A “critical” component of realising the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 will be upgrading urban slums, which house a billion people across the global south, according to a report by the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG). This won’t come cheap, the report warned, noting that US$6 trillion in impact-led investment will be required. Improving the places people live can have multiple benefits for public health, education and economic opportunities, contributing to a number of SDGs, GSG said. ‘Informal Settlements: No Longer Visible’ outlined how private capital structures and cooperation between investors, government bodies and other stakeholder groups is needed to draw in impact investment. Sir Ronald Cohen, the GSG’s Chair, said: “By shining a light on informal settlements, our aim is to spur the creation of financial vehicles and solutions that both help to address many of the complex issues slum-dwellers face, while offering purpose-driven investors the opportunity to deliver impact at scale and meet their financial return objectives.”
