High-Impact Initiatives, Leadership Key to Turn Financing for Development Reforms from ‘Paper to Practice’, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Forum Closing

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s closing remarks at the 2025 Economic and Social Council Financing for Development Forum today: 

As we conclude this year’s Financing for Development Forum, I will not offer a summary but rather sound an urgent call to action, as we consider the critical decisions ahead of us in the FfD4 [fourth International Conference on Financing for Development] process.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the fourth preparatory committee session, followed by the second intersessional to advance negotiations on the outcome document.  The renewed global financing framework that we are about to deliver has to meet the scale and urgency of the moment. 

Over the past two days, we have heard, again and again, that we are in the midst of a development crisis.  At its core, exacerbated by geopolitical tensions, lies a chronic failure of the global financial system to deliver adequate, equitable, and predictable financing to those who need it most. 

Yet if we act with determination and solidarity, the Sevilla conference can mark a historic breakthrough.  As we’ve heard, we must deliver a more effective, inclusive, and responsive financing system — one that moves resources towards clear outcomes, and delivers real results on the ground. 

This means aligning financial flows with real development gains — and ensuring they reach the communities, countries, and sectors where the needs are greatest.

We also need to change how we think about financing.  It cannot be fragmented.  Financing must be a catalyst for transformation — designed to put economies onto more sustainable, equitable, and resilient pathways.  And it should reflect the leadership and priorities of developing countries, placing them at the center of decision-making.  Their role is not to follow, but to shape the agenda — and their future — through fair access to resources and enhanced capacity to thrive in the global economy.

Encouragingly, the draft outcome document already points in the right direction.  It includes proposals for expanding the role of public development banks, reducing the cost of capital, scaling up liquidity management support, and reinforcing the global financial safety net.  It also sets out critical reforms to the international debt architecture and calls for more inclusive and representative global economic governance.

But turning these reforms from paper to practice will require your continued leadership and engagement.  I invite you to take part in the Sevilla Platform for Action — which brings together Governments and other key stakeholders to launch high-impact initiatives aligned with the outcome of the conference.

These efforts should be forward-looking, grounded in the UN Charter, and built around clear goals, concrete timelines, and dedicated resources.  The submission window will open on 1 May.  I encourage you to lead, to partner, and to mobilize.  Let us turn commitments into coalitions — and ideas into implementation.

Sevilla must be more than a conference.  It must be a turning point — towards a new chapter in financing for development.  Let’s seize this opportunity together.