The Guardian: ‘We can be the first generation that ends poverty’
Ban Ki-moon, U.N. secretary general

“…Building a sustainable world requires more than fine words, it needs finance. … The Addis Ababa conference can be the starting point for a new era of cooperation and global partnership. … With the right investments and policies, we can be the first generation that ends poverty and the last that avoids the worst effects of climate change. The Addis Ababa conference on Financing for Development can mobilize the means for funding what people want most — better health, quality education, decent jobs, good roads, and a cleaner, greener world. It can secure concrete commitments on issues such as finance, trade, debt, technology, and innovation for the next generation…” (7/10).

The Lancet: The Global Financing Facility: country investments for every woman, adolescent, and child
Hailemariam Desalegn, prime minister of Ethiopia; Erna Solberg, prime minister of Norway; and Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group

“…The promise of this conference is in both finding new resources for development and doing development differently. We are setting a course of bold action for sustainable results to achieve a world in which every woman, child, and adolescent thrives and realizes her full potential. The launch of the Global Financing Facility (GFF) at the conference in Addis Ababa will be an essential pillar to support this goal. … Ending preventable maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent deaths by 2030, however, is a trillion-dollar financing challenge. Together with other financing partnerships, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the GFF will help us take this next quantum leap from billions to trillions with a smart, scaled, and sustainable approach to financing…” (7/11).

Huffington Post: Will Development Financing Finally Level the Playing Field for Women and Girls?
Françoise Girard, president of the International Women’s Health Coalition

“…The SDGs represent major milestones for women and girls, but they will mean little without money behind them. … In order to ensure that the global community can achieve the SDGs, the Addis conference will need to tackle head-on some of the critical economic and financial barriers to development. As it currently stands, the draft agreement falls short. … Investing in women and girls is not only the right thing to do but the key to solving global poverty. … The SDGs offer a historic opportunity to bring about transformative change for women and girls. We can achieve the world we want by 2030, but it will require real leadership, real commitment, and real funding. We hope and expect that our governments will step up to the challenge in Addis Ababa” (7/9).