International Financing of Development and Global Public Goods: Exploring Possible Metrics

Thomas MELONIO * Executive Director of Innovation, Strategy and Research, AFD (Agence française de développement). Contact : meloniot@afd.fr.

Jean-David NAUDET ** Senior Economist, AFD. Contact: naudetjd@afd.fr.

The globalization of sustainable development challenges (health crises, climate change, etc.) has not yet been followed by an equivalent push in terms of metrics, statistical accounting, and the promotion of incentives for governments to deliver their best possible contribution in terms of international cooperation. While the framework of public development aid has made it possible to compare the solidarity efforts of OECD countries, it no longer provides a sufficiently accurate picture of the funding devoted to global public goods. This article analyzes existing statistical frameworks and looks at various possibilities for better reflecting and structuring international financing for climate and, more generally, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Global public goods, global challenges and sustainable development goals: definition and selection issuesGlobal public goods (GPGs) have specific characteristics in terms of non-rivalry, non-exclusion and geographical space: consumption of these goods by one individual does not reduce the quantity available to others, no one can be excluded from consuming these goods, and they are not specific to a single country, but rather extend across borders. Although there is no clear distinction between GPGs and global challenges1, it seems accepted that global challenges cover a broader scope than GPGs2. Global challenges are major problems faced by many countries, the resolution of which may or may not involve benefits and costs beyond the borders of any given country implementing measures to meet the challenge. Widespread access to electricity…