The deadline agreed upon by 196 nations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) to achieve the global sustainability goals is approaching, increasing the need to intensify efforts to implement the transition agendas. The future is being built today as a result of individual and collective actions; therefore, so it is urgent that we find the ways to materialize the vision of development that is compatible with the preservation of the environment, biodiversity, and the reduction of inequalities. We urgently need to work harder and better to achieve all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Considering this critical moment, a race against time has begun to mitigate the effects of climate change and limit global warming to 1.5º C above pre-industrial levels, as defined in the Paris Agreement in 2015. The current Brazilian climate targets, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), establish a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This effort depends on a large amount of resources to decarbonize the economy, with the mobilization of national and international funding opportunities and green economic development plans that can scale up climate action in Brazil.

The global context, characterized by geopolitical disputes with global ramifications and the long-term effects of the Covid-19 crisis, challenges the commitments, capacities, and cooperation created in recent years to achieve the SDGs. Moreover, the progress of this agenda is threatened by serious setbacks in poverty, food security, environmental preservation, and other fundamental goals for achieving a sustainable development model on a global scale.

The obstacles are innumerable, but not insurmountable if we place the sustainability agenda as a top priority and execute adequate and feasible action plans. Equipped with globally agreed missions, such as the 2030 Agenda, that can guide advancements towards a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world, we are on the necessary path to achieve the expected results.

Development missions with transformative potential, such as those proposed in the ABDE 2030 Sustainable Development Plan, create opportunities for joint and coordinated action adapted to the specificities of the transition in the Brazilian case. Once the challenges of defining missions and making connections are overcame, it remains important to pave the way between plans and actions.

In this sense, the National Development Financial System (NFS), comprised of national and subnational, public and cooperative, commercial and development financial institutions, is prepared to be the vector of sustainable impact by strengthening the financing of these development missions. To this end, the NDFS can concretize action plans for development of sustainable cities, include a sustainable perspective in infrastructure projects, promote nature-based solutions and the bioeconomy, and promote diversity and the social inclusion in sustainable economic development models.

It is possible to reinforce promotion and financing models already applied by Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) - by working on their improvement and strengthening, as well as creating sustainable and innovative financing solutions that increase the role of the NDFS to even more effective performance in overcoming social, economic, and environmental asymmetries and promoting priority initiatives of the 2030 Agenda.

In its 8th edition, the Development Forum has consolidated its position as the most important event about financing for sustainable development in Brazil. This year, the Brazilian Development Association (ABDE), through the Forum and a cycle of preparatory events, will reinforce the fundamental role of high-level debate spaces to support the National Development Financial System in the development and implementation of sustainability plans. This way, we will move further along the path of turning missions into actions and accelerating the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

Organized annually by the Brazilian Development Association (ABDE), the Development Forum brings together Brazilian DFIs, federal and subnational governments, international organizations, civil society, and experts, aiming at promoting the dialogue to collective elaborate development agendas to move Brazilian economy and society into the sustainable future. ABDE understands the importance of dialogue to a successful outcome of the initiatives and invites all interested parties to offer their contribution to the debate.

Launched by the Brazilian Development Association, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the ABDE 2030 Sustainable Development Plan indicates a possible path for Brazil to build a more sustainable future and opportunities for all.

The document, which analyzes the fulfillment of the SDGs in the country and maps the performance of the National Development Financial System (NDFS), presents five missions with transformative potential to guide the design of policies that promote the implementation of the goals and targets sets by the UN. The five missions proposed in the Plan are:

1. Digital, smart and inclusive future
2. Ecosystem of innovation in bioeconomy and for the Amazon
3. Engaged agribussiness
4. Infrastracture and sustainable cities
5. Health as a driving force for development

The ABDE 2030 Plan was lauchedduring the 7th edition of the Development Forum, held in 2022, and since then the document has been an instrument for dialogue with strategic agents from Development Financial Institutions (DFIs), the private sector, public authorities, the third sector, and international and multilateral organizations.

The purpose of the 8th edition of the Development Forum and the preparatory cycle of #ForumDebate is to expand and regionalize the debate, along with professionals from the National Development Financial System (NDFS) on the implementation of the missions proposed in the 2030 ABDE Plan and how to strengthen and accelerate the fulfillment of this agenda in the country.