Photo: UN
As the world prepares for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), Wemos has shared its feedback to the recently published zero draft of the conference’s outcome document. This draft, which is now under debate during the 3rd Preparatory Committee Session (3rd PrepCom) at UN Headquarters in New York, serves as the foundation for negotiations leading up to FfD4. Our response highlights key areas that require attention to foster health and financial justice. We call on the Dutch government and European leaders to seize this moment to commit to structural changes that promote public financing, health equity and a fairer global financial architecture.
The FfD4, scheduled for 30 June-3 July 2025 in Seville (Spain), is a vital opportunity for governments to adopt systemic reforms that can close financing gaps for sustainable development and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With only five years left until 2030, progress on the SDGs is severely off track, and many developing economies are struggling under unsustainable debt burdens and insufficient resources for critical public sectors, including health.
The 3rd PrepCom, taking place from 10-14 February 2025, is a key moment in the roadmap to the Conference as governments discuss the zero draft of the outcome document of FfD4. It marks the first opportunity to provide detailed feedback on the proposed framework, setting the stage for future negotiations and commitments. At this point, it is crucial to shape an ambitious and actionable document that can drive positive change.
In our feedback to the zero draft, we aim to ensure that the final FfD4 outcome document addresses the importance of public financing, international cooperation and structural reforms in the global financial system. Our response emphasizes the following topics:
Governments must prioritize public financing for essential services, including healthcare, rather than relying on private profit-driven investments. Public financing is essential to reduce inequality in access to healthcare and protect populations from health threats.
Structural changes are needed to address the urgent underfunding of essential sectors. This requires tackling tax avoidance, starting with governments endorsing and supporting the Terms of Reference for the process at the United Nations towards a Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. It also demands the development of a new legally binding framework on sovereign debt, to comprehensively address debt crises and ensure responsible lending practices. Curbing tax avoidance and unsustainable debt would unlock more domestic resources to be invested in basic public services like health and education.
The 3rd PrepCom session and the negotiations leading up to FfD4 present an important opportunity for governments to address global financing challenges and advance health justice.
We urge governments to engage constructively and support systemic reforms that will unlock domestic resources for development, strengthen global cooperation and ultimately improve people’s health and well-being worldwide.
Read our feedback and textual suggestions here.For a detailed feedback, read the inputs from the Civil Society FfD Mechanism, of which Wemos is a member organization.
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