Financing sustainable development

Context

The United Nations (UN) has agreed on common goals with the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Climate Agreement. These goals aim to secure human coexistence in the long term and making it fairer at the same time. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which sets out how countries can better finance their development, also contributes to this.

However, the mid-term review of the 2030 Agenda is sobering. Low-income countries lag furthest behind in terms of socio-economic goals. This is due in particular to a lack of financing for development. Crises in recent years, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and wars, have further reduced the available financial resources and increased financing needs.

In late 2023, the UN therefore decided to convene the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in 2025. The focus is on developing a new financing agenda to make the international financial system fairer and more efficient.

Objective

German development policy can better shape development financing internationally and nationally. It contributes to implementing the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and to developing a new financing agenda.

Approach

The programme provides technical and strategic advice to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on future-proof development financing. This serves to develop German priorities and identify new political opportunities in this area, among other things. In addition, the programme supports BMZ in assisting and preparing international negotiations, for example for FfD4.

The programme also provides financial support for partnerships and networks with the UN and civil society organisations. It uses them to develop German priorities for financing for development and to feed them into international discourse. At the same time, it can give a voice to the positions and perspectives of civil society organisations, including those from the Global South.

Last update: June 2024