Media Update-2: United Nations Pakistan, 25 Aug 2020

United Nations

MEDIA ADVISORY

UN Secretary-General to spotlight digital finance in COVID-19 recovery, Sustainable Development Goals

EMBARGOED MEDIA PRE-BRIEFING 8.00 AM EDT TUESDAY 25 AUGUST

UN Secretary-General António Guterres will join Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator and Maria Ramos, until recently CEO of ABSA Group, as Co-Chairs of his Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals, to launch a new report People’s Money: Harnessing Digitalization to Finance a Sustainable Future at an event in New York City on 26 August at 10 am EDT.

In advance of the report launch, media are invited to an embargoed pre-briefing at 8.00 am EDT Tuesday 25 August with Task Force Co-Chair and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner and Simon Zadek, Head of the Task Force Secretariat, to highlight key findings.

To RSVP to the briefing, please email Florencia Soto (sotonino@un.org) 

Details on how to connect can be found below

About the Report

The unprecedented social and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the role of digital finance in providing relief for millions around the world, supporting businesses and protecting jobs and livelihoods.

The report, “People’s Money: Harnessing Digitalization to Finance a Sustainable Future”, highlights how billions of people around the world are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic using digital tools to work, spend and socialize. It argues there is an historic opportunity to harness digitalization in placing citizens, the ultimate owners of the world's financial resources, in control of finance to ensure that it meets their needs, today and in the future.

The report identifies key opportunities going forward to use digital finance as a critical building block for sustainable development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Instructions to connect: 

Please copy this link into your Google Chrome browser: 

https://unvc.webex.com/unvc/onstage/g.php?MTID=e2a934687d96c0125dc208ab13a1d8cdf

You may be asked to enter the following info to join the meeting: 

Event number: 129 551 9663 

Event password: emb_briefing

All participants should keep their mics muted when not speaking.  

Who to contact if participants have a problem with the connection?  Participants should send an email to unvc@un.org with reference to the Webex# along with their phone number and a BCSS technician will contact the participant ASAP. 

Media Contacts

For more information or to schedule an interview:

In New York

Dylan Lowthian dylan.lowthian@undp.org +1 646 673 6350

Duygu Celik duygu.celik@uncdf.org +1 646 939 6645

In Geneva

Sarah Bel sarah.bel@undp.org +41 79 934 11 17

About the UN Secretary-General’s Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals

The Task Force was established by the UN Secretary General to recommend and catalyse ways to harness digitalization in accelerating financing of the SDGs. It brings together 17 leaders from across finance, technology, policy, regulation and international development and engaged in dozens of countries with hundreds of financial institutions, governments and regulators, civil society organizations, think tanks and expert groups.

https://digitalfinancingtaskforce.org/

For information contact Duygu Celik @ duygu.celik@uncdf.org +1 646 939 6645