How can development financing be reformed? The road to Seville

With economic uncertainty, rising debt burdens, and a growing share of the world’s poorest people living in fragile contexts, the stakes for the upcoming 4th Financing for Development Conference (FfD4) in Seville have never been higher.

According to a recent OECD report, the gap between development financing needs and available resources could reach $6.4 trillion by 2030 if the global financing system isn’t significantly overhauled.

The conference in June present a pivotal opportunity to ignite reform. It's a vital forum where UN members, international institutions, businesses, and civil society come together at the highest level to rethink how we fund global development.

In this episode, we dissect the key questions set to shape discussions at FfD4. How can we mobilise the trillions needed to meet the SDGs? How can the global financial architecture be made more inclusive and responsive? And what bold steps must be taken to unlock investment where it’s needed most?

Development finance experts share insights on multilateral development bank reform, the role of concessional finance, and opportunities to build a more sustainable, equitable future.  

Guests

• Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
• Mónica Colomer, Ambassador at Large for Financing for Development, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Spain   
• Alvaro Lario, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• Annalisa Prizzon, Principal Research Fellow, ODI Global  
  
  

Related resources

• Development finance needs major overhaul to achieve global goals (OECD report)
• Financing development at a crossroads: What's at stake and what reforms are needed? (Development Policy Review)
• ODI Global at the Spring Meetings (resources hub)
• Are Southern-led MDBs the future of development finance? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
• MDB Insights Spring Meetings 2025 (Newsletter, ODI Global)
• Unlocking the potential of blended concessional finance: making aid work harder (Event video, ODI Global)
• Maximising operational effectiveness and impact: key priorities for multilateral development banks (Report, ODI Global)