FSDO Briefings
Monthly Updates | April 2026
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In this issue:
- Launching this week: 2026 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Implementing the Sevilla Commitment
- 2026 FFD Week
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- First draft of the FFD Forum Outcome Document now available
- 2026 SDG Investment Fair Set to Convene Global Leaders at UN Headquarters in April
- Fin4Dev Dialogues at the FFD Forum
- Sevilla Platform for Action at FFD Week
- Launch of the National Focal Points (NFP) Network at FFD Week
- ECOSOC Special Meeting on Credit Ratings (30 March)
- 32nd Session of the UN Tax Committee (23-26 March)
- 2026 ECOSOC Special Meeting on International Cooperation in Tax Matters (27 March)
- INFF Facility: Country-led dialogue on the sidelines of the 2026 FFD Forum
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Launching this week: 2026 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Implementing the Sevilla Commitment
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On 9 April, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua will launch the
Financing
for Sustainable Development Report 2026: Implementing the Sevilla Commitment. The report will show how the Sevilla Commitment can be operationalized to reverse the current dangerous trends in financing for development and offer concrete recommendations
to scale up investments in the SDGs, reform the international financial architecture, and recover lost ground.
The Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2026 is produced by UN DESA in close cooperation with the World Bank Group, IMF, WTO, UNCTAD, and UNDP. It includes the input of the over 60 United Nations Agencies and other international institutions
that form the United Nations Secretary-General’s Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development. The report, coordinated by FSDO/DESA, and benefiting from inputs and contributions from several DESA divisions and more than 60 members of the Inter-agency
Task Force, assesses early implementation efforts of the Sevilla Commitment in a very challenging global context.
The press launch will be available live at 12:45 (EDT) on 9 April 2026 at http://webtv.un.org/.
The full report will be available on: http://financing.desa.un.org/iatf/fsdr2026 on
9 April 2026.
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The 2026 Financing for Development Week (FFD Week) will take place from 20 to 24 April 2026, and will be highlighted by the 2026 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development Follow-Up (FFD Forum), a key mechanism of the Financing for Development process.
Building on the momentum of the landmark Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) held in Sevilla in June 2025, the Forum will play a pivotal role in mobilizing engagement and driving concrete actions under the Sevilla Commitment.
FFD Week will also feature the SDG Investment Fair, Special High-Level Meetings, and Fin4Dev Dialogues. It will bring together high-level government representatives, and senior officials from international organizations, alongside representatives from
civil society and the business sector.
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First draft of the 2026 Financing for Development Forum Outcome Document is now available
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On 27 March 2026, the co-facilitators of the FFD Forum published the First Draft of the Outcome Document of this year's forum. The draft reflects the next step toward an action-oriented outcome that supports the implementation of the Sevilla Commitment.
The First Draft will serve as the basis for final consultations among Member States prior to agreement on the final text, which is scheduled for release on 13 April 2026.
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2026 SDG Investment Fair Set to Convene Global Leaders at UN Headquarters in April
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The 2026 SDG Investment Fair returns to New York on April 21-23, 2026, at UN Headquarters in New York.
It will feature policy dialogues with leading actors on topics such as Blended Finance, Unlocking Investment Opportunities through Country-Led Platforms, Financial Regulation, and Access to Finance for MSMEs. The Fair will also include investment roundtables
highlighting investment opportunities in developing countries in Digital Transformation, Blue Economy, and Energy Transition.
The SDG Investment Fair serves as the leading platform to connect investors, governments, development finance institutions and the UN SDG investment ecosystem to find solutions to mobilize private investment for sustainable development. Since 2018,
projects worth over $70 billion have been presented by over 30 countries at the SDG Investment Fair.
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Fin4Dev Dialogues at the FFD Forum
The Financing for Sustainable Development Office (FSDO) is pleased to introduce the Financing for Development Dialogues (Fin4Dev Dialogues) in the margins of the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development (FFD Forum) and SDG Investment Fair. These Dialogues
are intended to facilitate meaningful knowledge exchange and explore strategies and partnerships in support of the implementation of the Sevilla Commitment. These Dialogues will be held on 20-24 April 2026 and will fall into one of three categories:
• Fully in-person events, held at the United Nations Headquarters
• Off-site events, hosted by organizers. Approved events will be included in the list of FFD Week events.
• Virtual events, hosted online by organizers. Approved events will be included in the list of FFD Week events.
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Sevilla Platform for Action at FFD Week
Spain and UN DESA will organize a high-level event on the Sevilla Platform for Action (SPA) on 20 April 2026, on the margins of the FFD Forum. The event will showcase concrete early progress of the voluntary, high-impact SPA initiatives across the
FFD action areas, highlighting collaboration and emerging lessons from implementation. The event will also provide an opportunity to discuss how the Platform can continue to grow and evolve to support initiatives in their efforts and the overall implementation
of the Sevilla Commitment.
A number of SPA initiatives will also convene in the Fin4Dev Dialogues throughout the FFD week. Since the Sevilla Conference, over 100 SPA initiatives have provided updates on their implementation. The progress of the Platform will be captured in a
forthcoming progress report and a revamped SPA digital registry, which will be released during the FFD week.
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Launch of the National Focal Points (NFP) Network at FFD Week
In response to the Sevilla Commitment, FSDO will launch the National Focal Points (NFP) Network on 20 April 2026 at 4:30 PM, on the sidelines of the FFD Forum. Designed as a platform for peer learning, collaboration and exchange, the Network will support
countries in engaging more effectively in regional and global Financing for Development processes.
Following the high-level launch, the programme for National Focal Points will continue with technical discussions during FFD Week aimed at strengthening the role of national focal points in advancing FFD implementation, fostering peer exchange, and
building capacity, as well as exploring the Network’s next steps.
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ECOSOC convened Special Meeting on Credit Ratings
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ECOSOC convened its inaugural Special
Meeting on Credit Ratings on 30 March 2026 against the backdrop of growing concerns over the cost of capital for developing countries. Mandated by the Sevilla Commitment, the meeting provided a high-level platform for dialogue among Member
States, credit rating agencies, long-term investors, and international institutions. Discussions focused on the relationship between credit ratings and the cost of capital, the need to lengthen the time horizon of ratings and assessments, and ways to boost
developing countries’ capacity to engage with ratings and assessments. A keynote
address was delivered by Mr. Avinash Persaud, special advisor to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank.
The meeting marked the first time ECOSOC formally convened all three major credit rating agencies (CRAs) – S&P Global, Fitch Ratings and Moody’s – alongside Member States and other stakeholders for a direct exchange. Discussions between senior representatives
from rating agencies with Member States and international institutions revealed: i) high expectations for reform from many Member States; ii) that credit rating agencies have already been making changes to sovereign ratings in response to calls for action,
including from FFD4 and its preparatory process; and iii) to address cost of capital challenges for developing countries, reforms to credit ratings need to be part of broader reforms of the international financial architecture.
The President’s summary of the meeting will inform relevant international follow-up processes, including the 2026 ECOSOC Financing for Development Forum.
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32nd Session of the UN Tax Committee
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The 32nd Session of the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters was held at UN Headquarters in New York from 23 to 26 March 2026. A subsidiary body of ECOSOC, the UN tax Committee provides globally
recognized, practical guidance to strengthen tax systems and support sustainable development, particularly in developing countries. At this session, it reviewed and approved subcommittee workplans for the coming years.
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2026 ECOSOC Special Meeting on International Cooperation in Tax Matters
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On 27 March 2026, the ECOSOC Special Meeting on International Cooperation in Tax Matters was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Building on the Sevilla Commitment and the work programme of the UN Tax Committee, the Meeting convened Member
States and stakeholders for action-oriented discussions on strengthening international tax cooperation, modernizing nexus rules, and promoting the responsible use of artificial intelligence in tax administration.
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INFF Facility: Country-led dialogue on the sidelines of the 2026 FFD Forum
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This country-led dialogue, held on the sidelines of the 2026 Financing for Development Forum, brings together governments, international partners, and stakeholders to advance implementation of Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs). The dialogue
responds directly to the Sevilla Commitment adopted at FfD4, which reaffirmed the central role of country-led financing approaches and positioned INFFs as a key framework to mobilize and align financing with national development priorities. In this context,
the dialogue will also explore how INFFs can serve as a foundation for inclusive country platforms and investment pipelines, helping to better connect national strategies with public and private sources of finance at scale.
The purpose of the dialogue is to provide a platform for countries to exchange experiences, articulate priorities for the next phase of INFF implementation, and engage partners on how to better support country-led financing strategies. It also introduces
a new accountability space within the governance of the INFF Facility, allowing countries to reflect on progress, identify bottlenecks, and shape future support. The dialogue will mark the launch of the INFF Facility’s 2026–2030 programme framework and contribute
to broader efforts under the Sevilla Platform for Action to scale up integrated financing approaches, strengthen alignment between national strategies and international support, and mobilize investment more effectively in support of sustainable development.
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© 2026 | DESA FSDO | United Nations
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