Seville, July 3, 2025 — As part of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (30 June – 3 July 2025), the constituency of local and regional governments gathered in Seville to drive transformative change in the Global Financial Architecture with a clear message: finance must serve people, communities, and future generations.

 

In view of influencing the reform of global financial models and structures, leaders and representatives from the local, regional and national governments and partners from the local and international spheres joined forces in Seville to deliver their vision and influence in global decision‑making processes related to finance global architecture.

 

 

 

The local perspective on Financing for Development: the need to place care and the planet at the center and monitor implementation

 

The whole week offered the opportunity for local and regional leaders and their partners to reaffirm their commitment to the SDGs and development agendas, with a clear idea: placing care and equality at the center of political priorities, key strategies and decision-making. With an active implication in the organisation of several sessions convened with the collaboration of a large range of partners, including IIED, Government of Brazil, Cities Alliance, SDI, Habitat for Humanity, Build Change, FMDV, national and regional partners from Africa and Latin America, UNEP, the Local2030 Coalition, UN Habitat, UNDP, UNICEF and more.

 

Throughout the intergovernmental Conference, local and regional governments highlighted their contribution to the development agenda, among others with the official side-event Reinforcing evidence-based reporting at global level on localizing finance for sustainable development convened by the Global Taskforce of LRGs, FMDV, UNDP, South Africa, and the Municipality of Malaga, allowed to reaffirm the constituency’s full engagement in the global reform of financing for sustainable development and showcase concrete instruments of action, notably the World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (WOFI), which emerged as a cornerstone to inform and track the localization of finance.

 

 

 

Reinforcing alliances and coalitions to maximise the impact and reaffirm the crucial role of cities and territories in delivering the global goals

 

Elected officials and leaders from the constituency including Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of the Nouakchott Region and Copresident of UCLG also took part in sessions such as the side-events:

 

• – Innovative mechanisms for cooperation and financing local and regional governments in Latin America and the Caribbean organized by Mercociudades and the Latin American Devlepment Bank (CAF), which allowed Mayor of Montevideo and member of the Executive Presidency of UCLG Mauricio Zunino, and Perfect of Pichincha Paola Pabon to recall the need to generate adequate and accessible financing mechanisms that take into account the specific challenges of territories, including urban settlements of all sizes and the need to prioritise public services over infrastructure.

 

• – Scaling Up Country Platforms for Localizing Finance and Integrating National and Subnational Development Banks led by FDMV and co-organized by UCLG and national and regional partners from Africa and Latin America;

 

• – Representing the constituency of LRGs, Prefect of Pinchincha Paola Pabon took part to the Experts roundtable on Local Financing for the SDGs – Taking stock and paving the road ahead convened by UNEP, Local2030 Coalition, UN Habitat, UNDP, UNICEF, and recalled the importance of continuing building movement around the local perspective on global development and how to finance it, including by strengthening networks, consolidating alliances and amplifying the reach of advocacy by enhancing inclusivity and representativity;

 

• – Financing the Localization of the SDGs organized by the Government of Spain and the Local2030 Coalition, where President of the Nouakchott and Copresident of UCLG Fatimetou Abdel Malick shared somes words on local priorities regarding financing access and mechanisms for development in several key spaces alongside high-level representatives from regional, national and international levels;

 

• – Mainstreaming the Social and Solidarity Economy in the FfD Agenda, organized by RIPESS, FMDV and UNTFSSE;

 

• – The Press facing presentation of the Seville Platform for Action “Localizing Finance to Drive Systemic Impact for the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda”, convened by the Government of Spain, the OECD, and the UN Local2030 Coalition; and

 

• – Financing Local Economic Development for sustainable and inclusive growth, organized by the Association of Andalusican Municipalities for International Solidarity (FAMSI) with the support of the Global Care Alliance. As one of the key alliances regarding the political agenda of the constituency of LRGs, UCLG Secretary General Emilia Saiz and Mayor of Soria and Special Envoy for the New Urban Agenda Carlos Martinez reaffirmed the engagement of LRGs towards equality and care agendas, with the Feminist Municipal Movement as a backbone of political recommendations and visions for the years to come, and the need to ensure its adequate and accessible funding.

 

 

 

 

A unique opportunity for LRGs to reaffirm their engagement as Organised Constituency towards sustainable futures for all

 

On this occasion, the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, led by UCLG, convened the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments, which gathered at the Foundation Cajasol in Seville on 30 June and 1 July 2025.

 

Under the motto “Finance at the Service of Humanity: Rebuilding Local and Regional Public Investment for Equality and Care” the first day opened with the welcoming words of the Mayor of Seville, host of the FfD4, accompanied by member of the UCLG Executive Presidency Mauricio Zunino, Mayor of Montevideo, representatives of UN agencies including Marcos Neto, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Director of UNDP’s Bureau of Policy and Programme Support and Tatiana Molcean, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNECE, and the UCLG Secretary General, Emilia Saiz.

 

On the first day, the ttwo panels addressed important issues, including the challenges and priorities regarding Localizing Finance putting Equality and Care at the centre of development and how to shift and rethink the SDG Investment for Ecological Transition and Climate Action, bringing the concrete perspectives and innovative visions of local and regional leaders, as well as their partners and other key stakeholders in sustainable development to the global table.

 

Titled “Rethinking the Global and National Finance Architecture: Power, Players and Practices of Multilevel Financing Governance”, the second day focused on renewing National Frameworks for Localizing Finance and Strengthening the Role of Decentralized Cooperation Levers of a Transformed Global Finance System, and explored how to inspire, impulse and consolidate collaborations for joint monitoring mechanisms on finances, among others, at the local level, but not only.

 

“The City of Seville needs multilevel governance that empowers its neighbourhoods—we’re listening to cities and amplifying local solutions.”
🗳️ José Luis Sanz, Mayor of Seville

 

“We must move beyond bankable frameworks to truly invest in people and nature.”
🌐 Anaclaúdia Rossbach, UN‑HABITAT Executive Director

 

 

 

The call of Local and Regional leaders to the international community to rethink finance systems at the international level

 

At the heart of the World Assembly’s outcome was the political document adopted by the organized constituency: the GTF Joint Statement to FfD4. Structured around three key axes and builds on long-standing demands for expanding fiscal space, increasing access to concessional and blended finance, scaling up support to care systems, integrating feminist economic principles, and institutionalizing multilevel co-governance in global financial negotiations.

 

The Joint Statement of Local and Regional Governments for a Networked Multilateralism and Inclusive Global Financial Governance calls for decisive action across three priorities:

 

1. 1. Unlocking access to finance, through multilateral guarantees, subnational development banks, and blended finance tools.
2. 2. Aligning economic systems with care, equality, and climate action, by prioritizing gender‑responsive and green public investments.
3. 3. Evidence‑based monitoring, through intergovernmental mechanisms supported by global tools.