The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development takes place in Sevilla, Spain, from 30 June until 3 July 2025. It address urgent financing challenges threatening the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In her opening speech of the conference, European Commission President von der Leyen stresses the crucial role of the European Union as the leading aid donor in the world.
Read her full speech here: https://europa.eu/!4TkyQq
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Today at 11:30 CET, we will announce the results of our strategy assessment.
At 13:00 CET / 12:00 noon Lisbon time, President Christine Lagarde and Chief Economist Philip R. Lane will answer questions from journalists in a press conference.
Opening remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the Opening of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development FFD4 (Sevilla, Spain).
"Your Majesties,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
I thank the Government and people of Spain for welcoming us to Sevilla for this important conference.
For decades, the mission of sustainable development has united countries large and small, developed and developing.
Together, we achieved progress.
Reducing global poverty and hunger.
Saving lives with stronger health care systems.
Getting more children into school.
Expanding opportunities for women and girls.
And strengthening social safety nets.
But today, development and its great enabler — international cooperation — are facing massive headwinds.
We are living in a world where trust is fraying and multilateralism is strained.
A world with a slowing economy, rising trade tensions, and decimated aid budgets.
A world shaken by inequalities, climate chaos and raging conflicts.
The link between peace and development is clear.
Nine of the ten countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators are currently in a state of conflict.
Excellencies,
Financing is the engine of development.
And right now, this engine is sputtering.
As we meet, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — our global promise to transform our world for a better, fairer future — is in danger.
Two-thirds of the Sustainable Development Goals targets are lagging.
Achieving them requires an investment of more than $4 trillion a year.
But this is not just a crisis of numbers.
It’s a crisis of people.
Of families going hungry.
Of children going unvaccinated.
Of girls forced to drop out of school.
We are here in Sevilla to change course.
To repair and rev up the engine of development to accelerate investment at the scale and speed required.
And to restore a measure of fairness and justice for all.
Excellencies,
The Sevilla Commitment document is a global promise to fix how the world supports countries as they climb the development ladder.
I see three areas of action.
First — we must get resources flowing. Fast.
Countries must lead by mobilizing domestic resources and investing in areas of greatest impact: schools, health care, social protection, decent work, and renewable energy.
Unlocking these investments requires strengthening tax systems, and tackling illicit financial flows and tax evasion.
And helping developing countries dedicate a greater share of their tax revenues to the systems people need.
The Sevilla Commitment’s call on developed countries to double their aid dedicated to domestic resource mobilization can support this.
Multilateral and national development banks must unite to finance major investments.
This includes tripling the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks — and rechanneling Special Drawing Rights that can unlock lending capacity and help developing countries boost investment.
We also need innovative financing solutions to unlock private capital.
Solutions that mitigate currency risks;
That combine public and private finance more effectively, and ensure the risks and rewards of development projects are shared by both the public and private sectors;
And that ensure financial regulations assess risk appropriately and support investments in frontier markets.
Second — we must fix the global debt system which is unsustainable, unfair and unaffordable.
With annual debt service at $1.4 trillion, countries need — and deserve — a system that lowers borrowing costs, enables fair and timely debt-restructuring, and prevents debt crises in the first place.
The Sevilla Commitment lays the groundwork:
By creating a single debt registry for transparency, and promoting responsible lending and borrowing;
By lowering the cost of capital through debt swaps and debt management support;
And through debt service pauses in times of emergency.
And third — we must increase the participation of developing countries in the institutions of the global financial architecture. The present major shareholders have a role to play recognizing the importance of correcting injustices and adapting to a changing world.
A new borrowers forum will give voice to borrowers for fairer debt resolution and can foster transparency, shared learning and coordinated debt action.
And we need a fairer global tax system shaped by all, not just a few.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
This conference is not about charity.
It’s about restoring justice and lives of dignity.
This conference is not about money.
It’s about investing in the future we want to build, together.
Thank you all for being part of this important and ambitious effort".
The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) will be held in Sevilla, Spain, from 30 June to 3 July 2025. The Conference will bring together global leaders and key stakeholders to accelerate action and partnerships to finance sustainable development and achieve the SDGs. The opening will mark the official launch of the Conference and set the tone for a week of high-level engagement and dialogue.
The opening of the FFD4 Conference will feature statements by high-level dignitaries including Pedro Sánchez, President of the Conference and the President of the Government of Spain; António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Philemon Yang, President of the UN General Assembly; Bob Rae, President of ECOSOC; Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the WTO; and Li Junhua, Secretary-General of the Conference and a Representative of the International Monetary Fund. Following the opening remarks, the Conference will address key procedural matters. The opeing statments will be followed a general debate and statements by Heads of State or Government, ministers, and heads of delegation, setting the stage for a week of high-level discussions on mobilizing financing for the SDGs.
More info: https://financing.desa.un.org/FFD4
To watch all other events from FF4D in all languages, visit: https://webtv.un.org/en/search/categories/meetings-events/conferences/international-conference-financing-development/fourth-session
"Good evening, Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Vice-Presidents and leaders of international and multinational organisations, authorities, ladies and gentlemen. The Queen and I are honoured and want to extend you our warmest welcome to the Royal Alcazar of Seville and to this courtyard of the maidens, the Spanish Patio de las Doncellas. And let me tell you, it doesn’t get warmer than this.
Now it’s pleasant, but as you know, the heat today was very, very strong. This setting is a magnificent example of everything the city represents, a true melting pot of origins, cultures and schools of thought, whose openness and conviviality are not just outward traits, they are a genuine way of viewing the world. Allow me to recall here the words attributed to Averroes, the 12th century philosopher from Al-Andalus, born in Cordoba, not too far from here, which are regrettably as appropriate now as they were so many centuries ago.
Back then, he said, ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hatred and hatred leads to violence. This is the equation, end of quote. I am sure you will agree that this equation, both simple and worrisome, can explain some of the conflicts of our time.
It can also partly explain the erosion of the multilateral world. Dear friends, this conference in Seville is of enormous value, precisely because the equation that makes it happen and gives it substance is quite the opposite. What brings us to Seville for the next few days and what we expect from this conference represents a tangible source of hope for the future.
In the face of deeply concerning and terrifying events and trends we are witnessing in our world, and it is certainly an uplifting and opposing equation that revives our battered confidence in humanity. Can we ascertain that not all is lost, that we have not wasted so many decades of real advancement in the construction of a more stable, peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world? We all have a say to this question, to answer it, to make it possible to say yes. With so many voices accusing the multilateral world of inefficiency and deadlock, this conference is proof that even if it’s not always the most direct route or the fastest, multilateralism is still the best and more durable path to peace and progress, because it includes us all and gives everyone a voice.
At a time when it is often said that the bridges of dialogue are being torn down, this conference is bringing together over 10,000 people from all places and origins to discuss how to modernise the development finance framework to make it more effective, ambitious and resilient in dealing with the complex challenges of a rapidly changing world. While so many claim that the UN system is suffering from chronic fatigue, this conference is a reflection of the continuing importance of the Sustainable Development Goals as set out in the agenda that the UN adopted a decade ago. That agenda, just five years from its deadline, remains a yardstick for our ambition and dedication as citizens of the world.
We are in a perfect place for assembling and building consensus. Spain welcomes you as a country that believes pragmatism must never be in opposition to principles and values. We also believe that only through broad-based participation will the world truly have a chance to succeed in global challenges such as hunger, extreme poverty, gender equality, climate change and many more.
For all these reasons, the UN, with the values of its Charter, its agencies, its rules and its presence on the ground, is more vital than ever. We are proud to host this international conference following the ones held in Monterey, Doha and Addis Ababa. It will be a space to converse at a critical juncture about global development, financing and governance, fiscal systems, private funding and maximising the impact of ODA, Official Development Assistance.
We eagerly await the adoptions by consensus of the Seville Commitment and the launch of the SBA, the Seville Platform for Action. From these days forth, they will be the roadmap for reinvigorating the development finance framework. Your Excellencies, dear friends, the Spanish poet Antonio Machado, born here in Seville 150 years ago, wrote, Hoy es siempre todavía, today is forever now or still now, bidding us to act now rather than later.
Let us bear it in mind as a motto to help galvanise our will and capacity to advance in development financing, shedding light in its path forward in this tumultuous 21st century. Let us do it here and now in Seville, in Spain, in 2025. The eyes of many millions are on this conference.
Their hopes and their needs deserve results and they certainly do not deserve failure and deception. What better place and what better time to revive their trust and confidence. Queen Letizia and I wish you success.
We hope you also enjoy your stay here in Seville. So welcome to Spain. Welcome to Andalusia.
(…)"
The International Business Forum (IBF) will open with a high-level gathering of Heads of State, ministers, CEOs, and global business leaders to explore solutions that unlock private finance and investments for sustainable development.
The opening of the IBF will set the tone for the importance of driving solutions that unlock private finance and investments for sustainable development. The session will feature welcome addresses by Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, and António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, followed by remarks from Heads of State, Ministers, CEOs and global business leaders. Speakers will include John Denton, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce; Shinta Kamdani, CEO of Sintesa Group and Co-Chair of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance; and José Viñals, GISD Co-Chair and Senior Advisor to the Board of Standard Chartered. BBC presenter Rajini Vaidyanathan will serve as the moderator.
More Info: https://financing.desa.un.org/FFD4/businessforum
All the FFD4 events: https://webtv.un.org/
Upon his return from the Middle East, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, today (27 Jun) told journalists in New York that Lebanese Armed Forces “have continued to strengthen their presence South of the Litani River,” with the support of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL), while in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) area of operations, Syrian authorities have indicated that they are ready to deploy “the military and security presence to all Syrian territory.”
Lacroix said in Lebanon, “there has been additional action with a view to identify and eventually neutralize caches of weapons, which is an important element in the implementation of a resolution 1701.”
Nevertheless, he said, “there continues to be violations, there continues to be more that needs to be done, again, to achieve a full implementation of that resolution.”
Lacroix commended General Aroldo Lázaro, “who was at the head of UNIFIL during extremely, extremely challenging time” and welcomed General Diodato Abagnara, who just took over as the new Force Commander.
UNDOF, he said, “is operating in a changed environment, where on the one hand, of course, there was this change in the political dispensation in Syria.”
The Under-Secretary-General noted “the presence of the Israeli Defence Forces in the area, the so-called area of separation, where according to the 1973 Disengagement of Forces agreement, only UNDOF can be present with a military presence.”
He said, “of course, the presence of the IDF in those areas is a violation, it’s quite clear.
Finally, he welcomed efforts “for de-escalation and the advancement of dialog in the DRC and in the wider Great Lakes region,” and said the UN “and particularly when it comes to MONUSCO, we are fully committed to supporting these efforts” and the implementation of a peace agreement.
In Washington DC today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)and Rwanda signed a US-brokered peace deal which could bring peace to the eastern region of the DRC.
0:15 Top technologies to watch in 2025 – From digital trust to clean energy, 2025 is seeing breakthrough innovations with wide-ranging impact. Here are five of the most promising technologies this year.
2:50 How to close the gender gap in tech – Ayumi Moore Aoki is CEO of Women in Tech Global, an organization that works to increase gender equality in STEM. She says that amid all the talk of what AI can do, we must also consider what it cannot.
6:09 This robot could change all factories – Meet CyRo, a 3-armed robot designed to handle objects with the dexterity of a human – without the need for pre-programming. Its adaptive vision system mimics the human eye, allowing it to operate under varying lighting and handle tricky materials like glass or reflective surfaces.
7:33 Start-up plans data centres in space – As AI energy demands soar, one pioneering start-up is taking data infrastructure off the planet. Starcloud is building space data centres to tap into the vast, uninterrupted solar energy available in orbit.
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