Pedro Sánchez closes the Seville Conference by defending the progress made in development cooperation "in the face of cynicism and oblivion"

FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre, Seville

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, speaks at the closing ceremony of the 4th United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development (Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, closed the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), which had been taking place since last Monday in Seville, thanking everyone - delegates, workers, volunteers, journalists - for their participation and stressing that, in addition to in-depth debates, the meeting had closed with important results: "Results which are the fruit of collective work, mutual listening and shared commitment to a common goal: renewing international financing for development and giving new impetus to the Sustainable Development Goals. We had to act, and we have acted".

The president began by highlighting the content of the final declaration of the Conference, the Seville Commitment, approved by the plenary, which includes mechanisms to alleviate the debt burden and make tax systems more progressive and efficient: "We have reached an agreement that mobilises resources to channel more financing and increase the fiscal capacity of developing countries. An agreement that improves debt sustainability and strengthens accountability mechanisms".

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, with staff from the 4th United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development (Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

Conference results

Pedro Sánchez also highlighted the launch during the Conference of the Seville Platform for Action (SPA), which will enable countries, international institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations to join forces to promote innovative initiatives to advance the financing for development agenda. The Platform has already received 130 impact proposals, the president highlighted, including several promoted by Spain, such as the Debt Pause Clause Alliance -which provides for the temporary interruption of debt service payments in the event that a country is affected by a food, health or climate crisis, and the Global Hub for Debt Swaps for Development -which enables debt repayments to be swapped for sustainable investments.

Another outcome of the Conference is the "Seville Plan for Multilateralism: Refuge, Reinforcement and Reform", an ambitious project that will include the opening of a United Nations House in Madrid - where interested UN agencies can be located -, a greater effort by Spain to host more multilateral summits, the promotion of the presence of Spain and Spaniards in international organisations, the improvement of procedures for Spain's contribution of resources to UN organisations and the coordination of a platform to transform the architecture of global governance in order to increase its inclusion and representativeness.

In addition, the President of the Government of Spain announced during the Conference that Spain will allocate 0.7% of its gross national income to development aid by 2030, the launch of a national mechanism that will channel 60 million euros a year for debt relief for developing countries, and an increase in Spain's contributions to cooperation in the period 2025-2027 that will reach 315 million euros in global health, 500 million euros in the fight against climate change and 725 million euros in human rights and humanitarian action.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, along with the First Vice-President and Minister for Treasury, María Jesús Montero, with staff from the 4th United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development (Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

Spain also announced its incorporation last Monday in the coalition formed within the framework of the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force to analyse ways in which the air transport sector can contribute to a just ecological transition, such as a tax on private jets or on premium tickets.

Fourteen bilateral meetings

During this week, the President of the Government of Spain has held a total of 14 bilateral meetings with various international leaders, addressing key issues such as multilateralism, economic cooperation and regional stability.

With French President Emmanuel Macron, he discussed global issues such as economic uncertainty and peace in the Middle East. The strengthening of bilateral relations was highlighted with the President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, and with the Prime Minister of Nepal, K.P. Sharma Oli, trade cooperation and the climate emergency were discussed. In his meetings with the presidents of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska, Spain's commitment to EU enlargement was reaffirmed. In addition, with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Sánchez expressed support for Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

The President also met with other leaders, including Kenyan President William Ruto and Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi, to discuss cooperation and sustainable development. He also highlighted the signing of a new Partnership Framework with Honduras and discussed the two countries' excellent bilateral relations with Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Pedro Sánchez also took part in special events and round tables on debt, trade, health and international cooperation, inaugurated the International Business Forum which took place during the Conference, held a meeting with civil society leaders who participated in FFD4, and held a working session with academics and intellectuals who are experts on debt in developing countries. In addition, the President of the Government of Spain spoke at the Global Citizen NOW Seville: Financing our Future', prior to the start of the Conference, in which global political, economic and cultural figures called on the world's civil society to mobilise in favour of sustainable development commitments.

"Cooperation in the face of cynicism"

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, with members of the State Security Forces who participated in the 4th United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development (Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

The President of the Government of Spain urged the delegates to continue with the work begun in Seville: "Today we are not just closing a conference. Today we are blazing a trail. And we do so by putting on record something infinitely more powerful than the hate speeches and confrontation that others trumpet: that the world is still capable of coming together to stand up for what really matters".

Pedro Sánchez highlighted as the main achievement of this international meeting having "kept the flame of development cooperation alive, even when many want to extinguish it. We have protected it against cynicism, against selfishness and against oblivion," he said.

Non official translation