Summit Dialogue S2, Ep 2: Kharas on the UNGA78 summits and the two reports on MDB reform by the IEG

It is with great pleasure that I welcome back to the Virtual Studio, Homi Kharas. In September during the High-Level Week at the UN General Assembly heads of state and government gathered at the invitation of the Secretary General to examine at the halfway point the progress made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I wanted to get Homi’s views of the progress he saw in achieving the 17 goals of Agenda 2030. I also wanted to get Homi’s view of the two reports – ‘The Triple Agenda’ - of the Independent Expert Group (IEG) convened during the G20 India Presidency. The two volumes focused on the enhancement of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and their focus on global development and the green transition. Homi was, in fact, the lead author for both volumes of the ‘Triple Agenda’. Homi is a senior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development, housed in the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings. In that capacity, he studies policies and trends influencing developing countries, including aid to poor countries, the emergence of the middle class, and global governance and the G20. His most recent co-authored/edited books are: “The Rise of the Middle Class: How the Search for the Good Life Can Change the World” (2023), “Breakthrough: The Promise of Frontier Technologies for Sustainable Development” edited with John McArthur and Izumi Ohno (2022) and “Leave No One Behind: From Summits to Solutions: Time for Specifics on the Sustainable Development Goals" edited with John McArthur and Izumi Ohno (2019).