The 2025 Development Cooperation Forum came at a crucial moment: nearly 600 million people were projected to face extreme poverty by 2030, and developing countries were grappling with annual SDG financing gaps of up to $4 trillion. The international development cooperation system was faltering precisely when needs were greatest and priorities most urgent.
This milestone meeting took place in the lead-up to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, held from 30 June to 3 July 2025, where Member States considered reforms to the development cooperation architecture. The Forum’s recommendations served as inputs to the FfD4 discussions.