UNCDF at FfD4

30 June - 3 July 2025 | Seville, Spain

A defining moment to reshape global finance for sustainable development

The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) is a once-in-a-decade moment to shape a renewed global financing framework. Held in Seville, Spain, FfD4 will aim to catalyse larger, more affordable flows of public and private finance for sustainable development.

For the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), FfD4 is a pivotal platform to reaffirm its unique role in financing for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and other last-mile markets. UNCDF will advocate for a bold shift in global priorities - placing the needs of frontier economies at the centre of financing strategies.

Catalysing investment where it matters most

UNCDF will spotlight its work as a catalytic finance provider and de-risking hub for high-risk, early-stage investments. In partnership with Convergence Blended Finance and others, UNCDF is advancing blended finance solutions and scaling the use of concessional capital to mobilize private investment in underserved markets.

As the financing arm of the UN system, UNCDF bridges the gap between ambition and action. By supporting upstream project design and downstream capital mobilization, UNCDF unlocks investment pipelines which fuel job creation and sustainable prosperity.

Meet us at Seville

Dates
Event Type
Monday, June 30
Innovative Finance for Nature: Building Markets for Landscape Restoration Investments
Room Side Event 19
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Explore how innovative financing and structured partnerships are transforming landscape restoration into a scalable investment opportunity. This session will highlight de-risking mechanisms, pipeline development strategies, and country-led investment pathways that anchor nature as a core asset class within FFD4 outcomes.
Unlocking Fiscal Potential for Sustainable Urban Development: Empowering African Mayors
Room Side Event 1
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
This session showcases how city leadership is driving fiscal innovation across 15 African cities. Featuring the launch of ECA’s new Fiscal Space Dashboard, the event highlights actionable reforms, local investment strategies, and data-driven solutions to enhance urban resilience and unlock sustainable public finance.
Tuesday, July 1
Unlocking Private Capital for Industrial Development: Scaling impact through UN–PDB Partnerships in Blended Finance
Room Side Event 17
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Strategic collaboration between governments, UN entities, and public development banks is unlocking private capital for inclusive industrial development. This session will feature case studies from Egypt, Uruguay, and East Africa, demonstrating how blended finance is derisking investment and advancing economic transformation.
Unlocking Energy Finance for All in West Africa: Addressing the Concentration of Energy Finance & Catalyzing Renewables Investments
Room Side Event 5
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
West Africa’s clean energy transition demands bold financial innovation. This session will spotlight scalable models—such as EREEEF—that combine blended capital with public-private partnerships to close the energy financing gap and accelerate access to sustainable, affordable power
Scaling up private investment mobilization for LDCs, SIDS and other early-stage markets: The need for an action plan to deliver private capital mobilization objectives of the FfD4 Outcome Document
Room Side Event 17
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
This event calls for a concerted effort to implement the private capital mobilization objectives of the FFD4 Outcome Document. With a spotlight on LDCs and SIDS, it will address the structural barriers and strategic levers needed to unlock private investment at scale in the most underserved markets.
Financing Resilience: Investing in Early Recovery for Long-Term Resilience
Room Side Event 4
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
High-level event that will unveil the Early Recovery and Resilience Fund (ERRF) - a bold new platform by UNDP and UNCDF to bridge the critical financing gap between crisis response and long-term development. Designed to deliver flexible, blended capital to fragile and crisis-affected settings, the ERRF will unlock coordinated, scalable solutions for early recovery and resilient local economies.
Financing transboundary water cooperation to ensure sustainable and climate resilient development
Room Side Event 9
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Achieving SDG 6 demands bold investment in water infrastructure - especially across transboundary basins that sustain over 60% of global freshwater. This session will spotlight how legal cooperation, joint institutions, and shared data can de-risk cross-border projects, attract finance, and unlock sustainable, climate-resilient investments that drive regional integration and development.
Wednesday, July 2
Informed Financing for a Riskier Future: Building Resilience in the Age of Extremes
Room Side Event 16
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
With disaster and climate threats rising, this high-level session calls for urgent action to embed risk into national financial planning. Featuring success stories and a new initiative to strengthen financial systems for disaster risk reduction, the event will rally support for countries most in need as they implement FFD4 commitments and build more resilient economies.
High-level roundtable on delivering ambitions for FFD in LDCs, SIDS and fragile countries
Room Side Event 14 (by invitation only)
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Thursday, July 3
Catalytic Finance for Sanitation and Hygiene: Unlocking Domestic Capital with National Development Banks
Room Side Event 8
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
With tax breaks costing countries around 4% of GDP, this roundtable spotlights how better reporting - guided by the Global Tax Expenditures Transparency Index - can help governments make smarter, more accountable use of tax incentives to boost revenue and meet policy goals.
Mobilizing Innovative Private Finance for Peace
Room Side Event 23
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Discover how innovative finance is rewriting the rules of peacebuilding - where every dollar invested can unlock $100 in peace dividends. Join global leaders and pioneers at this side-event to explore bold new approaches that mobilize private capital for lasting stability in the world’s most fragile settings.

Read how we are financing the last mile

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Past ffd4 prepcom side events

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