Spain hosts the 4th United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development from 30 June to 3 July

The President of the Government of Spain will be chairing the Fourth United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), which takes place between 30 June and 3 July at the Seville Conference and Exhibition Centre (FIBES). It is the only forum where leaders from all governments, international and regional organisations, financial and trade institutions, business, civil society and the United Nations system come together at the highest level to strengthen international cooperation.

The conference, which comes 10 years after the last edition (hosted by Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2015), is taking place in a turbulent and vastly different geopolitical, multilateral and technological context. Its very celebration is a call to action, likely to mobilise more resources for sustainable development through financial instruments better adapted to the global challenges of multilateralism.

As host country, Spain will lead the necessary change from Seville, where around 60 heads of state and government - including those of South Africa, Kenya, France, Mauritania, Colombia, Egypt, the European Commission and the European Council -, more than 200 official delegations from member states and international financial organisations such as the IDB, EIB and WTO, and more than 4,000 representatives from business, civil society and academia are expected to attend.

The Seville Commitment

The main outcome of the Conference will be the adoption of a document, agreed by consensus on 17 June in New York: the Seville Commitment. This text will be adopted at the opening plenary session. Through the Seville Platform for Action (SPA), the Seville Commitment will be reinforced through initiatives implemented by voluntary coalitions of countries and actors from the private sector and civil society that wish to move forward together with its implementation, with innovative and measurable measures that have a real impact on sustainable development.

The Conference programme will include numerous official events and side events at various levels. It will start with the general debate in Plenary Session where the Seville Commitment will be adopted. There will also be an International Business Forum, as well as more than 370 side events. President Pedro Sánchez will lead several working sessions and side events, including the Seville Platform for Action, 'Special Events' on cooperation and debt and round tables.

Significant presence of the Government of Spain

The International Business Forum, to be opened by the President, aims to bring together Heads of State and Government, ministers, CEOs and global business leaders to attract private finance and investment in sustainable development, and to shape the completion of the 2030 Agenda.

Also, in the days leading up to the Conference, various civil society forums will be held to discuss participation in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals and to propose new initiatives to achieve them.

The Government of Spain will also have a significant presence, through the participation of several ministers in the various debates and round tables on cooperation, governance, technology, science and multilateral financing scheduled over the four days of the Conference.

The Seville Conference is expected to attract more than 10,000 official delegates, participants and media organisations to the city.

Programme

Sunday 29 June:

• Bilateral meetings: The President will hold bilateral meetings with world leaders during the morning and will participate in two Civil Society events in the afternoon:

Global Citizen Now, the civil society platform fighting to end extreme poverty, is organising an event with the participation of Pedro Sánchez; Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; and actress, activist and UNHCR ambassador Nomzamo Mbatha.

Closing of the Civil Society Forum, which brings together national and international third sector associations and organisations that advocate for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Official dinner of Their Majesties the King and Queen. At the end of the evening there will be a dinner for Their Majesties the King and Queen with the Heads of State and Government present and a selection of leaders of international organisations in the Real Alcázar in Seville.

Monday 30 June:

• Greetings and Photo: After the welcome greeting of the Heads of State and Government by President Pedro Sánchez and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, a family photo will be taken.
• Plenary: speaking in addition to the President of the Government of Spain will be the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the President of the World Bank, the Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation and the Secretary-General of the Conference. The Seville Commitment, the political declaration that seals the negotiations on improved financing for development, will also be adopted at this plenary session.
• Press conference: at the end of the morning, there will be a joint press conference between the President of the Government of Spain and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to report on the Conference.
• SPA special event "Implementing the Seville Platform for Action": The event will be moderated by the journalist Femi Oke, and the President of the Government of Spain and the Secretary General of the United Nations will participate along with several world leaders.
• International Business Forum: This event, in which the President of the Government of Spain will participate along with the Secretary General of the United Nations and Heads of State and Government, ministers, CEOs and global business leaders, is aimed at attracting private financing and investment in sustainable development for the completion of the 2030 Agenda.
• Pact for Prosperity, People and Planet (4P) event: The President of the Government of Spain will participate in this event led by France and Kenya.

Tuesday 1 July:

• Special event on international development cooperation: The event, led by the President of the Government of Spain and UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan, will be attended by OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño, IDB President Ilan Goldfajn and Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman.
• Special event on debt: Spain and South Africa will hold a special event on debt at which the President of the Government of Spain and the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, will make opening remarks.
• Roundtable on revitalising international development cooperation

Wednesday 2 July:-

• Round table on trade
• Lunch with global entrepreneurs participating in FFD4.

• Round table on debt, chaired by the President of the Government of Spain.

Thursday 3 July:

1. Closing of the Conference: President Pedro Sánchez will close the Conference.

Non official translation