About Financing for Sustainable Development Office

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

Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development: Sevilla Commitment (2025)

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The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) held in Sevilla, Spain, in 2025, marked a new phase in the global financing for development process. Convened at a moment of converging crises — rising debt burdens, widening inequalities, climate impacts, and tightening global financial conditions — FFD4 provided the international community with a critical opportunity to renew cooperation and chart a more ambitious path for financing for development.

The Conference culminated in the adoption by consensus of the Sevilla Commitment, the first comprehensive global financing framework since the Addis Ababa Action Agenda in 2015. The Sevilla Commitment is anchored in the longstanding seven Action Areas of the Financing for Development process, which continue to guide global, regional, and national implementation efforts. Building on the legacy of Monterrey, Doha, and Addis Ababa, the Sevilla Commitment advances a focused set of priorities essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda:

Boosting Investment in Sustainable Development: A commitment to mobilize significantly greater and more affordable long-term financing to help close US$ 4 trillion annual SDG financing gap, including by encouraging the alignment of public and private investment with the SDGs.

Addressing the Debt Crisis: Commitments to support countries facing unsustainable debt burdens through more effective, fair, and predictable mechanisms for debt relief, restructuring, and responsible lending and borrowing.

Reforming the international financial system: A push to make global economic governance fairer, more inclusive, and more transparent, ensuring developing countries have a stronger voice in shaping the rules and decisions that affect their development prospects.

FFD4 and its outcome document, the Sevilla Commitment, reaffirms the central role of the United Nations in convening inclusive dialogue, strengthening multilateral cooperation, and driving systemic reforms needed to close the sustainable development financing gap. FFD4 sets the foundation for the next phase of collective action, linking national efforts, multilateral reforms, and global partnerships to deliver tangible results for people and planet.

Read: Sevilla Commitment of FFD4, 2025

For more information: visit the FFD4 Website

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