Methodology

Learn how UNDP supports governments and the private sector in developing SDG Investor Maps offering investment opportunities with the potential to contribute positively to sustainable development.

SDG Investor Maps

The SDG Investor Map is a market intelligence product produced by UNDP Country Offices and partners to provide the backbone of originating an investment journey. The maps identify investment opportunities and business models with significant potential to advance the SDGs. The aim of the SDG Investor Map is to provide investors with actionable data and insights, enabling them to use their capital for good while making a financial profit and policy makers with information on barriers in enabling environment to attract investment and align financing strategies. This initiative helps to fill the SDG-financing gap by directing private capital to where it can most make a difference for people and the planet.

Detailed Steps:
  1. Define the National Priority Starting Point: Identify the national economic, environmental, and social development priorities.
  2. Identify Critical Subsectors to Focus On: Determine the most critical subsectors within the identified national priorities.
  3. Identify Priority Subregions to Focus On: Pinpoint the subregions that are most aligned with the identified subsectors via national stakeholder and investor workshops.
  4. Derive Specific Investment Opportunity Areas: Develop specific Investment Opportunity Areas based on the synthesised information from the previous steps.

Methodology Overview

Our methodology involves a rigorous eight-step process that combines in-depth desk research with focused in-country public and private sector consultations. This iterative process identifies and validates overlaps between development needs and policy priorities, develops and tests potential business models to address the most urgent needs, and establishes comprehensive data points spanning business and impact considerations.

The 8-Step Methodology:
  1. Collect Information: Gather data on national sustainable development needs and policy priorities.
  2. Synthesize Needs and Policies: Convert this information into a set of national priority sectors.
  3. Sectoral Data Collection: For each sector, collect information on sectoral SDG needs and investment policies.
  4. Identify Priority Subsectors: Synthesize needs and policies into a set of priority subsectors.
  5. Identify Priority Subregions: Determine the subregions most aligned with each subsector.
  6. Synthesize Subregional Information: Convert information into a set of priority subregions.
  7. Identify Potential Business Models: Find business models that address subsectoral and subregional SDG needs while capitalizing on policy and investment momentum.
  8. Provide Supporting Information: For each business model, add a range of supporting information to help investors perform due diligence and shape impactful deals.