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TimesLIVE
04-07-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Civil society leaves UN development summit feeling unheard
When more than 1,000 civil society representatives flocked to Seville this week for a UN conference on development financing, their expectations were already low — but the four-day event left many frustrated and feeling their voices were stifled. The once-in-a-decade summit promised to marshall resources that could narrow the estimated $4.3-trillion (R75.79-trillion) financing gap needed to help developing countries overcome mounting debt distress, the ravages of climate change or structural inequality, among other hurdles. However, the world's richest governments have been slashing aid and bilateral lending while increasingly prioritising defence spending as geopolitical tensions escalate, raising doubts that the cautious optimism expressed by most officials in attendance was realistic. Several civil society organisations (CSOs) were critical of the measures outlined in a final document, the "Seville Commitment", which they said was watered down by wealthier nations unwilling to walk the talk. Others lambasted what they described as a private sector-first approach to development. Arthur Larok, secretary general of ActionAid, said Global South countries were "returning home empty-handed" while Global North governments did so "free from responsibility".
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Civil society leaves UN development summit feeling unheard
By David Latona SEVILLE, Spain (Reuters) -When over 1,000 civil society representatives flocked to Seville this week for a U.N. conference on development financing their expectations were already low, but the four-day event left many frustrated and feeling their voices were stifled. The once-in-a-decade summit promised to marshall resources that could narrow the estimated $4.3 trillion financing gap needed to help developing countries overcome mounting debt distress, the ravages of climate change or structural inequality, among other hurdles. However, the world's richest governments have been slashing aid and bilateral lending while increasingly prioritising defence spending as geopolitical tensions escalate, raising doubts that the cautious optimism expressed by most officials in attendance was realistic. Several civil society organisations (CSOs) were critical of the measures outlined in a final document, the "Seville Commitment", which they said was watered down by wealthier nations unwilling to walk the talk. Others lambasted what they described as a private sector-first approach to development. Arthur Larok, secretary general of ActionAid, said Global South countries were "returning home empty-handed" while Global North governments did so "free from responsibility". Still, certain initiatives - such as an alliance to tax the super-rich or plans to slap new levies on premium and private-jet flying - were widely celebrated among CSOs. Their main complaint was a lack of access, with accusations ranging from difficulties obtaining accreditations to exclusion from key negotiations, prompting CSO delegates to hold a protest at the conference's venue on its final day. "We've witnessed an unprecedented wave of restrictions and lack of attention to the voice of civil society," Oyebisi Babatunde Oluseyi, executive director of the Nigeria Network of NGOs, told Reuters, adding a new mechanism was needed to insert their perspective into global decision-making. U.N. Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed acknowledged CSOs' grievances in Thursday's closing press briefing and said the U.N. would endeavour to "expand the space" for them. "The U.N. was built to defend human rights - if it cedes to the global trend of shrinking civic space, it'll undermine its legitimacy," said Hernan Saenz of Oxfam International. In a joint declaration on Sunday, the CSOs denounced the international financial system as unjust and called for its "complete overhaul". Despite the pervasive discontent, all CSO representatives interviewed by Reuters said they ultimately believed in the U.N. system. Hirotaka Koike, a board member at the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation, said he did so because it was the only place where all countries were treated equally. "Yes, there are bureaucracies; yes, there are a lot of processes. But what else do we have?"
Qatar Tribune
03-07-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
UN conference reaffirms fight against poverty
MadridcTypeface:> The global community has agreed on intensified efforts in combating poverty, in open contradiction to the position of US President Donald Trump. The US government is sceptical of multilateral cooperation and the UN's sustainable development goals. Consequently, the United States did not endorse the 'Seville Commitment,' which was adopted by 192 countries at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in the southern Spanish metropolis on Thursday. After the start of his second term, Trump had US aid cut by around 80%, which accounts for about a quarter of all global development aid. According to estimates by the United Nations, the funding gap has now grown to at least $4 trillion annually. This gap was not nearly closed at the conference in Seville, but according to financial expert Bodo Ellmers from the non-governmental organization Global Policy Forum Europe, this was not the primary goal. Instead, he said that structural reforms in areas such as tax cooperation, debt crisis management, or reform of international financial institutions should be agreed upon. Currently, 3.4 billion people live in countries that have to spend more on interest payments than what remains for education and health. This reform project was 'only moderately successful' in Seville, Ellmers criticized, saying there are hardly any concrete measures or specific quantitative or time targets included. Whether the funding gap will continue to grow depends on the concrete implementation of the agreements. German Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan nevertheless praised the agreement as a 'powerful boost for a fairer world.' 'Despite the difficult global situation, conflicts, and nationalist tendencies, almost all states are pulling together here,' she stressed. (DPA)
Scoop
02-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Sevilla: Without Sustainable Development, There Is Neither Hope Nor Security
2 July 2025 Development benefits all countries because it is linked to other areas of activity and society, including basic security itself. Without it, there is no hope – and no stability. That is the key message from the Director of the UN Development Programme's Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (UNDP), Marcos Neto, to all other nations gathered in Sevilla who have signed up to the plan of action, which gets underway immediately. The Sevilla Agreement is the centrepiece of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, and it has been adopted by 192 of the 193 UN members. The United States withdrew citing fundamental disagreements with many policy approaches and is absent from the summit taking place amid scorching temperatures in the southern city of Sevilla, Spain. No lack of money In his interview during the conference, we asked Mr. Neto to explain in plain language what the Seville Commitment is all about. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Marcos Neto: We are five years away from the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. One of the biggest obstacles to this shared agenda of global solidarity is financing. In other words: where is the money? Where will the money come from? The Sevilla Commitment is a document that makes it clear that this is not about a lack of money – it's about aligning public and private capital flows toward those Goals, toward the Paris Agreement, and toward all other international commitments. The commitment outlines what to do with every kind of money – national, international, public, and private. It is a roadmap that was agreed upon through consensus among UN Member States, involving the private sector, civil society, and philanthropy. UN News: One of the major absences at this Conference was the United States, which left the negotiations on the Undertaking. How did Washington's withdrawal influence the Conference? Marcos Neto: A consensus among 192 countries was reached and approved here. Now, clearly, the United States is one of the world's largest economies and holds significant weight. I believe it's crucial to keep the dialogue open and continue engaging all Member States, each according to their own needs. For example, development financing is directly linked to security. Without development, you cannot have a stable society – one without conflict. What's your level of poverty? What's your level of inequality? Development is a security strategy. Development is hope. A people without hope is a people in trouble. UN News: In conferences like this, documents are adopted, but often people feel they are just empty words that don't really affect their daily lives. What would you say to those citizens to convince them that these decisions actually make a difference? Marcos Neto: I'll give you a very clear example. At the last Conference on Financing for Development ten years ago in Addis Ababa, there was a phrase that envisioned the creation of what we now call Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs). We at UNDP developed this concept in 86 countries. This is real: 47 billion dollars were aligned and mobilized through that mechanism. 50 billion dividend So, in practice, I can say we have helped put more than 50 billion dollars into the hands of countries. We've also helped them reform their national budget processes so that the money reaches where it's supposed to go. Our current commitment is to implement the Seville Commitment. We are committed to delivering on it. From Seville to Belém UN News: In addition, the Sevilla Platform for Action will also serve to implement various initiatives… Marcos Neto: Yes, we are leading 11 of the initiatives under the Seville Platform, and I think it was a great move by the Government of Spain to have created this action platform in Sevilla to turn this into implementation. It's very similar to what Brazil wants to do at the end of the year at COP30. There is a direct connection between Seville and Belém – the host city of the UN Climate Change Summit in Brazil later this year. These connections are important.
The Star
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Laos makes global call for stronger domestic resource mobilisation
Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith addresses the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain. VIENTIANE: The government has called for greater efforts to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation as a key step towards achieving sustainable development and reducing reliance on foreign aid. Speaking at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain, taking place from June 30 to July 3, Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith said Laos is reforming its public finance system and increasing tax collection through digital technology, human resource development, and improved budget management. The government has set an ambitious target to raise tax revenue to 20 percent of gross domestic product by 2030. In the first six months of this year, tax collection rose by 4.3 percent and accounted for 11.7 percent of GDP, according to a report presented at the National Assembly's recent ordinary session. During the conference, Saleumxay addressed a high-level roundtable meeting on domestic resource mobilisation and allocation. He said that for least developed countries such as Laos, building effective tax systems is vital to meeting national development needs and reducing reliance on external loans and grants. He urged development partners and the international community to provide greater financial and technical support, including help to strengthen human resources and international tax cooperation, to enhance domestic financing capacity. The deputy prime minister also spoke during the conference's general debate, delivering remarks on behalf of Asean and Laos. He expressed strong support for the adoption of the Seville Commitment, the final outcome document of the conference, which lays out shared goals to close financing gaps, tackle inequality, and drive progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Saleumxay reaffirmed Asean's priorities in building future-ready economies through inclusive participation and sustainability, upholding multilateral trade under World Trade Organisation rules, and advancing regional industrial development and energy connectivity. He highlighted Laos' ongoing efforts to graduate from Least Developed Country status and pursue closer integration with the regional and global economy. Laos is aligning its national strategies with international development goals, he said, and called for continued support from global partners to ensure long-term progress. The conference brings together leaders and representatives from 179 countries. Previous meetings took place in Mexico in 2002, Qatar in 2008, and Ethiopia in 2015. The opening ceremony on June 30 was graced by His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, who delivered an address. The meeting then continued under the co-chairmanship of Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The Seville Commitment was officially adopted and will serve as a roadmap for future international cooperation in financing sustainable development. - Vientiane Times/ANN
