In Paris today, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has made progress in the preparations for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). These advances were made in the framework of the 2024 OECD Development Centre (DEV) high-level meeting that Spain has promoted to ensure a successful process culminating in this important event being held in Seville in July 2025.
Albares, who co-chaired this high-level meeting after Spain's active participation in the decision to focus this meeting on financing for development, used this inclusive platform for exchange between OECD countries and developing partners to advance the work that will result in the Seville Conference on Financing for Development.
New contributions
In this context, Minister Albares announced two new voluntary contributions from Spain, totalling €595,000, to support the Centre's work on Government revenue statistics, especially in Africa, but also in Latin America and the Caribbean; as well as for the African Virtual Investment Platform.
‘LEO Report’
Minister Albares also chaired the official presentation of the 'Latin American Economic Outlook - LEO 2024'. Under the title 'Financing Sustainable Development', the aim is to identify and analyse alternative sources of financing in an environment of fiscal constraints in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is one of the OECD's flagship reports, produced jointly with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), and the European Commission.
During his speech at the presentation of the seventeenth edition of this report, the minister announced that Spain will work to find common ground and shared visions in important areas such as development in transition, the use of indicators such as the multidimensional vulnerability index, triangular and South-South cooperation, gender equality, climate change and biodiversity loss.
Albares expressed his desire to build more inclusive and sustainable societies, and considered it necessary to grow, close gaps and fight inequalities to achieve this. Along these lines, he highlighted that funding is essential to ensure this goal, as is working better with the private sector, from a perspective of cohesion, inclusion and social justice.
Before these meetings, and on the margins of the OECD, the minister had the opportunity to meet with the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, and discussed issues such as the UNESCO Directorate-General elections, as well as the events that will see Spain work with this organisation in the near future, including the 4th Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination or Mondiacult, which Barcelona will host in September 2025.
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