What is on Mahmoud Mohieldin’s mind? If you, like us, remember Dr. Mahmoud with a significant measure of fondness and have wondered what he’s up to in the US, look no further The private sector needs to take on “a broader, more integrated role in the development agenda” in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, World Bank SVP and former Investment Minister Mahmoud Mohieldin writes in Project Syndicate along with Svetlana Klimenko. The goals, which include ending poverty, improving global health, ensuring universal education, and mitigating climate change by 2030, are bound to be costly and governments will not be able to cover the costs entirely. “The private sector can become a financier, shifting [tns of USD] of capital toward developing economies. And it can play an important role as an implementer, translating profits into sustained economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection… This trend toward sustainable investment will undoubtedly accelerate. But, even without the agreement, the appeal of such investments stands: evidence indicates that integration of ESG considerations – when implemented intelligently and measured and reported transparently – could help investments outperform expectations, for both companies and investors,” Mohieldin and Klimenko write.

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