Thursday, 29 January 2026, from 17:15 to 19:00h. Venue: Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (Plaza del Marqués de Salamanca, 8, Madrid).
In 2024, and for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, total official development assistance (ODA) decreased. Additional (and substantial) cuts are expected in the years to come, driven mainly by the United States but also by leading European donors.
Yet, aid represents only one of the various sources of financing for development. For decades, flows of foreign direct investment and remittances have surpassed ODA, while trade revenues, debt, and domestic resources remain equally central to funding sustainable development.
This public debate revolved around the following guiding questions:
- ODA will be substantially lower in the years to come. While the system can pursue certain efficiency gains, significant cuts will also require setting clear priorities. What should aid prioritise?
- Unlike previous conferences, the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) established a specific roadmap –the Sevilla Platform for Action (SPA). Six months after the conference, what have been the main achievements under the SPA framework? And what are the next steps?
- Although the FfD agenda is broad and varied, some issues are particularly salient amongst the SPAs (debt, domestic resource mobilisation, MDBs or PDBs). Which critical points should be addressed in the short term?
- The world is at a critical juncture that goes well beyond the decline in international aid. The very foundations of the multilateral system, as we know it, are being contested by different actors and for very different reasons. What needs to be fixed?
Programme
17:15 – 17:30
Welcome address: Eva Granados, Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
17:30 – 19:00
Speakers:
- Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation of Egypt.
- Antón Leis (AECID).
- Thomas Mélonio (AFD).
- Shari Spiegel (UNDESA).
- Karim Karaki (ECDPM).
Moderator: Iliana Olivié (ETTG / Elcano Royal Institute).
Concluding remarks: Cristina Díaz Fernández-Gil, Ambassador-at-large for Financing for Development, Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
This public debate was part of ‘From Sevilla to Implementation: The post-FfD4 Agenda on Financing for Development’, a 1.5-day dedicated event focused on how to promote the salient issues under the post-Seville agenda co-organised by the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG) and the Elcano Royal Institute, with the support of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
This initiative follows the ETTG and Elcano’ previous work on financing for development. With the support of AFD, the ETTG identified the critical challenges ahead of the conference and contributed to assessing the commitments announced in Seville. Supported by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Elcano Royal Institute coordinated a task force composed of nearly fifty academics, think-tank experts and representatives of the Spanish Administration. This collective effort resulted in a policy paper aimed at providing an input to Spain’s political position across all key areas of financing for development.
Organised by:
With the support of:
