Media Advisory | Ministers and leaders to convene for high-level deliberations ahead of 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4)

MEDIA ADVISORY
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WHO:

• H.E. Bob Rae, President of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
• Mr. Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)

WHAT:

• Briefing on the 2025 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development | 28-29 April, UNHQ

WHEN:

• 28 April 2025, 12:00 noon EDT  at the Noon Briefing of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

WHERE:

WHY: The hope of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is severely threatened by a financing gap estimated at trillions per year, as well as by conflicts, humanitarian disasters, extreme weather events, and economic upheavals. Ahead of the 4^th International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, Spain, on 30 June – 3 July, Finance, Foreign Affairs and Development Ministers, along with the UN Secretary-General and heads of UN agencies, international financial institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector will meet at UN Headquarters in New York to express their views and foster political momentum for FFD4. The deliberations of the Forum will feed into the discussions on the outcome of FFD4.

Background: 

• The International Conferences on Financing for Development (FFD) are high-level global gatherings convened by the United Nations to address the financial and economic challenges of sustainable development. Since the first Conference in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2002, the conferences have provided a critical platform for global cooperation on finance for development, including debt sustainability, investment, trade, and innovative financing solutions. FFD4 will bring together heads of state and government and other leaders and delegates from around the world to agree on solutions to overcome the urgent financing challenges facing the global community.

NB: Media wishing to attend FFD4 MUST be accredited by 12 June 2025. More information here. 

• The ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development (28 – 29 April), now in its 10th year, is an intergovernmental process with universal participation of all United Nations Member States, mandated to review the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda, other financing for development outcomes, and the means of implementation of the SDGs. This year, the Forum looks ahead to FFD4, to galvanize commitments and cooperation among all parties for concrete measures and solutions to close the funding gap and achieve the SDGs.

The 2025 programme and the list of ministers attending can be found here.

Follow the FFD Forum live on UN WebTV.

• The 4^th Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee Meeting (4^th PrepCom) will follow the FFD Forum on 30 April – 1 May. The General Assembly established the Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee to make the organizational, procedural, and substantive preparations for FFD4. Co-led by the Permanent Representatives of Burundi and Portugal, the 4^th PrepCom will be the last chance before FFD4 for inputs from multiple stakeholders into the FFD4 draft outcome document. Participants will be acting with urgency and determination for the success of the conference and ensuring the achievement of the SDGs.

Follow the 4^th PrepCom live on UN WebTV

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For more information or to request interviews, please contact: 

Rita Ann Wallace, UN DESA New York; M: +1 516 707 5570; rita.wallace@un.org

Geneva Damayanti, UN DESA New York; M: +1 917 519 7589; geneva.damayanti@un.org

Paul Simon, UN DESA New York; T: +1 917 367 5027 | M: +1 347 267 5618; simonp@un.org