Source: United Nations (video statements)
How do you generate more investment in sustainable development? Gather business leaders who help to manage trillions of dollars. Right now, they are engaged in discussions with officials from the United Nations and others concerned with achieving progress for people and the planet. UN expert Krishnan Sharma explains the business forum now underway at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Briefing by Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.
Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari today (30 Jun) told the Security Council that “the level of suffering and brutality in Gaza is unbearable,” and “the continued collective punishment of the Palestinian people is unjustifiable.”
Khiari expressed deep concern at “Israeli military operations in Gaza that render large areas of Gaza uninhabitable,” and rejected “the forced displacement of the Palestinian population from any part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which would constitute a breach of international law obligations.”
He mourned the United Nations personnel killed in Gaza and “strongly” condemned “the killing of all health and humanitarian personnel and journalists.”
Khiari also condemned “the loss of lives and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza” and called for “an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.”
He stressed that the United Nations “will not participate in any aid delivery modality that does not comply with the fundamental humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence, and neutrality.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the Launch of the Sevilla Platform for Action – 4th International Conference on Financing for Development FFD4 (Sevilla, Spain).
"Mr. President of the Government of Spain, dear Pedro Sánchez,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for joining this launch of the Sevilla Platform for Action.
Respected President of the Government of Spain — I commend you and your government for your vision and leadership as hosts of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development.
We are all here to respond to a global development crisis that threatens people and planet alike.
Our roadmap to a better future — the Sustainable Development Goals — is in danger.
Two-thirds of the targets are not progressing fast enough — or at all.
Solutions depend on financing.
Developing countries need over $4 trillion a year to deliver on the 2030 Agenda.
But they are being battered by limited fiscal space, slowing growth, crushing debt burdens and growing systemic risks.
The Sevilla Commitment document represents a bold plan to get the engine of development revving again:
Through new domestic and global commitments that can channel public and private finance to the areas of greatest need…
By overhauling the world’s approach to debt to make borrowing work in service of sustainable development…
And by reforming the global financial architecture to reflect today’s realities and the urgent needs of developing countries.
But we need all hands on deck.
And that’s why the Sevilla Platform for Action is so critical — and so significant.
In the midst of a world of division, conflict and economic uncertainty, this Platform contains more than 130 specific initiatives that demonstrate what we can achieve by working together.
Governments, private sector partners, international institutions, and civil society groups all together are teaming up to launch high-impact initiatives to bring the Sevilla Commitment to life.
This includes a global hub for debt swaps at the World Bank as part of a broader facility aimed at relieving liquidity constraints and lowering the cost of borrowing.
A debt pause alliance to help countries in times of crisis.
A global coalition to scale-up pre-arranged finance that can be readily deployed when disasters strike.
A blended finance platform to bring public and private finance together in a new and expanded way.
A new tool for Multilateral Development Banks to manage currency risks.
And a commission to explore the future of development cooperation.
In December, I appointed a group of experts on debt who today are announcing 11 immediately actionable proposals to help resolve the debt crisis.
This includes the commitment to establish a borrowers forum for countries to learn from one another and coordinate their approaches in debt management and restructuring.
I look forward to working closely with Member States — including the G20 — to bring this forum to life, to empower borrower countries, and create a fairer system.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
The Sevilla Platform for Action offers an ambitious, action-oriented response to the global financing challenge.
It provides a springboard toward a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world for all countries.
And above all, it proves that progress and change are possible if we work together.
I hope the Platform inspires countries to work as one to tackle other challenges facing our world today.
Once again, I thank Prime Minister Sánchez and all of you for your leadership.
Thank you".
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The LCM Dialogue Series was designed to highlight Member States’ experience and showcase innovative capacity-building approaches and success stories in preparing and deploying uniformed personnel to UN peace operations. By promoting the exchange of lessons learned and best practices among troop- and police-contributing countries and capacity-building providers, this initiative aims to strengthen the preparedness and operational effectiveness of UN peacekeepers.
The Light Coordination Mechanism (LCM) is a shared service of the Division of Policy, Evaluation and Training (DPET) managed by the Integrated Training Service (ITS) in the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO). The LCM facilitates partnerships between Member States and capacity-building providers to help deploy well-trained and well-equipped military and police personnel to peace operations. Areas of cooperation include training, equipment, infrastructure, logistics, technical support and knowledge management.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Opening remarks by Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President of the Government of the Kingdom of Spain, and President of the Conference, at the Opening of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development FFD4 (Sevilla, Spain).
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"It is time to take a step forward and not only reaffirm our commitment but redouble it. We must improve debt sustainability, ensure fiscal justice, and fulfill our commitments to international cooperation," said Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Opening remarks by Felipe VI, King of the Kingdom of Spain, a the Opening of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development FFD4 in Sevilla, Spain.
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King of Spain H.M. Don Felipe VI, also made remarks at the opening of the Conference.
The King said,“Despite the difficulties, we must continue on the long path of multilateral diplomacy, not because we believe that that is always the most direct or swiftest path, or because we refuse to see its clear shortcomings, but rather because we know where other paths have led.”
Source: United Nations (video statements)
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development adopted the Compromiso de Sevilla as well as a Platform for Action laying the foundation for a renewed global framework to close the $4 trillion financing gap for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), address the debt crises, and make the international financial system fairer and more transparent.
#ffd4 #sustainabledevelopment
Source: United Nations (video statements)
One Day, I Will is an ongoing series by photographer Vincent Tremeau, capturing children in crisis-affected settings as they dress up as who they want to become in the future.
In 2025, one year after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Japan’s Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day, Vincent brought the project to local schools, inviting children to share their dreams, fears, and hopes in the wake of disaster.
These portraits and testimonies are more than dress-up — they reveal resilience, imagination, and the enduring strength of children who continue to dream, despite difficult circumstances. Each of them reminds us: hope can grow even from the most challenging places. “One Day I Will” is one of the exhibits in the UN Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai.
The project was made available by OCHA (UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) with support from KUMON, a global after-school math and reading programme.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Secretary-General/Conference on Financing for Development
Deputy Secretary-General/FfD4
Gender Equality
Gaza
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Security Council
An Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
Syria
Ukraine
Sudan
DRC/Rwanda
Afghanistan Refugees
International Days
Financial Contribution
UNGA80
Programming Note
SECRETARY-GENERAL/CONFERENCE ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT
The Secretary-General is in Sevilla, Spain, where he is attending the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development. This morning, at the opening of the Conference, he said that financing is the engine of development, and right now, this engine is sputtering.
“As we meet,” the Secretary-General pointed out, “the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, our global promise to transform our world for a better, fairer future, is in danger. He stressed that the conference is not about charity, it’s about restoring justice and lives of dignity.”
The Secretary-General also added that the conference is not about money, it’s about investing in the future we want to build, together.
In the afternoon, at the launch of the Sevilla Platform for Action, the Secretary-General highlighted that the Platform offers an ambitious, action-oriented response to the global financing challenge.
Soon after, at the opening of the International Business Forum, the Secretary-General underscored that by uniting public and private sector leaders, regulators and development banks, we can ensure that the conference is not an end, but rather a beginning.
The Secretary-General also addressed that media in a joint press encounter with the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez. He stressed that with the adoption of the Sevilla Commitment document, countries are proving their dedication to getting the engine of development revving again.
Today, the Secretary-General also held a bilateral meeting with the President of the Government of Spain, and yesterday, he met His Majesty Don Felipe VI, King of Spain, He is also having a number of bilateral meetings with other delegation leaders who will be at the conference. We will share readouts of some of those meetings shortly.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/FFD4
Ms. Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General, joined the Secretary-General for the opening ceremony of the conference and his meeting with the President of the Government of Spain.
Later, she delivered remarks at side events focused on closing the SDG financing gap, including on the role of public-private cooperation, the centrality of gender equality in sustainable finance, and the leadership of African women in advancing the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.
She also held bilateral meetings with senior government officials and Heads of Government attending the conference.
GENDER EQUALITY
At the Fourth International Financing for Development conference in Spain, the adoption of the Compromiso de Sevilla reaffirmed the global commitment to inclusive sustainable development. However, UN Women is warning that chronic underfunding and unfair financial systems are hindering gender equality progress.
Developing countries are falling short by an estimated $420 billion a year in the funding needed to achieve gender equality under the Sustainable Development Goals.
UN Women is urging world leaders to match political commitments with the sustained, transparent, and accountable financing needed to deliver on promises to half the world’s population.
Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=30%20June%202025
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Comments to the media by Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations, on Damascus Church bombing.
