February 2025: Financing for Development through Human-Centred Approaches

Given the shifting winds of the political economy, there is a central need to emphasize human-centred supply chains and the role of finance in delivering peace and human rights. Modern slavery impacts an estimated 50 million people worldwide and generates approximately USD 236 billion annually in illegal profits. Financial institutions, whether directly or indirectly, are connected to modern slavery and human trafficking through their operations, business relationships, and often opaque supply chains. Despite global frameworks to combat this exploitation, the financial sector continues to face challenges in preventing and facilitating these illicit activities. Yet, the financial sector can and already does play a pivotal role in addressing these issues through innovative mechanisms that drive systemic change. ESG metrics and Human Rights Due Diligence frameworks increasingly shape investment decisions, offering a pivotal platform for embedding human rights and peace-related outcomes into sustainable finance instruments.  Debt instruments, including  thematic bonds, hold potential to channel resources into combating modern slavery and human trafficking. These tools can drive systemic change by setting precedent, fostering accountability, transparency, and targeted interventions in critical industries. 

Tenke Zoltani will be speaking on a panel as part of the Financing for Development agenda, as part of her role as Advisor to UNDP, in New York in February. For more info or to attend, see the link