The Financing for Development (FFD) process at the United Nations is centered around the supporting the follow-up to the agreements and commitments of the three International Conferences on Financing for Development: in Monterrey, Mexico in 2002; in Doha, Qatar in 2008; and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2015. The FFD process has evolved with each conference and agreement, building on and updating the previous ones to address current global financial needs and development challenges. This page outlines the milestones and progress made in the FFD process from the Monterrey Consensus (2002) to the Doha Declaration (2008) and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (2015).
Click here to read the Financing for Development Primer
Third International Conference on Financing for Development: Addis Ababa Action Agenda (2015)
Held in parallel with the finalization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Third International Conference on Financing for Development held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2015, reflected a two-decade evolution in the global understanding of sustainable development, fully integrating economic, social, and environmental dimensions into the financing considerations.
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda introduced a new financing framework for sustainable development, which included several key elements:
- Role of Public Development Banks: Emphasis on the importance of development banks and their role in sustainable development, launching efforts that led to the creation of the Finance in Common network of over 500 public development banks.
- Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs): The introduction of the concept of INFFs, which are now being developed by more than 80 countries to guide financing for their national sustainable development priorities.
- Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries: Political impetus to the agreement on the establishment of the Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries.
- UN Expert Tax Committee: Strengthening the work of the UN on taxation by enhancing the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, thus laying the groundwork for a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.
- Stronger Follow-up Process: Enhancing mechanisms for monitoring and follow-up, including the annual ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development (FfD Forum) and the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF).
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda marked a significant step forward in the global effort to financing for sustainable development, setting the stage for future initiatives and reinforcing the 2030 Agenda commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Read: Addis Ababa Action Agenda of FFD3, 2015
For more information, visit the FFD3 Homepage
Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus (2008)
The Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development held in Doha, Qatar, in 2008, was convened amid the challenging and complex global environment of the 2008 global financial crisis. The Doha Declaration on Financing for Development reaffirmed the Monterrey Consensus and added new understandings to the global agreements on financing, including:
- Gender: Agreement that gender considerations are essential in all financing policies.
- Environment: The integration of environmental considerations into financing discussions, underscoring the emerging need for climate finance and laying the groundwork for the establishment of the Green Climate Fund in 2010.
The Conference culminated in the adoption of the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development by consensus. The Declaration emphasized the need for coordinated and coherent action in responding to the crisis, as well as in formulating national development strategies that reflect the interests of developing countries. Additionally, it was recognized that a stable and equitable economic system requires the reform of all international economic institutions and standard-setting bodies to ensure adequate representation of developing countries.
Read: Doha Declaration on Financing for Development, 2008
International Conference on Financing for Development (2002)
The International Conference on Financing for Development held in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2002, marked the beginning of the FFD process at the United Nations. It brought together leaders from around the world to explore innovative approaches for mobilizing resources and the international community around the collective challenge of supporting global development, with a particular focus on the needs and priorities of developing countries.
Framed by mounting debt challenges in emerging markets and the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Conference signaled a turning point in the approach to development cooperation by the international community. More than 50 Heads of State and Government and over 200 ministers of foreign affairs, trade, development and finance gathered in Monterrey, successfully elevating financing for development as a central issue on the global agenda.
The Monterrey Consensus reflected a landmark global agreement between developed and developing countries, in which both recognized their responsibilities in areas such as trade, aid, debt relief and institution building. Key outcomes included:
- Increased Official Development Assistance (ODA): Commitments to increase aid to developing countries.
- Aid Effectiveness: Raising concerns on aid effectiveness, prompting subsequent high-level forums and the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
- Governance Reform: The provision of political impetus for launching negotiations on IMF governance reform, which paved the way for changes in 2006 and 2008.
- Innovative Financing: Discussions that fostered the creation and adoption of innovative financial instruments to leverage financing for development.
Read: Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing for Development, 2002
Office Directory
Office of the Director
Shari Spiegel, Director – spiegel@un.org
- Michaela Brunner, Economic Affairs Officer – michaela.brunner@un.org
- Marilia Di Noia, Research Assistant – dinoia@un.org
- Derek Leach, Information Technology Assistant – derekleach@un.org
- Mario Saenz, Staff Assistant – saenzm@un.org
- Policy Analysis & Development Branch
PADB
Oliver Schwank, Chief – schwank@un.org
- Peter Chowla, Senior Economic Affairs Officer – chowla@un.org
- Resina Katafono, Interregional Adviser – resina.katafono@un.org
- Maria Fernanda Valdes, Senior Economic Affairs Adviser – maria.valdesvalencia@un.org
- Cecilia Caio, Economic Affairs Officer – cecilia.caio@un.org
- Hoi Wai Jackie Cheng, Economic Affairs Officer – cheng3@un.org
- Philipp Erfurth, Economic Affairs Officer – erfurth@un.org
- Maria Caterina Migliorero, Economic Affairs Officer – mariacaterina.migliorero@un.org
Support Staff
- Feriel Zemzoum, Programme Management Assistant – feriel.zemzoum@un.org
- George Meladze, Programme Management Assistant – george.meladze@un.org
- International Tax and Development Cooperation Branch
ITDCB
Caroline Lombardo, Chief – lombardoc@un.org
International Tax Cooperation
- Michael Lennard, Senior Economic Affairs Officer – lennard@un.org
- Ilka Ritter, Economic Affairs Officer – ritter@un.org
- Josephine Muchiri, Economic Affairs Officer – josephine.muchiri@un.org
- Eduardo Diaz Huaman, Economic Affairs Officer – eduardo.diazhuaman@un.org
- Olivier Munyaneza, Economic Affairs Officer – munyaneza@un.org
Capacity Development
- Emily Muyaa, Senior Economic Affairs Officer – Emily.muyaa@un.org
- Patricia Brown, Inter-regional adviser – patricia.brown@un.org
- Farid Hasnaoui, Inter-regional adviser – farid.hasnaoui@un.org
- Irving Ojeda Alvarez, Economic Affairs Officer – ojedaalvarez@un.org
- Maria Cecilia Sodre, Programme Management Officer – sodre@un.org
Development Cooperation Forum
- Daniel Platz, Senior Economic Affairs Officer – platz@un.org
- Zihan Jia, Associate Expert – zihan.jia@un.org
- Luis Pineda, Associate Programme Management Officer – luis.pinedadominguez@un.org
Ad Hoc Committee Unit
- Carolina Vaca Bohorquez, Economic Affairs Officer – carolina.vacabohorquez@un.org
- Katie Yang, Team Assistant – katie.yang@un.org
Support Staff
- Sabiri Aggrey, Budget and Finance Officer – sabiri.aggrey@un.org
- Sheilah Trotta, Programme Management Assistant – trotta@un.org
- Joy Genio, Programme Management Assistant – genioun.org
- Silvia Yiu, Programme Management Assistant – fnu.silvia@un.org
- Strategic Engagement and Policy Integration Branch
SEPIB
Mariangela Parra-Lancourt, Chief – parra@un.org
Office of the Chief
- Glenn Hodes, Inter-regional adviser – glenn.hodes@un.org
- Li Zhang, Communications Officer – zhang82@un.org
- Adrian Rubio Molina, Programme Management Assistant – rubioa@un.org
Strategic Engagement
- Krishnan Sharma, Senior Economic Affairs Officer – sharmak@un.org
- Tim Hilger, Economic Affairs Officer – hilger@un.org
- Sarah Nunez Solorio, Programme Management Officer – nunez2@un.org
- Rabayl Mirza, Economic Affairs Officer – rabayl.mirza@un.org
Policy Integration
- Huanyu Liu, Senior Economic Affairs Officer – liuh@un.org
- Zebulun Kreiter, Economic Affairs Officer – kreiter@un.org
- Javier Caicedo Trujillo, Economic Affairs Officer – Javier.caicedo@un.org