Conference marked the revival of the UN-led development financing agenda; the United States did not take part in the negotiations
Mariana Franco Ramos*
Plataforma CIPÓ played a prominent role at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), held from June 30 to July 3 in Seville, Spain. In addition to attending plenaries and high-level meetings, the organization co-organized two strategic side events focused on climate justice and reforming the international financial architecture.
With the presence of heads of state, former leaders, and experts from across the globe, the conference culminated in the adoption of the Seville Commitment, a document that lays out an ambitious agenda for structural reforms aimed at advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular emphasis on fiscal justice, gender equality, and climate action. The United States did not attend FfD4 after withdrawing from the negotiations and suspending support for humanitarian and poverty alleviation programs.
ACIPÓ’s delegation included Executive Director Maiara Folly, Programs Director Mariana Rondon, and researcher Nycolas Candido. The team actively contributed to the discussions, with a strong focus on sustainable and inclusive solutions for countries of the Global South.
Brazil and Europe in dialogue on climate and tax justice
On July 1, CIPÓ co-organized the 2nd Brazil–EU Dialogue on Climate Finance alongside the Brazilian Ministry of Finance, the Delegation of the European Union to Brazil, and the European Climate Foundation. Supported by the Institute for Climate and Society (iCS) and the French Embassy in Brazil, the event brought together government officials and experts to explore ways to strengthen international tax cooperation and promote innovative fiscal mechanisms to reduce inequalities and fund the ecological transition.
“Today, we’re discussing a topic on which Brazil and Europe have not always seen eye to eye: taxation. But that’s precisely why exchanges like this are so important,” said Maiara Folly at the event’s opening. “The Rio Ministerial Declaration on International Tax Cooperation and the inclusion of wealth taxation in the FfD4 outcome document show that Brazil and the EU can work together constructively toward building fairer tax systems,” she added.
OThe panel’s guest of honor was Márcio Macêdo, Minister and Chief of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of Brazil. Opening remarks were also delivered by Ambassador Tatiana Rosito, Secretary for International Affairs at the Ministry of Finance; William Roos, Deputy Secretary of the French Treasury; and Ali Mohamed, Special Envoy on Climate Change for the Presidency of Kenya.
Speakers included distinguished experts such as Abhijit Banerjee (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Jayati Ghosh (UMass Amherst), Laura Carvalho (Open Society Foundations), and Pascal Saint-Amans (Bruegel), as well as representatives from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the EU Fiscal Observatory.
Climate justice at the heart of global financial reform
On July 2, CIPÓ co-organized the event “Financing an Equitable, Fair, Inclusive and Resilient Future” in partnership with the Club de Madrid and the Impact Coalition on International Financial Architecture Reform. The discussion brought together former presidents, economists, and representatives from international organizations to stress the urgency of deeply reforming the global financial system, placing climate justice and ecological resilience at the center.
Key topics included scaling up green finance, reallocating Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), and designing more inclusive financial risk mitigation strategies.
“We’re talking about structural reforms. We must ensure that resources reach those who need them most, and that the global financial architecture aligns with climate and equity goals,” emphasized Folly.
Notable attendees included Michelle Bachelet (former President of Chile), Carlos Alvarado (former President of Costa Rica), Aminata Touré (former Prime Minister of Senegal), Jin Liqun (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank), Ambroise Fayolle (European Investment Bank), Alicia Montalvo (CAF), Anacláudia Rossbach (UN-Habitat), Cecilia Tam (IEA), and Matias Rebello Cardomingo (Brazil’s Ministry of Finance).
What’s at stake: the Seville Commitment
The main outcome of the conference, the Seville Commitment, outlines a new framework for development financing. It reaffirms previous commitments while proposing concrete measures to tackle the growing US$4 trillion annual gap in funding for the SDGs. The document calls for:
What’s at stake: the Seville Commitment
The main outcome of the conference, the Seville Commitment, outlines a new framework for development financing. It reaffirms previous commitments while proposing concrete measures to tackle the growing US$4 trillion annual gap in funding for the SDGs. The document calls for: Reforming the international financial architecture to make it more inclusive, effective, and representative; Advancing fairer global tax cooperation, including taxing large fortunes and tackling tax evasion; Aligning financial systems with climate and equity goals through green finance and risk redistribution; Strengthening international cooperation during crises and scaling up climate finance, including through the use of SDRs and new debt relief mechanisms.
The Commitment will now be submitted to the UN General Assembly for formal endorsement.
Links to COP30 and the G20
CIPÓ’s participation in FfD4 is part of a broader international advocacy strategy that includes preparations for COP30 — to be held in Belém in November 2025 — and engagement with G20 discussions under Brazil’s presidency in 2024, as well as the BRICS agenda.
During the conference, the CIPÓ team also joined events hosted by Global Citizen, Devex, Project Starling, and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), and attended the plenary session where Minister Márcio Macêdo delivered a speech on behalf of the Brazilian delegation.
“This is a decisive year. We have a unique opportunity to rebuild multilateral cooperation on new foundations: more just, more sustainable, more inclusive. Plataforma CIPÓ will remain engaged to ensure that the commitments made in Seville lead to concrete action,” concluded Folly.
* Mariana Franco Ramos is Communications Coordinator at Plataforma CIPÓ
