Inputs to the Outcome Document

The global finance landscape remains fragmented, insufficient, and not fit-for-purpose, limiting access for developing countries most in need. Urgent reforms are required to simplify access, scale up concessional finance, and mobilize private sector capital through blended finance mechanisms. Strengthening country ownership and improving transparency across financial flows are key priorities. The Fourth Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) should advocate for these reforms to close the sustainable development finance gap and accelerate progress toward global goals, especially for vulnerable and low-income countries. FFD4 must be the running point that transforms global financing landscape into a truly inclusive, scalable, impactable, fit-for-purpose and sustainable engine for achieving the SDGs, Post-2015 development Agenda, and Paris Agreement goals by 2030.

Trade is vital for economic growth, but protectionism and unilateralism threaten the global trading system, limiting developing countries' participation. These nations face challenges in competing with developed economies' subsidies for green and digital transitions and struggle to secure financing for infrastructure. To enhance their role in global value chains, developing countries require substantial investment in transportation, energy, and digital infrastructure. A specialized infrastructure fund, supported by multilateral development banks and private capital, is crucial to closing this financing gap.

This policy brief emphasizes the need for financing inclusive structural transformation to foster economic growth, create decent jobs, and ensure sustainable development. Developing countries face challenges due to limited financial resources, premature deindustrialization, and a shift towards low-productivity sectors. The brief recommends strengthening national public development banks, forming public-private alliances, and adopting tailored macroeconomic frameworks. These efforts, combined with social partner involvement and multilateral cooperation, are crucial to overcoming financing barriers and supporting long-term, inclusive development.

This policy brief explores innovative approaches to mobilizing climate finance, focusing on both public and private sector contributions. It highlights the urgent need for scalable finance solutions, given global economic volatility and rising debt levels in developing countries. Key solutions include unlocking alternative funding sources, leveraging debt restructuring, scaling blended finance, and utilizing innovative financial instruments. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) plays a critical role in catalyzing such investments and driving climate action, particularly in support of the most vulnerable.

Illicit financial flows (IFFs) significantly drain resources, with trade-IFFs alone accounting 5-30% of total goods trade in pilot countries, financing crime, exacerbating inequalities and instability. Effective action requires data-informed analytics, whole-of-government approaches and stronger international cooperation for common tools and technologies. All countries need evidence-based policies to address IFFs, allowing crime prevention rather than costly corrective measures. FfD4 outcome should prioritize these strategies, resourcing data reporting and establishing a platform for collaboration and methods development.

Integrating Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) into Financing for Development is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While technological advancements offer opportunities, they can disrupt growth pathways and increase inequalities if mismanaged. Key recommendations include directing technology to create middle-class jobs and labour-absorbing sectors, improving access to scientific knowledge and technological innovations through open science and flexible intellectual property regimes, fostering South-South cooperation, and mobilizing development financing, including Official Development Assistance (ODA) to close technological gaps.

Addressing both social and environmental objectives is essential to mitigate risks and seize opportunities related to the low-carbon transition. A just transition requires supportive financial flows and enabling financial systems. Member States can support mobilization of financial resources for a just transition by leveraging public development banks, incentivizing the use of financing instruments that attract private capital, developing comprehensive sustainable finance frameworks that consider social and environmental objectives, and developing capacities within the financial system.

Global FDI flows declined since 2015, hindering progress towards the SDGs. FfD4 should seek to leverage partnerships between investment stakeholders, enhance countries’ readiness to attract investment in SDG, and promote home-country initiatives to channel investment. SWFs and institutional investors possess substantial capital that can be directed toward infrastructure and SDG, while more de-risking initiatives need to be developed. Systematic efforts to advance sustainability standards and address greenwashing is essential to grow sustainable finance.

The momentum to measure South-South cooperation is growing rapidly, spurred by the endorsement of SDG indicator 17.3.1 and the voluntary ‘Framework to Measure South-South Cooperation’. Developed by the global South, the Framework aims to provide data on South-South cooperation to enable first-ever globally inclusive information on international development support by reflecting the realities of the global South. To unlock its full potential, significant support, technical training, harmonized tools, and targeted assistance, is needed for countries.

Scaling up the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions

Sovereign Debt Workout Mechanisms: The G20 Common Framework and Beyond

Better Data on Trade in Services for Effective FFD Strategies

This brief presents evidence on coverage and financing gaps for universal social protection (USP), offering actionable recommendations for FfD4. The ILO estimates that to ensure at least a social protection floor, low- and middle-income countries require an additional investment of US$ 1.4 trillion (3.3 per cent of the aggregate GDP) of these countries. To close the financing gap countries must increase investment in social protection, raising effective coverage by 2 percentage points annually (SDG indicator 1.3.1). At the international level, debt relief should move at a faster pace and access to international emergency financing must be enhanced to enable regular investment in USP in a climate-volatile world and avoid repeated rounds of austerity.

The policy brief emphasizes the need for a long-term perspective and a stable investment environment for CETM projects, highlighting the importance of clear government regulations. It advocates expanding the capital base in developing countries through innovative financing mechanisms and lowering borrowing costs via international cooperation. The policy brief also underscores the importance of a holistic approach to financing, promoting value addition and diversification throughout the CETM value chain.

Multilateral Credit: Filling in the Financial Gap?

Investment is necessary but not sufficient for achieving inclusive economic growth and decent work. The ILO MNE Declaration provides an investment framework for coherent and synergistic policies concerning job creation, enterprise development, formalization, skills development and protection of workers’ rights. Consultation with social partners can ensure that decent work is prioritized while also enabling enterprises to grow. And dialogue between host and home countries could lead to better alignment of policies and ODA to support investment facilitation for development.