Unlocking International Public Development Finance for IAM

There is a significant need for financing for infrastructure to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Data reveals that merely 15-30 percent of an infrastructure asset's total expenditure is allocated to its construction or acquisition, while a significant 70-85 percent of costs arise post-acquisition. Thus, enhancing the asset's management, resilience, and sustainability, while reducing costs, and bolstering revenue potential can lead to considerable long-term sustainable development benefits. This research aims to foster synergies between UN DESA’s Infrastructure Asset Management initiatives (IAM) and infrastructure asset funders to yield long-term benefits from the robust maintenance of assets throughout their lifecycle, and identify opportunities for UN DESA to collaborate with relevant partners over the next 2-3 years. 

 

This Capstone focuses on infrastructure development assets within the Transportation, Energy, Agriculture, and Water sectors, with a particular emphasis on the involvement of sub-national governments and local communities in Africa and Asia. Through a global mapping of sustainable infrastructure development projects, and curated case studies in Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Nepal, and China, this Capstone finds that UN DESA is well-positioned to contribute to IAM capacity-building and community engagement in infrastructure development initiatives by:

• Coordinating with identified, actionable projects included in the Capstone’s mapping,
• Working with funders to strengthen the consideration of IAM capacity-building and community engagement in funding awards, 
• Supplying UN DESA’s existing knowledge sources to funding awardees to strengthen IAM’s role in sustainable infrastructure development projects that are beginning or in progress. 
• Including the Capstone’s identified lessons learned and replicable good practices in future knowledge resources.