Dear colleagues,
It is a great pleasure to share with you the ongoing preparations for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) and the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2).
Let me begin with FfD4.
As you know, FfD4 is taking place against the backdrop of an extraordinarily challenging global context. Trade barriers are rising, ODA budgets are being cut, and the global macroeconomic outlook is highly uncertain.
These challenges risk further exacerbating the SDG financing gap, currently estimated at 4 trillion US dollars annually.
This underscores that FfD4 is a critical, and perhaps final opportunity before 2030, to close the financing gap and put the SDGs back on track.
FfD4 also represents an opportune moment to demonstrate the enduring power of multilateralism, and our unified resolve to deliver for people, planet and prosperity.
The draft outcome document, released by the four Co-Facilitators, puts forward a bold global financing framework to close the SDG financing gap. It calls for an impact-focused, large-scale investment push; and a transformative reform of the international financial architecture.
Specifically, it proposes a substantial scale-up of public development bank lending, including tripling MDB lending capacity and strengthening national and regional development banks.
The draft outcome document also addresses the persistent barriers to private investment in developing countries. It calls for the scaling and standardizing of blended finance, reducing sovereign borrowing costs, and a critical review of financial regulations and credit rating agencies to unlock more flows for sustainable development.
Importantly, the draft outcome places development impact, national ownership and full alignment with national priorities at the core of final decisions.
Architecture reform is equally important. The draft outcome calls for a more effective and inclusive international financial architecture.
It commits the international community to close gaps in the global financial safety net, by strengthening regional financial arrangements, expanding the role of SDRs, reforming credit ratings, and bringing down the cost of capital for developing countries.
For a more inclusive architecture, it champions enhanced participation of developing countries, and a strengthened role for the UN in inclusive dialogue and norm-setting in development cooperation and debt architecture.
Turning to the Second World Summit for Social Development, we confront a world fraught with Inequality, poverty, insecurity and mistrust ¨C forces that erode social cohesion.
This Summit offers an opportunity to forge a new global consensus on inclusive policies and robust actions for social development fit for the twenty-first century.
It is an opportunity to galvanize investments in human capabilities, social protection, and decent work, thus reducing inequality and accelerating progress towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda -- and leaving no one behind.
The Summit aims to adopt a concise, action-oriented political declaration, agreed by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations in New York.
Regional platforms such as the Regional Collaborative Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean (RCP LAC), are indispensable in this endeavour. They provide critical spaces for regional dialogue, highlighting regional specificities and fostering innovative, scalable solutions.
The UN Inter-Agency Task Force has effectively integrated these regional perspectives into the global process.
I would like to underscore that this is a Member State-driven process. Active participation of national Governments is critical for the Summit¡¯s success.
Side events in Doha will offer platforms to share regional and national best practices and innovations to promote social progress.
The Co-Facilitators ¡°Food for Thought¡± paper, released on 7 March, lays the groundwork for the political declaration. Member States¡¯ feedback will shape the zero-draft declaration, expected to be released later this month.
As we look ahead to the Doha Summit, it is crucial to recognize that communication and outreach are not just channels for visibility and engagement, but powerful drivers to ensure inclusion, regional and national ownership, and meaningful engagement.
Effective outreach amplifies stakeholder voices and showcases regional efforts to combat inequalities, and advance inclusive social development.
The role of the Regional Collaborative Platform and UN Country Teams is indispensable in this regard.
Dear colleagues,
I thank you for your substantive contributions to these global multilateral solutions, which highlighted the challenges and priorities of your region.
I urge you to remain actively engaged in these multilateral efforts to address current challenges. We have to ensure that no one is left behind.
For FfD4, Spain, as the host country, has launched the Sevilla Platform for Action, inviting coalitions of countries and stakeholders to present high-impact initiatives at the Conference.
Let us seize these opportunities to forge a more equitable and sustainable world.
Thank you!