, International Development Finance Club and Chief Executive Officer, Agence Française de Développement
Paul Lamontagne, Managing Director, FinDev Canada
Moderator
Elizabeth Littlefield, former Chief Executive Officer, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Given the changing global landscape, development finance – rather than aid – is poised to be the future of development.
The spotlight is increasingly on Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) to be catalysts in mobilizing needed financing. At a time when their record on development finance mobilization and development impact is still debated, they are nevertheless being asked to play a critical role in helping to fill huge financing gaps associated with meeting the SDGs. Several countries have established new DFIs and others are considering expanding DFI operations.
The Center for Global Development (CGD), the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) will host a discussion on the future of DFIs.
The discussion will explore:
- What are the DFIs’ purpose, distinctive role, and value-added in development?
- What role is there for DFIs to support policy development, regulatory frameworks, and long-term planning?
- How can DFIs effectively balance development impact and investment sustainability and profitability?
- How can DFIs change their business models to increase and improve mobilization of private finance?
