Earlier this month, leaders and organisations from around the world, including several SIDA members, gathered in Seville for the UN’s Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) to discuss financial challenges preventing urgently needed investment for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Reflecting on the event, Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development shared an article detailing their experience of the event, noting the UK’s absence from discussions “covering debt, tax, and revitalising international development cooperation,” and that:
“When talking about investment for climate and development agendas, lower-income countries present have been very clear that private finance investments need to be additional to and not a replacement for Official Development Assistance (ODA). And with a slashed ODA budget, the UK’s offering last week felt diminished.”
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) shared a post on their social media channels, advocating for hard for solutions led by local perspectives, noting that housing was notably absent from the agenda.
“Paula Sevilla Núñez highlighted the crushing debt burdens faced by lower-income countries in an interview for the UN’s news service. She also criticised FFD4 for failing to mention the issue of housing amid a cost-of-living crisis, saying the subject “is a source of anguish and distrust” for millions. Convened by Alexandre Apsan Frediani, IIED used its side event on improving informal settlements to advance the housing conversation.”
Commenting in Bond’s article, Mark Barrell, Director of Advocacy at CBM UK, and member of SIDA’s Policy Committee, noted the lack of disability inclusion on the agenda:
“While the ‘Compromiso de Sevilla’ did contain some welcome references to people with disabilities in crucial areas like access to finance and economic opportunities […] Of the 400 sessions, SPAs and side events, only one focused on disability.”
“The call therefore continues for a full democratisation of financial processes that ensures that people with disabilities are at the heart of establishing just, fair and fully inclusive global financial mechanisms,” he said.
Another article, published by the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad) highlighted that
“Despite strong calls from civil society and many global south countries for a meaningful intergovernmental process towards a UN Debt Convention, the final language retains the intergovernmental process but strips it of ambition. What remains is a vague promise of engagement with creditor[…] to promote voluntary principles on sovereign borrowing and lending.”
Eurodad’s Director Jean Saldanha commented:
“Sevilla must not be remembered as a missed opportunity – it must now serve as a platform for a renewed, people-centered agenda in the months and years ahead. This process has given global south countries a unique platform to make strong calls for the structural changes that are needed. The problems remain clear. The solutions are known. What’s missing is the political will from those who dominate the current broken system. The job is not yet done.”
As discussions continue following Financing for Development, hope remains for solutions that are robust, inclusive, and centre the experiences of those most marginalised. Alternative financing will constitute one of the themes at the SIDA annual conference taking place later this year on 30 September 2025.