Welcome to the United Nations 
Road to Sevilla 2025
Форум Экономического и Социального Совета по вопросам финансирования развития 2025 года и четвертое заседание Подготовительного комитета для Четвертой международной конференции по финансированию развития (FFD4)
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Форум Экономического и Социального Совета по вопросам финансирования развития состоится с 28 по 29 апреля 2025 года, за ним последует четвертая сессия Подготовительного комитета для Четвертой международной конференции по финансированию развития (FFD4) с 30 апреля по 1 мая 2025 года в Совете опеки, штаб-квартира ООН, Нью-Йорк.
28 апреля, в рамках исключительных совместных усилий Президента Экономического и Социального Совета и сопредседателей Межправительственного подготовительного комитета FFD4, министры и высокопоставленные официальные лица получат возможность выразить свое мнение и содействовать политическому импульсу для Конференции FFD4.
Форум в этом году приобретает особое значение и критическую роль в мобилизации импульса и конкретных решений для FFD4. Проводимый подряд с четвертой сессией Подготовительного комитета FFD4, обсуждения форума будут влиять на дискуссии о результатах FFD4.
Обе мероприятия собирают министров и высокопоставленных государственных должностных лиц, а также старших официальных лиц международных организаций. Также будут представлены организации гражданского общества, бизнес-сектор и местные власти.
Форум 2025 года и четвертая сессия Подготовительного комитета будут транслироваться в прямом эфире на Web TV ООН.
Programme for 28th 四月, 2025
ECOSOC FFD Forum Opening session: Our joint ambition for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development
Chair: H.E. Mr. Bob Rae, President of ECOSOC
Opening and welcome remarks
- H.E. Mr. Bob Rae, President of ECOSOC
- H.E. Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
- H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang, President of the General Assembly
Introductory remarks by the Co-chairs of the Preparatory Committee of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development and the Host of the Conference
- H.E. Mr. Zéphyrin Maniratanga Permanent Representative of Burundi
- H.E. Mr. Rui Vinhas Permanent Representative of Portugal
- H.E. Ms. Eva María Granados Galiano, Secretary of State for International Cooperation of Spain
Ministerial fireside chat 1 : Lowering borrowing costs and advancing development-oriented debt solutions
In response to successive shocks, multilateral lenders have made efforts to increase the provision of concessional resources while international financial institutions have advanced important institutional reforms. Yet, many developing countries continue to face high debt service burdens and borrowing costs, which severely constrain their fiscal space for critical investments to support three dimensions of Sustainable Development. Sovereign debt restructurings, when needed, are often slow and unpredictable.
This session will discuss the steps needed to lower borrowing costs for developing countries and bring about a development-oriented sovereign debt architecture.
Framing questions:
- How can international and national efforts strengthen efforts to support preventative debt measures, such as state contingent debt instruments, including climate resilient debt clauses?
- What mechanisms can lower borrowing costs for developing countries and enhance fiscal space for sustainable development investments?
- What steps are needed to ensure sovereign debt restructurings broadly support development priorities and are efficient, fair, predictable, coordinated, timely and orderly?
Chair: ECOSOC President/Vice-President
Moderator: Mr. Claver Gatete, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa
- H.E. Mr. Gareth do Espírito Santo Guadalupe, Minister of Finance, São Tomé and Príncipe
- H.E. Ms. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, Egypt
- H.E. Mr. William Roos, Assistant Secretary for Multilateral, Development and Trade Affairs, Treasury, France
Civil society response from the floor (2 minutes)
Ministerial interactive discussion
Ministerial fireside chat 3: Revitalizing development cooperation for impact and inclusion
In recent years, the international development cooperation landscape has evolved significantly, with the emergence of new actors, modalities and financing instruments, offering both new opportunities and challenges. Multilateral development banks (MDBs) have taken significant steps to expand their financial capacity and enhance their development impact. However, development cooperation has not kept pace with the growing and shifting needs of developing countries. At this pivotal moment, there is an opportunity to refocus development cooperation – enhancing its catalytic role, fostering innovative partnerships, and ensuring that development efforts are more effective, inclusive, and resilient.
This session will explore how international development cooperation can be strengthened and modernized to accelerate progress towards the SDGs and address pressing global challenges.
Framing questions:
- What steps can be taken to strengthen the effectiveness of development cooperation in all its forms, including reducing fragmentation and enhancing impact?
- What additional steps can MDBs take to further expand their financial capacity and better support development efforts?
- How can financing for global public goods be expanded while ensuring additionality and effectiveness?
Chair: ECOSOC Vice-President
- Remarks by H.E. Ms. Stine Renate Håheim, State Secretary for International Development, Norway
Moderator: Mr. Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, DESA
- H.E. Mr. Kenyeh Laura Barlay, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Sierra Leone
- H.E. Mr. Aleksandr Pankin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russian Federation
- H.E. Mr. Fahad Hamad Al-Sulaiti, Director-General of the Qatar Fund for Development, Qatar
Civil society response from the floor (2 minutes)
Ministerial interactive discussion
Ministerial fireside chat 5: Investing in data to accelerate development
Investment in data pays off, with an estimated average return of $32 for every $1 invested in strengthening data systems in developing countries. Countries have made significant strides in improving their national statistical systems and political momentum is growing for measuring and monitoring progress in sustainable development using metrics that go beyond GDP. However, investment remains insufficient, resulting in gaps in the availability and use of high quality and disaggregated data and statistics. Major gaps and a lack of progress are notable in key priority areas such as gender, climate change and governance.
This session will explore what is needed to enhance disaggregated data, accessibility and innovative data sources to inform evidence-based decision making for sustainable development.
Framing questions:
- What approaches can accelerate progress in priority areas where sustainable development data gaps remain significant, such as gender, climate change, and governance?
- What are the most effective strategies for integrating non-traditional data sources, citizen-generated data and remote sensing, into national statistical systems?
- What governance frameworks are needed to ensure data quality, transparency, and ethical use?
Chair: ECOSOC President/Vice-President
Moderator: Ms. Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London
- H.E. Mr. Seedy Kaita, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Gambia
- H.E. Ms. María Luisa Ramírez Coronado, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guatemala
- H.E. Mr. Dehpue Yenpea Zuo, Deputy Minister for Economic Management, Ministry of Finance, Liberia
Discussant: H.E. Ms. Dana Emad Hamza, Assistant Undersecretary for Sustainable Development, Ministry of Sustainable Development, Bahrain
Civil society response from the floor (2 minutes)
Ministerial interactive discussion
Programme for 29th 四月, 2025
Closing of the Forum
Chair: President of ECOSOC
- Closing remarks by Ms. Amina Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary General
- Closing statement by the President of ECOSOC
Dialogue with Senior Representatives of the WBG and IMF
- Chair: H.E. Mr. Bob Rae, President of ECOSOC
- Mr. Axel van Trotsenburg, Senior Managing Director, The World Bank Group [virtual]
- Mr. Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director, IMF
Special High-level Meeting with Bretton Woods Institutions, WTO and UNCTAD
Chair: H.E. Mr. Bob Rae, President of ECOSOC
10:30 – 10: 45 Opening Remarks by intergovernmental representatives
- H.E. Dr. Ryadh Alkhareif, IMFC Deputy Chair, IMF (confirmed)
- Representative of the Development Committee (tbc)
- H.E. Mr. Paul Bekkers, President, Trade and Development Board, UNCTAD (video message)
- H.E. Mr. Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel, Chair of WTO General Council (tbc)
Interactive Dialogue between UN Permanent Representatives and the Executive Directors of the World Bank Group and IMF
10:45 – 11:40 Topic 1: The IMF’s Contribution to Financing for Development Agenda: Its Role in strengthening global macroeconomic and financial stability – a deep dive
The IMF has a strong role in helping countries maintain or restore macroeconomic and financial stability and implement sound policies that support sustainable and inclusive growth.
- What lessons can be learnt from the IMF’s continued policy advice, capacity development and lending efforts to support countries facing balance of payment needs?
- What past and current country examples would participants emphasize in highlighting the Fund’s support for strengthening countries’ macroeconomic frameworks, which are essential for sustainable development?
Speakers
Moderator: Veda Poon, IMF Liaison Committee Chair
- Discussant: Member State
- Discussant: Stakeholder - CSO
- Executive Director, IMF
- Interactive discussion: Questions/comments from the floor
11:40 – 12:35 Topic 2: The WBG’s Contribution to Financing for Development Agenda Reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development
Over the last 20 years, WBG’s annual financing grew fivefold to $120 billion in 2024, driven by shareholder support, capital framework reforms, and IDA financial transformation. The WBG Evolution has further expanded lending headroom, enhanced efficiency, introduced a new scorecard, and strengthened partnerships.
- Over the next years, what are the priorities the WBG should focus to further increase its effectiveness and development impact? How should knowledge contribute to this?
- In the new global context, what are the most realistic and effective avenues to further increase financial resources for development and emerging countries?
- Which specific sectors and structural reforms should the WBG focus on when providing advice and financial support to client countries?
Speakers
Moderator: Mr. Matteo Bugamelli, Dean, Board of Executive Directors, The World Bank Group
- Discussant: Member State
- Discussant: Stakeholder - CSO
- Executive Director, WBG
- Interactive discussion: Questions/comments from the floor
12:35 – 12:45 Summary remarks
- Mr. Matteo Bugamelli, Dean, Board of Executive Directors, The World Bank Group
- Ms. Veda Poon, Chair, Liaison Committee, IMF Executive Board
Programme for 30th 四月, 2025
Debt and the Cost of Borrowing
Panel discussion 2 on specific actions in the first draft of the outcome document on ‘II.E. Debt and debt sustainability’
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. Phil Stevens, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, United Kingdom
Ms. Monica Asuna, The National Treasury, Kenya
Mr. Jose Correia, Director General, Economic and Development Cooperation, Cabo Verde
Discussants
Mr. Gianpiero Leoncini, Executive Vice-President, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean
Interactive discussion (2-minute time limit)
Background and Guiding Questions
Amid successive crises and shocks, sovereign debt challenges have become one of the greatest obstacles to realizing sustainable development. Many developing countries face high debt service burdens and borrowing costs, which severely constrain their fiscal space and ability to address poverty and inequality and invest in sustainable development. Despite progress in reforming the debt architecture, restructurings are often still inadequate, late and too lengthy. A development-oriented debt architecture, based on sound and transparent analysis of debt sustainability, is urgently needed to address these debt challenges.
The debt chapter outlines four areas of actions to address these challenges, including actions to: i) strengthen debt management, debt transparency, and responsible borrowing and lending; ii) lower borrowing cost and enhance fiscal space for investment in sustainable development in developing countries; iii) achieve efficient, fair, predictable, coordinated, timely, and orderly restructurings; and iv) promote debt sustainability and credit assessment that are more accurate, objective and long-term oriented.
Panelists in this session are invited to pay particular attention to the proposals on strengthening and systematizing of liquidity and liability management support and on closing gaps in the debt architecture. They are invited to address the following questions:
- What are the key constraints to scaling up and ensuring coordinated support to countries to enhance fiscal space and lower their cost of borrowing, and to provide related financial instruments, such as debt swaps and credit enhancements at scale? (action 42)
- How can we provide such support at scale, taking into account the need for providing financial support, and for responsiveness to country-specific needs and circumstances? (42b)
- What are the most critical gaps that need to be closed to create a development-oriented debt architecture? (action 43).
Science, technology, innovation and capacity building
Panel discussion 3 on specific actions in the first draft of the outcome document on ‘II.G. Science, technology, innovation and capacity building’
Introductory remarks and moderation
H.E. Ms. Alicia Buenrostro Massieu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations
H. E. Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations
Panelists
Mr. Ahmed Salman Zaki, Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives
Ms. Lois Bruu, Vice President, Humanitarian and Development, Mastercard
Ms. Rougui Fouta Diallo, International Trade Union Confederation
Interactive discussion (2-minute time limit)
Background and Guiding Questions
Science, technology and innovation (STI) are advancing at an unprecedented scale and pace. However, leveraging its full potential for advancing sustainable development is constrained by deepening technological gaps; inadequate digital infrastructure and digital public goods; limited national capacity; and insufficient international support. Unregulated technological advances can also have unintended economic, environmental, and social consequences, and worsen gender inequality. Coordinated national and international efforts are needed to address these challenges.
The STI chapter has three areas of actions: first, actions to realize the full potential of STI in supporting sustainable development, including through strengthening innovation, technology transfer, knowledge sharing, capacity building, financing for STI, and international cooperation; second, actions to increase investment in resilient digital public infrastructure and digital public goods and close the digital divides; and third, actions to leverage digital financial services.
Panelists in this session are invited to pay particular attention to actions on the links and impacts of artificial intelligence on fintech. They are invited to address the following questions:
- How can the ECOSOC FFD Forum and related processes best support inclusive, multi-stakeholder dialogues on the intersection of technology, including artificial intelligence, fintech, and sustainable development—particularly in ensuring no one is left behind in the digital transition? (action 54 c)
- As AI-driven financial technologies evolve rapidly across different regions , are there sector specific common values, safeguards, or benchmarks that should guide their development and use to ensure they contribute to inclusive and sustainable development outcomes – and how can such guiding frameworks best be shaped through inclusive and representative global processes? (action 54 d)
Programme for 1st 五月, 2025
International Development Cooperation
Programme
Panel discussion 5 on specific actions in the first draft of the outcome document on ‘II.C. International development cooperation’
Introductory remarks and moderation
H.E. Ms. Alicia Buenrostro Massieu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations
H. E. Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations
Panelists
Mr. Sergio Vinocour-Fornieri, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica
Mr. Markus Dürst, MFA, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Switzerland
Ms. Karolina Krywulak, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Development Cooperation, Poland
Discussants
Ms. Hassatou Diop N’Sele, Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, African Development Bank Group
Ms. Mary Beth Goodman, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD
Mr. Matias Bendersky, Manager of Global Partnerships of the Inter-American Development Bank
Interactive discussion (2-minute time limit)
Background and Guiding Questions
International development cooperation represents a critical source of financing in many developing countries. However, rapidly rising demands, coupled with recent reductions in ODA programmed at the country level and announcements of significant further aid cuts are putting scarce resources under increasing stress. Growing fragmentation is also increasing transaction costs and runs counter to long-standing effectiveness principles. There is an urgent need for the entire development cooperation ecosystem to work better as a system with a focus on poverty eradication and on catalysing other sources of finance, both public and private, for long-term sustainable development outcomes in developing countries.
Actions on international development cooperation in the draft outcome include commitments to reverse the decline in ODA, work towards meeting respective commitments and increasing its quality, as well as more and better south-south and triangular cooperation and MDB financing. The draft also contains commitments to update the development cooperation architecture at the country level, strengthening country-led plans and strategies and putting in place inclusive coordination platforms to support these, and at the global level.
Panelists in this session are invited to pay particular attention in their interventions on the proposals on enhancing contributions of multilateral development banks, including scaling up local currency lending, strengthening the development cooperation architecture at the national level, and on strengthening accountability and follow up on international development cooperation as part of the FFD process. They are invited to address the following questions:
- How can concessional financing by MDBs be further increased over the next ten years? What steps could be taken to enhance provision of local currency products? (action 31 n)
- How can international development cooperation, including ODA, more effectively respond to the needs and priorities of developing countries? What are conducive arrangements at the country level for effective provision of development cooperation, and for ensuring alignment of development cooperation with national priorities and needs? (action 33 a)
- How can we make the most of existing platforms and fora to enhance inclusive monitoring, accountability and follow up on international development cooperation at the global level? Would the roles, scope and functions of existing platforms and fora need to evolve? How can they support a strengthened the Development Cooperation Forum? (action 33 c)