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Mobilize to amplify action
AFD Group positions itself as a three-dimensional platform for financial mobilization, citizen- and partner-based mobilization, and know-how and expertise. Building coalitions and stakeholder communities around these factors reinforces and expands the reach of our action.
Three-dimensional mobilization
Mobilizing financing for the SDGs
Aligning the financial system to the sustainable development agenda involves steering it towards common goods and allocating a more secure and automatic share of investments to the most vulnerable countries and people. AFD Group will do so by increasing the funding it shares with partners, be those regional banks, multilateral institutions, or other development stakeholders, in order to amplify resources and improve project coordination.
We also work with Team Europe to align our funding with that of our European partners. Member States work with JEFIC networks, the Practitioners’ Network and EDFI to build a joint financial offer.
Proparco: mobilizing private investment for the SDGs
Proparco, a subsidiary of AFD Group, plays a key role in directing private investment towards the SDGs using an active mobilization strategy based on three levers:
- the sharing of risk with public and multilateral stakeholders to make projects more attractive to private investors,
- positioning as a well-known investor in its high-priority sectors and geographical areas,
- the development of innovative financial products that are compatible with the investment frameworks of private stakeholders and the development goals.
More broadly, AFD Group mobilizes the useful know-how of French companies working in high-priority areas identified by the Interministerial Committee for International Cooperation and Development (CICID): sustainable cities, health, agriculture, transport, digital technology, energy transition, and cultural and creative industries. AFD Group also takes part in the committees run by the French Directorate-General of the Treasury to help establish the thematic, sectoral, and geographical priorities on which international support tools should focus. This enhances AFD Group’s ability to mobilize French expertise to achieve the SDGs. We also support their development on a global scale via Global Gateway financing.
A global financial strategy for sustainable development
- We reinforce the strategic use of our financial tools to eliminate obstacles to development initiatives and promote the inclusion of climate-related risks in finance.
- We work to increase the domestic resources of partner countries: we encourage the development of local savings, improved fiscal capacities, and the strengthening of public development banks.
- We extend our financial partnerships to foundations, sovereign wealth funds and investment funds to involve as many stakeholders as possible in sustainable and resilient projects.
Mobilizing citizens
AFD Group has set itself a goal to scale up its actions in support of the SDGs: to reach one in two young people through its initiatives. In conjunction with French civil society, AFD Group implements its mandate of education for citizenship and international solidarity and offer educational tools and training for managers and teachers about the SDGs. AFD Group also maintains the “awareness-engagement continuum” via Tilt! and its partnership with France Volontaires.
Creating partnerships with civil society
Civil society organizations (CSOs) and AFD Group work together to develop joint mobilization actions at the national and international level on themes such as gender, climate, biodiversity, innovation, and education.
AFD Group is increasing support for international and local French CSOs while helping them to scale up. This support has multiplied fivefold in 15 years to €2.5 billion. It funds over 2,000 projects and is of direct benefit to 480 French CSOs and more than 8,000 local stakeholders.
This partnership has added new vigor to the French nonprofit environment by boosting jobs, resources, and civic engagement. In 2022 AFD Group launched an annual call for expressions of intent to facilitate direct access to funding for local CSOs, to whom €444 million were allocated in 2023.
Supporting CSOs in the French Overseas Territories
A regional cooperation program for CSOs in the French Overseas Territories was launched in early 2024. A two-year pilot phase is under way in five territories (La Réunion, Mayotte, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana). This program identifies and supports local partners that are currently unable to make requests through AFD Group’s CSO Initiative. It aims to support regional action on locally challenging themes like adapting to climate change, inequalities, disaster prevention, and social entrepreneurship.
Mobilizing local authorities and public institutions
In France and abroad, civic mobilization can take the form of heightened dialogue with public decision-makers and the institutional ecosystem, including via Expertise France. Likewise, AFD Group supports French regional authorities in their actions in other countries. Regional stakeholders that drive the international solidarity agenda at the local level and involve citizens in the process qualify for this support.
Mobilizing expertise and knowledge
AFD Group pools together and enhances knowledge for even more effective action. We are increasingly attentive to local know-how and its dissemination. We maintain an ongoing dialogue with research institutions and think tanks in all countries.
At the interface between the academic world and decision-makers, AFD Group will build on research and assessments to inform public policies, heighten their impact in different regions, and contribute to sustainable transformation.
