What are the main objectives of this new edition of the Paris Peace Forum?
Anne de Soucy: The Paris Peace Forum was conceived as a new space for dialogue, making it possible to tackle and debate new avenues for reinventing multilateralism.
This, the fourth edition of the Paris Peace Forum will be devoted to the challenges of better global governance after Covid-19; a theme then broken down into eight priority sub-themes, some of which are at the heart of AFD Group's action, such as governance and the importance of sustainable economic recovery, protection of the climate and biodiversity, and gender equality.
In this context, what specific role should AFD play?
The Paris Peace Forum aims to be a platform for dialogue and coordination open to all actors to engage in new collective action to respond to global problems. AFD Group participates in the PPF as a public player in the financing of sustainable solutions built in close consultation with our international and local partners.
AFD will intervene in its capacity both as a national actor, but also as a member of the IDFC, the global network of development banks – which AFD CEO Rémy Rioux chairs. It is also an initiator of the Finance en commun movement. These two powerful alliances can make it possible for the first time to federate at the international level a new coalition of actors: that of public development banks. Our messages are therefore collectively conveyed by the stakeholders in these coalitions, which gives them even greater legitimacy.
Paris now hosts many international organizations committed to sustainable development. What can France do to further encourage this movement?
The presence in Paris, but also more widely in France, of a number of international organizations is a very important asset, promoting networking and the development of collective approaches between these actors and beyond.
Paris also brings together many skills to strengthen knowledge on sustainable development - something called "sustainable science." It also highlights financial initiatives that should help prepare for the advent of "sustainable finance": the task Force on Nature Financial Disclosure now has a hub to link private and public finance. In addition, the secretariat of the Network for Greening the Financial System, which brings together 83 central banks, is also located in Paris.
AFD Group therefore wishes to promote, alongside the French government, the strengthening of this dynamic in the continuity of our already very solid partnership with organizations present in France such as the OECD, UNESCO, OIF , ICC, AIE, PME and others.
