The Paris Dialogue partner institutions are committed to strengthening cooperation, information exchange and joint initiatives around three main themes: (i) financing sustainable development, (ii) education and culture for environmental and digital transitions, and (iii) the link between science, innovation and entrepreneurship. A cross-cutting theme also concerns the attractiveness of Paris for international organisations.
Paris represents a laboratory of concrete and innovative solutions for sustainable development, supported by collective intelligence and openness to new partners. The approach is inclusive, valuing the younger generation and those involved in development, and making Paris a focal point for co-constructing these solutions. The Paris Dialogue is also intended to serve as a platform for bringing together public authorities, the private sector and the scientific community in the context of sustainable development.
The round table discussions held on 11 November 2024, during the Paris Peace Forum, highlighted the contributions made by Dialogue members to the preparatory process for the FfD4 conference in Seville. These contributions included a review of ten years of the Addis Ababa Action Programme (by the OECD), reflections on the financing of education and culture (by UNESCO), and a note on the role of public banks in the overhaul of the global framework for financing sustainable development (by AFD and Finance in Common).
These contributions, enriched by the round table discussions, will be used to draw up a joint position paper highlighting Paris’ priority for the Seville conference in 2025.
“The costs of not investing in education are colossal. A recent study by UNESCO, the OECD and the Commonwealth reveals that governments stand to lose US$3.3 trillion a year in potential revenue due to a lack of basic skills among children. This is equivalent to the annual GDP of France or the UK,’ said Stefania Giannini, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education. ‘The good news is that we are now seeing political momentum to strengthen education financing: the Fortaleza Declaration, adopted by more than 50 ministers at the 2024 Global Education Meeting in Brazil, calls for inclusion, equity and sustainable investment in education. This requires a whole-of-government approach, moving from a mindset of competing priorities to one of complementary priorities, because education is a solution to many of the greatest challenges facing the world today. The involvement of finance ministers is essential-that's why UNESCO is exploring the creation of a coalition of finance ministers and education financing advocates,’ she added.
“The financing gap for the SDGs continues to widen, and is now estimated at between $2.5 trillion and $4 trillion. Next year's Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) will be the only opportunity this decade to unify global efforts to close this gap. All the Paris Dialogue institutions are contributing to the process and will engage in the negotiations on the basis of their respective strengths. As far as the OECD is concerned, because negotiators need clear data and indicators - particularly in today's complex geopolitical landscape - we are already providing them with comprehensive fact sheets on the seven areas of action in the Conference Programme of Action, which are freely available on the FfD4 website”, said Mary Beth Goodman, Deputy Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
“With this work program, the Paris Dialogue proposes a unified framework for development and climate finance while advocating for more ambition to finance SDGs at scale and speed. Public development banks are central to this shift, and the upcoming Finance in Common Summit in February 2025, alongside the first G20 Finance ministers and Central Bank governors’ meeting in South Africa, will provide a unique opportunity to advance the dialogue on creating a more effective and inclusive financial architecture, in the lead-up to the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville in the summer of 2025”, said Rémy Rioux, Chief Executive Officer of AFD Group.
The Paris Dialogue
The Paris Dialogue platform is a joint initiative of UNESCO, OECD and AFD, actively supported by the CEB, CCI, AIE, OIF, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the City of Paris. It is based on the commitment of Paris's major international institutions to strengthen their cooperation in developing ideas and actions in favor of science, global public goods and sustainable development. The common goal is to make Paris an international laboratory for sustainable solutions.
This ambition was formalized in a tribune co-signed by the leaders of the seven organizations ahead of the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact, held in Paris on June 22 and 23, 2023. On this occasion, the Paris Dialogue platform was inaugurated, and a guest book, symbolizing the agreement between the partners, was signed.
A key moment took place at the Paris Peace Forum (PPF) in November 2023, with the presentation of the Paris Dialogue roadmap, defining the vision, objectives and main lines of work. Following on from this, a workshop was held on September 16, 2024, at the OECD to specify the deliverables for each priority theme of the Dialogue, such as a cycle of conferences, meetings between experts, and publications, as well as to define the platform's identity with the presentation of its logo.
PARIS DIALOGUE
2024-2025 WORK PROGRAMME
On the occasion of the 2024 Paris Dialogue’s annual round table at the 7th edition of the Paris Peace Forum, the founding institutions presented the work program of the Paris Dialogue. The program highlights the stakeholders' commitment to positioning Paris as a laboratory for tangible, innovative, and shared sustainable development solutions, drawing inspiration from collective intelligence and contributions from new partners. The aim is to enrich the Paris Dialogue agenda progressively, with an inclusive approach that involves the younger generation and all development actors, making Paris a convergence point for co-creating these solutions. The Dialogue and its deliverables will also act as an interface, primarily between the public and private sectors for sustainable development, and also between the scientific community and public policy.
The work program considers the following specific features of Paris-based organizations:
● A strong focus on research and data;
● A commitment to sustainability and the social dimensions of development;
● Special attention to the local level, with main partners playing a leading role in bringing local communities to the forefront of sustainable development.
These deliverables/actions will take the following forms:
● A series of conferences under the Paris Dialogue label, to make the work of Paris-based international organizations and their data accessible to a non-expert audience, and to benefit students and researchers, in collaboration with the academic world;
● Regular expert meetings to share information informally and discuss ongoing work, and to specify joint advocacy actions;
● Joint publications to disseminate knowledge on advancements in priority themes and foster and develop collaborative relationships among partners.
In doing so, the Paris Dialogue aims to stimulate the innovative capacity of all actors by encouraging its members to experiment with new ways of promoting sustainable development.
Actions
Priority Theme No. 1:
Sustainable development financing and aligning finance with the SDGs
• Joint statement in preparation for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in June 2025 in Seville, based on analyses presented in the OECD's 2024 report on Multilateral Development Financing, UNESCO's reflections on financing education and culture, and the work and publications of AFD and the Finance in Common (FiCS) network;
• Conference "AFD Group: 10 Years of Sustainable Bonds," on November 18, 2024, 3:15-6:30 p.m. at AFD (Organizer: AFD, with ICC participation);
• Launch of IEA’s report for G20 « Clean Energy Investment Roadmap » during COP29 (on November 13th in Baku) and organization of a thematic session on the roadmap to Finance in Common Summit in Cape Town in February 2025 (Organizer: IEA);
• Seminar "Paris, a Laboratory for Sustainable Development Solutions" (working title), on January 21, 2025, at ENS (Organizer: Grand Continent, with participation from the founding institutions of the Paris Dialogue);
• Event (in development) related to the Youth and Leader Summit of January 2025 and the Sovereign Debt Chair (Organizer: OECD, with contributions from the Paris Club, PSE, Sciences Po);
• Event around the launch of the OECD’s Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development and preparations for the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, the week of February 3, 2025 at the OECD (Organizer: OECD);
• Expert meeting on international trade finance to identify opportunities for collaboration between partners on the adoption of ICC’s principles for sustainable trade finance and identify innovative approaches to aligning regulatory incentives in the financial system with global climate goals (Organizer: ICC).
• Publication on Twenty Years of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness Development in the Education Sector – An Assessment (UNESCO IIEP, in partnership with the AFD).
Priority Theme No. 2:
Education and culture for digital and environmental transitions
This work axis will focus on sharing best practices for impact measurement through shared indicators and data, training, and capacity development for green and digital transitions and creative industries, public-private collaboration, and implementing joint advocacy. There is shared interest in technical and vocational education and training.
• Workshop on alignment and aid effectiveness in the education sector on December 2, 2024 (Organizer: AFD);
• Expert meeting on climate change education, particularly its impact on social norms and behaviors across the educational community (Organizer: AFD);
• Expert meeting on cooperation in the cultural and creative industries sector (Organizers: OECD and Cité Internationale des Arts).
Priority Theme No. 3:
Science-innovation-entrepreneurship nexus
• Summit on AI and Energy, 4-5 December 2024, Paris (Organizer: AIE)
• Thematic event as part of the Action Summit on Artificial Intelligence in February 2025 (Organizers: OECD and UNESCO) (under consideration);
• Brainstorming to initiate a paradigm shift in best practices between science-technology-innovations for environmental transformation, around a dialogue bringing together businesses, financial institutions and researchers, under the aegis of public and international institutions. This meeting on the themes of technological innovation and AI will be conducted as part of an ENS pilot program (Organizers: ENS and ICC) (under consideration).
Cross-cutting Theme:
Attractiveness of Paris for international organizations
• "Île-de-France Attractiveness" evening in early December 2024, on the occasion of the presentation of the welcome guide for international organizations (IOs) and the study on the economic impact of IOs in Île-de-France (Organizer: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs) (under consideration);
• Launch of a working group to gather feedback from Paris-based international organizations and establish a regular dialogue to improve host country benefits (in collaboration with MEAE and the Club of International Organizations of Île-de-France);
• Creation of a shared calendar and service platform for events and official visits in Paris, 1st half of 2025 (under consideration).
