IDOS @ the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development

Event Type
IDOS at FfD4

Location / Date
Seville, Spain, 30.06.2025 until 03.07.2025

German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)

From 30 June to 3 July 2025, government representatives will convene in Seville for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). At this event, organised by the United Nations (UN), countries are expected to agree on a new outcome document to succeed the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, adopted in 2015. In the face of escalating geopolitical tensions and growing scepticism around international cooperation, achieving an ambitious and progressive agreement is challenging. However, the ongoing crisis in development finance – characterised by the mounting debt burden in many Global South countries, shrinking development cooperation budgets, and rising financing needs for the socioecological transformation – demands urgent policy action. In this situation, FfD4 provides an opportunity for governments to build a new consensus on tackling global challenges cooperatively and provide renewed momentum for the much-needed reforms of the international financial architecture.

IDOS researchers have closely observed the FfD process over the past year, accompanying and contributing to the official negotiations through several events, a dedicated blog series, and further publications. In Seville, IDOS will continue its active engagement with four side events on international debt, inclusive green finance, tax expenditure reporting, and special drawing rights.

IDOS Side Events at FfD4
 

• Universal Principles for Lending and Borrowing: Design and Road for Implementation
   
• Fostering Inclusive Green Finance
   
• Minimum Standards for Tax Expenditure Reporting
  Thursday, 3 July 2025, 10:30 am - 12:00 Room Side event 4, FIBES Sevilla Exhibition and Conference Centre
   
• How to implement Channeling Special Drawing Rights to Multilateral Development Banks?
  Thursday, 3 July 2025, 12:30 pm -2:00 pm, Room Side event 23

IDOS Publications on FfD4
 

Key terms in development finance - a glossary 
Walle, Yabibal
in: D+C  (3/2025), 50-52

How the FfD process should promote a better alignment of financial markets with sustainability goals 
Hilbrich, Sören / Kathrin Berensmann / Clara Brandi
in: Stephan Klingebiel / Jorge A. Pérez-Pineda / Kathrin Berensmann, Financing for development: From Monterrey to Seville, Bonn: German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Discussion Paper (12/2025) 53-58

How does the new collective quantified goal on climate finance reshape the climate–development finance nexus?
Aleksandrova, Mariya / Svea Koch
in: Stephan Klingebiel / Jorge A. Pérez-Pineda / Kathrin Berensmann, Financing for development: From Monterrey to Seville, Bonn: German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Discussion Paper (12/2025) 33-36

The European Union’s emerging position for FfD4: means (of implementation) to what end? 
Keijzer, Niels
in: Stephan Klingebiel / Jorge A. Pérez-Pineda / Kathrin Berensmann, Financing for development: From Monterrey to Seville, Bonn: German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Discussion Paper (12/2025) 75-78

Reform of the multilateral development banks: how FfD4 can support it 
Walle, Yabibal
in: Stephan Klingebiel / Jorge A. Pérez-Pineda / Kathrin Berensmann, Financing for development: From Monterrey to Seville, Bonn: German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Discussion Paper (12/2025) 79-83

Financing for development: from Monterrey to Seville
Klingebiel, Stephan / Jorge A. Pérez-Pineda / Kathrin Berensmann (eds.) (2025)
Discussion Paper (12/2025)

The elephants in the room: uncomfortable perspectives on the Fourth Financing for Development (FfD) Conference
Klingebiel, Stephan (2025)
published on globalpolicyjournal.com, 11.02.2025

FfD4: Exploring Priorities for Africa
Karim Karaki / San Bilal and Kathrin Berensmann, with contributions from Niels Keijzer / Yabibal Walle / Iliana Olivié and Damien Barchiche (2025)
ETTG Policy Brief 1/2025

FfD4 as a turning point: overcoming challenges to strengthen sustainable development finance
Barchiche, Damien / Ben Katoka / Karim Karaki / Niels Keijzer / Iliana Olivié / Maria Santillán O’Shea (2025)
Brussels: European Think Tanks Group

Ideas to reform debt policy
Berensmann, Kathrin (2025)
D+C (2025/3), 47-49

How the EU can leverage FFD4 to strengthen its international partnerships
Karaki, Karim / Niels Keijzer (2025)
published on ettg.eu, 04.02.2025

Financing for development: new opportunities?
Berensmann, Kathrin / Clara Brandi / Yabibal Walle (2025)
in: IDOS Jahresbericht - Annual Report 2023-2025, Bonn: German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), 28-32

Aligning climate action and development finance: The role of FfD4
Barchiche, Damien / Karim Karaki / Ben Katoka / Iliana Olivié / María Santillán O’Shea / Kathrin Berensmann / San Bilal / Daniele Fatibene / Niels Keijzer / Yabibal Walle (2024)
Brussels: European Think Tanks Group (ETTG)

Leveraging the FfD4 preparatory process to remove barriers to channelling special drawing rights to multilateral development banks
Berensmann, Kathrin / Elise Dufief / Rob Floyd / Yabibal Walle (2024)
published on blogs.idos-research.de, 02.12.2024

Reforming the Global Debt Governance System: Exploring Effective and Feasible Policy Solutions
Berensmann, Kathrin (2024)
Input to the UN-DESA Elements Paper on Financing for Development, Action area: Debt and Debt Sustainability, 15 October 2024

Feasible approaches to enhance the interoperability of sustainable finance frameworks
Berensmann, Kathrin (2024)
Input to the elements paper on Financing for Development, Action area: Domestic and international private business and finance, 15 October 2024

Using Special Drawing Rights as a Source of Financing for Sustainable Development
Walle, Yabibal / Kathrin Berensmann (2024)
Input for the UNDESA Elements Paper on Financing for Development, Action area: International development cooperation, 15 October 2024

IDOS Blog Series on FfD4
 

• MDBs at FfD4: More Attention, Few Breakthroughs?
  by Yabibal Walle, 21 May 2025

• Towards a stronger shared climate and development finance agenda: what role for the FfD4?
  by Svea Koch and Mariya Aleksandrova, 8 May 2025

• FfD4 Countdown: A Watered-Down Proposal on Tax Expenditures Risks Undermining Countries’ Domestic Revenue Mobilization
  by Alexandra Readhead, Agustin Redonda, Christian von Haldenwang, Giovanni Occhiali, and Hazel Granger, 22 April 2025

• Investment Facilitation for Development: What Should FfD4 Deliver?
  by Axel Berger and Zoryana Olekseyuk, 7 April 2025

• Frozen in time: How to rethink the role of foreign aid in FFD4
  by Heiner Janus, 19 March 2025

• The Group of 77 in the FfD negotiations
  by Anna Novoselova, 12 March 2025

• How Seville Can Sow the Seeds for a New Spring: Financing (Sustainable) Development Must Turn Universal!
  by Adolf Kloke-Lesch, 4 March 2025

• Trump and FfD4 – the Elephant in the Room Starts to Speak (and Destroy)
  by Sören Hilbrich, Yabibal Walle, and Clara Brandi, 21 February 2025

• Rationalising Tax Expenditures – a Core Element of Financing for Development
  by Christian von Haldenwang and Agustín Redonda, 20 February 2025

• Forging Consensus: Navigating Trade Controversies in the FfD4 Zero Draft
  by Clara Brandi, 4 February 2025

• Cumbersome but Essential – The United Nations Financing for Development Process Ahead of its 4th Conference
  by Kathrin Berensmann, Clara Brandi, Sören Hilbrich, and Yabibal Walle, 16 January 2025

Hinweis

Während unserer Veranstaltungen werden z.T. Foto- und/oder Filmaufnahmen gemacht, die für Zwecke der Veranstaltungsberichterstattung und allgemeinen Öffentlichkeitsarbeit in verschiedenen Medien veröffentlicht werden. Sie haben jederzeit das Recht, die Foto- oder Videograf*innen darauf hinzuweisen, dass Sie nicht aufgenommen werden möchten. / During our events photos and/or videos may be taken which may be published in various media for the purposes of documentation and PR activities. You have the right at any time to point out to the photographer or videographer that you do not want to be photographed or filmed.