It was a scorching 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) in Sevilla, Spain, yesterday — a trying start for everyone arriving at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, aka FfD4. Will the action heat up moving forward, or will we see promises full of hot air?
Also in today’s edition: Tensions boil over at UNFPA over Israel.
+ Happening today at 10 a.m. ET: We’ll be talking to a panel of experts on what happens next, now that what’s left of USAID is being officially transferred into the State Department. Save your spot now for this event.
Thrilla in Sevilla
The small talk was filled with grumblings about the temperatures and traffic, but more substantive talk looms large over FfD4: restructuring unsustainable debt burdens; attracting much-needed private investment; mobilizing domestic resources, including the politically fraught issue of tax collection; and basically standing up a whole new global finance architecture to address the collapse of official development assistance.
Suddenly, the temperature and traffic don’t seem so daunting in comparison.
“The time has now come to hold ourselves to account, and there is absolutely no room for complacency,” declared Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the conference’s opening.
But it’s not just about complacency. Countries such as the United States — which bailed on FfD4 — are aggressively cutting foreign aid.
Carsten Staur, head of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee — which has championed the U.N. target of devoting 0.7% of a country’s gross national income to ODA — said times are changing, and DAC needs to change with them.
“I think we are basically at the brink of a new paradigm,” he said at Casa Devex, our two-day event held on the sidelines of FfD4.
But Staur said the 0.7% goal, seemingly more elusive than ever, “still has resonance.” And the fact that an outcome document was negotiated prior to the conference, thanks to compromises struck by 192 countries, shows that “multilateralism is still alive and still kicking.”
“It’s a compromise, but it’s not without hooks of ambition,” said Michael Jarvis, the executive director of the Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative, at Casa Devex. “We do think it’s important that we find ways for countries to work together, to continue to push the development agenda, and encourage leadership to come from different places than perhaps we’re used to.”
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres also applauded the spirit of compromise that preceded Sevilla. “This conference takes place in one of the most difficult moments that I’ve experienced in my life,” he said at the conference launch. “What is remarkable is that in this moment that is so difficult, and where countries are so divided, it was possible to approve a Sevilla compromise that represents one step ahead.”
Watch: OECD's Carsten Staur says we’re ‘at the brink of a new paradigm’
+Speaking of steps, here’s a pro tip for getting around Sevilla: Give yourself an extra hour for practically anything. Security feels locked down tighter than a G20 summit, and that’s before you factor in the transit breakdown. Cabs are overbooked, traffic is gridlocked, and everyone is showing up late — and sweaty — to sessions, so go easy on yourself.
We’ll be at FfD4 all week, including at Casa Devex, where we’ll be interviewing a slew of officials and experts on everything from health financing to blockchain technology. Stay tuned for coverage throughout the week, and if you’re in town, say hi to our reporters, Jesse Chase-Lubitz and Elissa Miolene, at jesse.chaselubitz@devex.com and elissa.miolene@devex.com.
Reach for the stars
Officially, it was all smiles at the kickoff of FfD4. Dozens of the world’s most powerful leaders walked across the conference stage as though they were receiving university diplomas, stopping for a photo op with Sánchez and Guterres.
But the U.N. secretary-general quickly got down to business, launching the Sevilla Platform for Action, a collection of initiatives that aims to mobilize specific, concrete actions related to the FfD4 outcome document before the week ends.
The platform has no fewer than 130 initiatives, including a global hub for debt swaps, a debt-pause alliance, a blended finance platform, and a new tool for multilateral development banks to manage currency risks.
But civil society isn’t impressed, Elissa and Jesse write in their reporter’s notebook.
Not only do groups feel that the outcome document fails to provide the ambition needed, but they were also banned by the U.N. from “any kind” of demonstrations.
And it’s not just civil society that’s seen unusual restrictions. Journalists were also told that to enter the plenary, they’d need to be escorted — which makes it virtually impossible to ask questions of the ministers and other officials gathered to negotiate and get clarity on their intentions.
During the plenary, Eurodad intervened with emotion. “Mr. Co-chair, I have been following the financing for the development process for over a decade, and I have followed other U.N. processes for over two decades, and I have never seen such restrictive rules for civil society participation,” said Tove Maria Ryding of Eurodad.
“We have an outcome that speaks about transparency, inclusivity, and accountability. We have an outcome document that was agreed behind closed doors, in the basement in New York, where civil society was not welcome. Maybe that’s why we have an outcome document that falls far short of the solutions that we need.”
Read: Sevilla reporter’s notebook Day 1 — FfD4 kicks off
+ Listen to a special live podcast episode recorded at Casa Devex that discusses what’s at stake and why this iteration of FfD has taken on heightened significance.
Big MoU-d
Oftentimes, the signing of a memorandum of understanding, or MoU, is a banal affair. But the United Nations Population Fund found out it can also be an explosive one.
The deputy head of the U.N. sexual and reproductive health agency has “unequivocally” apologized to staff in Arab states for not consulting them before renewing an MoU with Israel this month — a move that sparked fierce backlash internally, including demands for the resignation of all those involved.
A petition to UNFPA’s executive committee, signed by more than 150 staffers and seen by Devex, says the move “has placed our reputation, credibility, and neutrality at risk.”
The uproar has to do with Gaza, where, according to the petition, three years of “relentless” Israeli attacks have “resulted in the deaths of over 54,000 people, including more than 16,000 children, the destruction and damage of 94% of the hospitals, and repeated attacks on UN personnel and infrastructure.”
The petition states the MoU “puts at risk the safety and credibility of UNFPA personnel working in Gaza and the region,” in addition to undermining trust with donors and “global audiences,” my colleagues Vince Chadwick and Colum Lynch write.
“It is with deep humility that I write to you today,” UNFPA Deputy Executive Director Diene Keita wrote in an email to all UNFPA staff from the Arab states region. “I deeply regret the renewal of a technical MOU with Israel, at this time, [which] was not consulted and has caused pain for many of our staff. That was a mistake for which I unequivocally apologize.”
UNFPA spent $229 million last year in the Arab states as part of its global mission to deliver sexual and reproductive health services.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.
Read: UNFPA staff in uproar over cooperation agreement with Israel
Tout ensemble
“When you cancel debt, of course, it adds up to your own debt. There’s no miracle. Someone has to pay the debt.”
— Rémy Rioux, CEO, French Development AgencyRioux pointed out that pesky little fact during a recent Devex Pro Briefing ahead of Sevilla, where the stubborn issue of debt is sure to consume a big chunk of the week as the debt divide between the global south and north plays out.
Rioux is skeptical that concrete solutions will emerge from the debt debate. While he praised the diverse set of players who will be in Sevilla — from private investors and government leaders to civil society and academics — that also means expectations for cohesive, comprehensive deals need to be tempered.
“Seville is open to everybody, and many, many voices will be heard, so maybe that’s one of the reasons [why] we will come out of Seville with a lot of information, but probably not a totally clarified framework.”
Read: Head of France's AFD reflects on development finance's uneven evolution (Pro)
+ Unlock a world of development expertise. Start your 15-day free Devex Pro trial today and gain immediate access to in-depth analyses, insider insights, crucial funding data, exclusive event access, and much more. Discover the advantage of being a Pro member.
In other news
The dismantling of USAID could lead to the deaths of at least 14 million people, a third of whom are small children, according to a Lancet study. [France 24]
The Inter-American Development Bank plans to commit $11 billion for climate financing. [Reuters]
A British court has ruled against a lawsuit filed by a group of nonprofits to prevent the sale of fighter jet parts to Israel. [The New York Times]
Sign up to Newswire for an inside look at the biggest stories in global development.
About the author
Anna Gawel
Anna Gawel is the Managing Editor of Devex. She previously worked as the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat, the flagship publication of D.C.’s diplomatic community. She’s had hundreds of articles published on world affairs, U.S. foreign policy, politics, security, trade, travel and the arts on topics ranging from the impact of State Department budget cuts to Caribbean efforts to fight climate change. She was also a broadcast producer and digital editor at WTOP News and host of the Global 360 podcast. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Maryland in College Park.
