The IV International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), set to take place in Seville from June 30 to July 3, 2025, is a crucial moment for global development. With just five years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it represents an opportunity for concrete financial commitments and can support reform of the international financial architecture.  

Why this conference matters 

The financing gap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is estimated to be as high as $4 trillion annually. Meanwhile, global priorities continue to lean towards increased military spending and fossil fuel subsidies rather than equitable and sustainable development. The outcomes of FfD4 will determine whether resources are mobilised effectively to support people and the planet or whether the international community falls short of its commitments. 

Key topics at the conference include: 

Forus’ role in the FfD4 Process 

Forus, a global network of civil society organisations, is engaged in advocacy for more inclusive, just, and transparent financing systems. Our priorities in Financing for Sustainable Development align with the urgency to challenge power imbalances in global financial governance and ensure that development finance truly benefits communities with a focus on localisation, an enabling environment for civil society, climate and gender justice. 

Through our participation in FfD4, Forus will focus on: 

It has been 10 years since the last conference, and several Forus members such as ForUM in Norway, PIANGO in the Pacific, CNCD 11.11.11 in Belgium, VANI in India, members of the Asia Development Alliance network & secretariat and many others, have been actively involved in the conference process. 

As part of these efforts, Forus will be organising and co-organising side events during FfD4, ensuring that voices and positions from across the network are heard. We will also support several Forus members in attending the conference and engaging in key advocacy moments. 

Spotlight on La Coordinadora’s Work in Spain 

Forus member in Spain, La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo, is leading a campaign to raise awareness and mobilize action around FfD4.  

In their position paper for the Conference available here, they focus on how the framework must be cross-cutting and rights-based, ensuring compliance with international law and human rights, including humanitarian law. It should promote sustainable, equitable, and inclusive development, focusing on just economic transitions, decent jobs, universal social protection, and strong public services. A feminist approach is crucial, addressing gender and intersectional inequalities while ensuring women’s participation in decision-making. Additionally, it should safeguard children and youth rights, fostering intergenerational responsibility. A peacebuilding perspective must guide funding, discouraging militarization and strengthening civil society and cooperation. The Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) principle should extend beyond climate finance, and restorative justice should address ecological debt, colonialism, and global inequality. Lastly, civil society’s substantive and informed participation must be guaranteed in all decision-making processes. 

La Coordinadora is also organizing mobilisation activities leading up to the conference. You can learn more about their work here.  

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