In Benin, close to a million schoolchildren will have access to food via school canteens by the end of 2022, funded by the proceeds of the Benin Social Development Goal (SDG) Eurobond. Benin’s SDG bond is a sustainability bond, one of the types of thematic bonds that earmark proceeds for projects and activities with positive environmental and social returns sought by investors. UNCTAD estimates that emerging markets and developing countries need trillions of dollars to meet net-zero targets while continuing to grow and prosper. The USD 3.5 trillion thematic bond market (as of September 2022), which was initiated by the World Bank’s first labeled green bond in 2008, demonstrates a significant opportunity to mobilize private sector capital from the capital markets – and emerging markets are increasingly tapping this market. […]