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2025 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development & 4th PrepCom for FFD4
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The ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development will be held on 28 to 29 April 2025, followed by the Fourth Preparatory Committee (4th PrepCom) Session for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) from 30 April to 1 May 2025 at Trusteeship Council, UN Headquarters, New York.
On 28 April, in an exceptional joint effort by the President of ECOSOC and the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee of FFD4, Ministers and high-level officials will have the opportunity to express their views and foster political momentum for the FFD4 Conference.
The Forum this year assumes added importance and a critical role in mobilizing momentum and concrete solutions for FFD4. Held back-to-back with the 4th FFD Preparatory Committee session, the deliberations of the forum will feed into the discussions on the outcome of the FFD4.
Both events bring together ministers and high-level government officials as well as senior officials of international organizations. Civil society organizations, the business sector and local authorities will also be represented.
The 2025 Forum and the 4th PrepCom will be livestreamed on UN Web TV.
Please click on the category in this Participate page that best describes your organization to find the suitable registration portal.
Programme of FFD Forum and 4th PrepCom
Click here for the pdf version of the FFD Forum programme.
Click here for the pdf version of the 4th PrepCom programme.
Click here for the pdf version of the FFD Forum & 4th PrepCom programme of Side Events or click here to view the Side Events on the UN Journal
Programme for 1st May, 2025
Domestic Resource Mobilization
Programme
Panel discussion 4 on specific actions in the first draft of the outcome document on ‘II.A. Domestic public resources’
Introductory remarks and moderation
H.E. Ms. Merete Fjeld Brattested, Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Chola Milambo, Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations
Panelists
Ms. Josephilda Hlope, Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation, South Africa
Mr. Felipe Augusto Ramos de Alencar da Costa, Ministry of Foreign Relations, Brazil
Mr. Alain Siri, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Burkina Faso
Discussants
Ms. Mary Baine, Deputy Executive Secretary, African Tax Administration Forum
Ms. Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director, UN-Habitat
Interactive discussion (2-minute time limit)
Background and Guiding Questions
Domestic public resources are the cornerstone of sustainable development, providing fiscal space to invest in sustainable development, and generating incentives that shape economic and societal outcomes. Many developing countries still face significant obstacles in mobilizing domestic revenues and effectively utilizing their fiscal systems. These challenges stem from both domestic and international factors. Domestically, insufficient transparency and accountability in fiscal systems, weak alignment of fiscal policies with sustainable development, limited institutional capacity, and the underutilization of National Public Development Banks can hamper resource mobilization and effective use. International tax cooperation remains weak, and persistent challenges hinder the effective combatting of illicit financial flows.
The first draft of the outcome document for FFD4 addresses these challenges with concrete actions in four areas: first, commitments to ensure that countries have the necessary resources and that they are collected efficiently and spent transparently in alignment with sustainable development; second, strengthened international tax cooperation to ensure that international tax rules respond to the diverse needs, priorities, and capacities of all countries, especially developing countries; third, effectively combating illicit financial flows; and fourth, fully leveraging the potential of national public development banks.
Panelists in this session are invited to pay particular attention in their interventions on the proposals on support for domestic revenue mobilization and on combatting illicit flows and are invited to address the following questions:
- What room is there to significantly and further enhance international support to countries for domestic resource mobilization? What value would there be to setting an indicative floor for tax-to-GDP ratios that could galvanize action? (action 22 m)
- Which are the key components of a meaningful package of actions to advance the fight against illicit financial flows in Seville? (action 24)
- How best should a special meeting of the ECOSOC on financial integrity be designed to have impact and address financial integrity at the systemic level? (action 23 c).
Mobilizing Private Finance
Programme
Panel discussion 7 on specific actions in the first draft of the outcome document on ‘II.B. Domestic and international private business and finance’
Introductory remarks and moderation
H.E. Ms. Merete Fjeld Brattested, Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Chola Milambo, Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations
Panelists
Mr. Ramon Boone, Ministry of Finance, Belgium
Mr Anthony Swan, Director, Development Finance and Economics, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia
Discussants
Mr. Thomas Beloe, Director, Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP
Interactive discussion (2-minute time limit)
Background and Guiding Questions
Private business activity, investment, and innovation have acted as significant drivers of sustainable development since the adoption of the Addis Agenda. Nonetheless, global investment growth has decelerated in recent years. Despite increased attention to innovative finance instruments such as blended finance and the growing adoption of sustainable business and finance legislation, investment in sustainable development has fallen short of expectations, nor have companies and investors adequately prioritized sustainable development.
The first draft of the outcome document commits to actions to address key barriers: underdeveloped financial and capital markets in many developing countries; insufficient access to concessional and affordable finance, particularly for women, marginalized groups, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises; and the continued misalignment between short-term financial incentives and long-term sustainable development impact. Actions include enhanced capacity support, and adoption of policy frameworks and incentives for sustainable private investment at national and global levels.
Panelists in this session are invited to pay particular attention in their interventions on the proposals on SME and local currency financing, on private capital mobilization for sustainable development impact and standardization of relevant instruments, and on the business case for sustainable business and finance and relevant regulations. They are invited to address the following questions:
- What practical steps can be taken to strengthen domestic financial markets and local economies - including local banks - to expand MSMEs’ access to affordable credit, particularly in developing countries? (action 27g)
- How can the availability of local currency lending be increased to mobilize additional private capital for sustainable development, and what role should MDBs and DFIs play in scaling these efforts, including in improving impact? (action 28l, 31n)
- How can innovative financing mechanisms (e.g. blended finance, impact investment, and thematic bonds) be scaled and made more accessible to investors, to support sustainable development investment? (action 28g)
- How can governments and regulators build the right enabling environments and regulatory frameworks for sustainable business and finance, in alignment with both national development priorities and international standards for cross-border investment? (action 29 d-g)