Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
It is a pleasure to join you with other panelists at this important session of the 2026 ECOSOC Operational Activities Segment.
We meet at a particularly challenging moment for development finance.
Allow me to share some statistics that demand our immediate attention. Debt-service burdens in developing countries have reached two-decade highs, with 45 developing countries now spending more on debt interest than on healthcare. Official Development Assistance (ODA) fell by a record 23 per cent in 2025 ¡ªits largest annual drop in history. And 77 developing countries remain below the 15 per cent tax-to-GDP threshold identified in the Sevilla Commitment.
Consequently, the SDG financing gap now exceeds a staggering four trillion US dollars annually.
Against this backdrop, the Sevilla Commitment delivered an important signal of our collective resolve.
At the global level, the UN system is actively supporting the implementation of several Sevilla initiatives. These include the Borrowers¡¯ Platform and an upcoming dialogue on debt, to be convened by the President of the General Assembly and the President of ECOSOC, most likely in July.
We are also advancing important efforts to address the cost of capital and the high debt service that crowds out SDG investment. Initiatives like the Global Hub on Debt-for-Development Swaps, housed at the World Bank, as well as an ECOSOC dialogue with credit rating agencies, are key steps forward.
At the same time, negotiations continue on a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation to support developing countries in mobilizing their domestic resources.
However, in Sevilla, Member States agreed to do more than just strengthen international financial and tax architectures; they committed to supporting country-led approaches to sustainable development financing.
This is precisely where the UN development system plays an indispensable role. We must help countries translate global commitments into practical action, supporting domestic resource mobilization, proactive debt management, and sustainable investment, all while aligning financing flows with national priorities.
Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) are an important tool for these country-led financing strategies. They bring together public and private finance, as well as domestic and external resources, into one cohesive, integrated framework. This helps countries align their financing with sustainable development needs while managing risk.
UN Country Teams can help countries address the increasing fragmentation within the international system and strengthen their engagement with IFIs, MDBs, bilateral partners and the private sector. This convening role is essential to reducing fragmentation and bringing different actors together around integrated national priorities.
Capacity-building remains central to this implementation. It is telling that nearly one third of all actions outlined in the Sevilla outcome relate directly to capacity building, technical assistance and institutional strengthening.
To that end, UN DESA aims to strengthen the links between global financing discussions and national implementation through a new Financing for Development Network of National Focal Points, in close collaboration with the Regional Economic Commissions and the Development Coordination Office. This will support peer-to-peer learning across regions.
The Network operates in two directions: connecting national actors to global financing for development processes, and channelling national experiences and insights into global FFD follow-up mechanisms. We strongly encourage UN Country Teams to engage actively with the Network and its national focal points.
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
UN DESA stands ready to work with you to support country-led approaches to financing sustainable development. Through targeted national and global actions, we can narrow the financing gap.
The credibility of our collective commitments ultimately depends on our ability to deliver concrete results together.
Thank you.