ILO brings its social justice message to the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development

GENEVA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) will bring its call for greater investment in social justice to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), taking place in Sevilla, Spain, from 30 June to 3 July.

The conference offers a unique opportunity to reform global financing systems and address the funding gaps that hinder progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This year’s conference will also lay the groundwork for the Second World Summit for Social Development, scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, from 4 to6 November 2025.

The ILO delegation, led by Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo, will emphasize the need for integrated financing strategies that enable countries to invest in people by strengthening social protection systems and floors and enhancing the creation of decent work, thereby contributing to sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Such efforts are pivotal to achieve SDG 8 and for the fulfilment of SDG target 1.3, which calls on countries to implement nationally appropriate social protection systems for all, for reducing and preventing poverty.

Houngbo, will play a central role in the Conference, moderating the first high-level roundtable on 30 June from 15:00 to 18:00 CET (livestreamed on ILO Live from Sevilla) that brings together Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Finance and Foreign Affairs, and Heads of Multilateral Banks to discuss how domestic resource mobilization can drive investment in people by increasing social protection coverage and improving job creation through sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Later that evening, the Director-General will participate in the official launch of the Sevilla Platform for Action on Financing Social Protection. This new initiative aims to support countries in developing bold, context-specific financing strategies to close social protection gaps. The launch, which will take place from 18:30 to 19:00 CEST, will feature high-level interventions from the ILO, the Government of Spain, and key representatives from South Africa, and Brazil, followed by a press conference.

On Tuesday 1 July, the Director-General will also moderate a high-level joint special event From Seville to Doha: Financing Inclusive and Sustainable Social Development co-hosted by the ILO with the Governments of Spain and Qatar and UNDESA. The event will explore how the commitments made at Sevilla can translate into concrete financing strategies for social development, with a particular focus on full and productive employment and decent work. It will also serve to galvanize political momentum toward the 2025 World Summit for Social Development in Doha by reinforcing the need to elevate the social agenda that puts people at the centre of financing frameworks.

The ILO will also participate in the following side events:

• Monday 30 June | 16:30–18:00 | From pledge to practice: Mobilizing resources to finance social protection coverage extension in a challenging context
  Organized with the Government of Mexico and USP2030, this event will explore concrete strategies to mobilize resources for expanding social protection coverage in line with paragraph 27i of the FfD4 outcome document.
• Tuesday 1 July | 08:30-10:00 | Prosperity through resilience: Transforming public finance for a thriving future
  Co-hosted with the Governments of Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Uganda, Colombia, Senegal (tbc) with the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action (CFMCA) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to showcase how Ministries of Finance and private sector leaders can embed resilience into fiscal policies and financial practices as key drivers for socio-economic prosperity, employment, and environmental sustainability.
• Wednesday 2 July | 16:30–18:00 | Financing Frameworks for Just Transition
  Co-organized by Brazil’s Ministry of Finance and the ILO, this event will present approaches to align financial systems not only with environmental goals but also with targeted social outcomes.
• Thursday 3 July | 10:30–12:00 | Financing Decent Work
  Co-organized by UNEP-FI and the ILO, this session will launch draft guidance on how financial institutions can support decent work, encouraging their clients to create jobs and improve working conditions.
• Thursday 3 July | 10:30–12:00 | The Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the renewed Global Financing Framework
  Co-hosted by the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC), the World Bank and the ILO, the event will focus on how Indigenous Peoples’ rights can integrated into the global financial architecture.

• Thursday 3 July | 12:30–14:00 | Leveraging Social Investments: Financing for Jobs & Social Protection
  Co-hosted by the Governments of France, Uzbekistan and Senegal, together with the ILO, the UN Joint SDG Fund and partner UN agencies of the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, this event will focus on how social investments in jobs and protection systems can drive inclusive growth and resilience.