Social Development Funding Desiderata: Key Issues, Financing Gaps and Options

Alain Neher; Alfred Wong; Peter Adjei-Bamfo; Roman Meinhold; Justice N. Bawole; Manohar Pawar

doi:10.1177/25166026251345296

Social Development Funding Desiderata: Key Issues, Financing Gaps and Options

Alain Neher^*
, Alfred Wong
, Peter Adjei-Bamfo
, Roman Meinhold
, Justice N. Bawole
, Manohar Pawar

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article examines critical issues, funding desiderata and strategic policy options for financing social development to fulfil the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite global commitments, financing remains insufficient and continues to focus on particular SDGs, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating disparities. Drawing on recent data, including the 2024 UN Financing for Sustainable Development Report, and contemporary literature, the study reveals that progress is notably diverging from targets. It explores SDG financing strategies, including socially responsible investments, and suggests reforms to fiscal policy and global financial governance. Financing, particularly in the Global South, underscores systemic weaknesses in the international social development financing architecture. The study calls for institutional capacity building and cooperative, equitable and culturally sensitive and solidaristic financing strategies at the global and national levels to expedite social development.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	263-283
Number of pages	21
Journal	International Journal of Community and Social Development
Volume	7
Issue number	2 The Second World Summit for Social Development, 2025: Addre...
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/25166026251345296
State	Published - Jun 2025
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

Keywords

Financing for social development
Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development
Sustainable Development Goals
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
social sustainability
socially responsible investment
sustainability financing
the Second Summit for Social Development

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Development
Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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Cite this

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title = "Social Development Funding Desiderata: Key Issues, Financing Gaps and Options",

abstract = "This article examines critical issues, funding desiderata and strategic policy options for financing social development to fulfil the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite global commitments, financing remains insufficient and continues to focus on particular SDGs, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating disparities. Drawing on recent data, including the 2024 UN Financing for Sustainable Development Report, and contemporary literature, the study reveals that progress is notably diverging from targets. It explores SDG financing strategies, including socially responsible investments, and suggests reforms to fiscal policy and global financial governance. Financing, particularly in the Global South, underscores systemic weaknesses in the international social development financing architecture. The study calls for institutional capacity building and cooperative, equitable and culturally sensitive and solidaristic financing strategies at the global and national levels to expedite social development.",

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note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).",

year = "2025",

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doi = "10.1177/25166026251345296",

language = "English",

volume = "7",

pages = "263--283",

journal = "International Journal of Community and Social Development",

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AU - Adjei-Bamfo, Peter

AU - Meinhold, Roman

AU - Bawole, Justice N.

AU - Pawar, Manohar

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

PY - 2025/6

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AB - This article examines critical issues, funding desiderata and strategic policy options for financing social development to fulfil the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite global commitments, financing remains insufficient and continues to focus on particular SDGs, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating disparities. Drawing on recent data, including the 2024 UN Financing for Sustainable Development Report, and contemporary literature, the study reveals that progress is notably diverging from targets. It explores SDG financing strategies, including socially responsible investments, and suggests reforms to fiscal policy and global financial governance. Financing, particularly in the Global South, underscores systemic weaknesses in the international social development financing architecture. The study calls for institutional capacity building and cooperative, equitable and culturally sensitive and solidaristic financing strategies at the global and national levels to expedite social development.

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KW - Sustainable Development Goals

KW - United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

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KW - socially responsible investment

KW - sustainability financing

KW - the Second Summit for Social Development

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ER -

Social Development Funding Desiderata: Key Issues, Financing Gaps and Options

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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