United Nations in China and Embassy of Spain Co-Host Seminar to Build Momentum Towards the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development

Held at the United Nations Compound, the seminar served as a key moment for stakeholders to exchange views on financing challenges and opportunities ahead of the landmark FfD4 gathering in Seville, Spain later this month.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China, underscored the importance of the meeting. He said: “This is perhaps the most important discussion within the entire United Nations multilateral system on how to mobilize the four trillion dollars needed annually to finance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

Her Excellency Ms. Marta Betanzos Roig, Ambassador of Spain to China, emphasized the collaborative spirit of the initiative. She said: “This platform is meant to mobilize broader validation and support from countries and stakeholders who are committed to implementing concrete measures, plans, and programs that make an impact in priority areas. These could include debt sustainability, climate finance, tax cooperation, digital inclusion, or gender-responsive financing—each representing different areas of focus and interest.”

During his online remarks, Mr. Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, highlighted: “This conference rightly focuses on enhancing the role of public development banks. We must expand their lending capacity and promote a unified and coordinated approach among national, regional, and multilateral development banks to unlock transformative, life-changing investments. Crucially, we must improve the quality of finance, not just the quantity.”

Keynote addresses from H.E. Ms. Mónica Colomer, Ambassador on Special Mission for Development Financing from Spain; and Ms. Beate Trankmann, UNDP Resident Representative, addressed the need for stronger international cooperation, domestic resource mobilization, and financial system reform. They emphasized innovative tools like debt swaps and blended finance, along with the importance of high-quality, inclusive, and accountable financing for sustainable development.

The seminar featured two expert panel discussions. The first focused on domestic resource mobilization to close the SDGs financing gap, with insights from H.E. Mr. Jesus Seade (Mexico), Mrs. Roshan Khanal (Nepal), Dr. Zhu Xufeng (Tsinghua University), and Mr. Rodrigo Salvado (AIIB). Panelists shared perspectives on domestic resource mobilization, highlighting innovative financing tools, structural reforms, and the vital role of international cooperation and private sector engagement in closing the SDGs financing gap.

The second panel dived into the reform of the international financial architecture, and explored perspectives from H.E. Mr. Ivan Zyuulu (Zambia), Ms. Zhang Bei (People’s Bank of China), Ms. Sophie Muller (UNHCR), and Mr. Piyachart Isarabhakdee (BRANDi). Speakers highlighted the urgent need for more inclusive, equitable, and effective global financial systems, emphasizing green finance, capacity building, fair debt mechanisms, private sector incentives, and greater support for host countries and vulnerable populations.

The seminar reinforced the role of China and other key actors in shaping a forward-looking agenda for financing for development, with broad stakeholder consensus on the need for inclusive and bold reforms.