The ECOSOC Forum on financing for development (FfD4) and the fourth session of the preparatory committee of the fourth international conference on financing for development (FfD4) shed light on major concerns regarding the expected decrease in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) for vulnerable countries, which should drop to 50 % by the end of 2025. Similarly, the financial gap to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has reached a new threshold exceeding 1 trillion USD.
In a setting marked by climate change, biodiversity loss, chemical and plastic pollution, land degradation, wars, conflicts, chain supply crises, trade wars, and the soaring of political populism, the achievement of SDGs by 2030 gradually seems out of reach. Financing canals of these objectives dry-up at a time when the most vulnerable population needs it the most.
Under the aegis of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), ministers and high government officials gathered to reinforce political impetus ahead of the international conference on financing for development, planned for June 30 to July 3, 2025, in Spain, Seville. The FfD4 shall focus new emerging issues and on the emergency of the full implementation of the SDGs, while supporting international financial structure.
The forum allowed delegates to engage a discussion with high-level representatives of both Bretton Woods institutions: the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Delegates equally took part in a special meeting with Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Five ministerial discussions were equally held on topics including;
- Reducing loan costs and advancing development-oriented debt solutions;
- Reviving cooperation for development, impact and inclusion;
- Mobilising private investment to promote impact;
- Exploiting trade and technology for sustainable development;
- Investing in data to speedup development.
In preparation for the FfD4, the UN General Assembly called an intergovernmental preparatory committee (PrepCom), which met trice: in Addis-Abeba, July 2024, at the UN head office in New York in December 2024 and February 2025. During the third PrepCom session, delegates examined a draft outcome document. The intersessional work carried out in March 2025 resulted in improvements made to the revised document, on which observers commented.
The ECOSOC FfD Forum was held from 28 to 29 May 2025, alongside the fourth session of the PrepCom (30 April - 1 May 2025) at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
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