(2nd meeting) 2025 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development Follow-Up (FfD Forum)

Honorable Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I call to order the 2nd meeting of the 2025 sessions of the Economic and Social Council Forum on Financing for Development follow-up. Excellencies, I invite the Forum to continue its considerations of Agenda Item 2B, thematic panel discussions to hold the 3 consecutive ministerial fireside chats this afternoon. I first invite the forum to turn to Ministerial Fireside Chat 3 on revitalizing development cooperation for impact and inclusion. I'm pleased to invite Her Excellency Istina Renat Hayem Istina Secretary for International Development of Norway to make introductory remarks. Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you. The development cooperation landscape is going through dramatic changes. We are expecting a steep decline in official development assistance in 2025 from a record level in 2023. The decline is likely to continue. At the same time, ODA is expected to address an increasing number of challenges. Norway has for 2 consecutive years provided more than 1% of gross national income as ODA, well above the UN target of 0.7%. We will remain a consistent, reliable development partner, and we strongly encourage all countries to contribute to international development according to their capacity, including emerging economies. The Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2024 describes an ongoing fragmentation The average grant is only half the size of 20 years ago, while the number of bilateral and multilateral donor agencies has tripled. We have been discussing reforms of development cooperation architecture and the multilateral system for some time now. This will now happen, probably faster and more drastic than most of us would have preferred. Now we should seize the opportunity to address the effectiveness and fragmentation of development cooperation as a part of the FFD4 process. The downward trend in ODA presents a critical opportunity to use ODA more strategically. It should be a tool for development countries to raise domestic revenues. To create an enabling environment that attracts sustainable private investments and capital. The multilateral development banks are key providers of development finance and have a unique ability to leverage donor contributions. They are multilateral institutions with the ability to mobilize private capital at scale. The MDBs have taken significant steps to further increase efficiency and effectiveness through updating mandates, cutting project preparation time, and improving crisis preparedness and response. They offer knowledge and evidence-based policy advice and capacity building on public financial management and transparency, debt management, tax policy, climate investments, investment in women and girls, pro-poor spending, and social safety nets. I am pleased to see that this year's FFD Forum has such a strong emphasis on cooperation between the Bretton Woods institutions and the UN system. We must work across all 3 dimensions of sustainability— economic, social, and environmental— Each dimension depends on the others. Climate change undermines past achievements and is a major threat to future development prospects. With limited resources, we should pursue an integrated approach, addressing several goals at the same time, linking the local and the global level. It is becoming more and more difficult to imagine development without taking climate and environmental consideration into account. Furthermore, transparency and accountability are essential pillars of effective development. They ensure that resources are used efficiently and corruption risk is minimized. This allows stakeholders, especially governments, civil society, and citizens, to track financing progress and gaps and hold institutions responsible for results. FFD offers a unique opportunity to set a new course for international development cooperation. I look forward to a fruitful discussion here today. Thank you so much.

I thank the State Secretary for International Development of Norway for her statement. I am now pleased to welcome the distinguished presenters for this fireside chat. I would like to welcome Mr. Nabih Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Development, who will be moderating the panel discussions. Distinguished delegates, before turning the meeting over to the moderator, I would like to remind the participants that As with the earlier fireside chat, for all fireside chats this afternoon, there will be no pre-established list of speakers. Delegation wishing to make the comments and pose questions during the subsequent interactive exchange will be invited to signify by pressing the microphone button. I also like to take this opportunity to remind participants that the time limit for interventions is 2 minutes. If necessary, please note that given the time— limited time available, the microphone may be automatically cut off when the allotted time has elapsed. This is in the interest of hearing all inscribed speakers. With this, I now turn the meeting over to the moderator, I would like to— I look forward to an open, constructive, and productive exchange of views. Mr. Hanif, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Vice President, for the opportunity to moderate this panel discussion. It's my honour to have such a distinguished panel with me. We have Her Excellency, Ms. Kenna Laura Barley, Minister of Planning and Economic Development of Sierra Leone. His Excellency Mr. Alexander Pankin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation, and His Excellency Mr. Farhad Hamad Al-Sulayhi, Director-General of the Qatar Fund for Development. The State Secretary for Norway framed the conversation in a very emphatic manner, and this conversation we also had last week in Washington. The consensus is international development cooperation is at a watershed moment, with upsides and downsides. So how do we frame this watershed moment at the 4th Conference on Financing for Development, will determine the future of development cooperation. And let me frame for you the 2 sides of the equation, the questions I have for the panellists, and then how should we be thinking this afternoon to influence the outcome document of FFD4. There are growing voices from the recipient countries and not voices based on perception and feelings, based on data, that the development cooperation is not impacting in an optimal fashion. It's fragmented, it's not aligned with the SDGs as much as it should be, and just look at the numbers. In the last 20 years, The number of provider countries increased from 64 to 117. The number of entities, donor entities providing assistance, increased from 227 to 630. On average, an African country has to deal with 250 agencies to get the development cooperation flowing. So that's the landscape that the State Secretary also captured. The numbers are staggering, so are the challenges. So these voices are based on data and the citizens' feedback as well. Impact reporting, measurement, all of this needs to improve. From the provider side, and that is where strategic and political thinking are required. Public support is not in all of them, in many of them is diminishing for development cooperation. 9 countries have already announced they are decreasing ODA, and we also hear this phrase in some gatherings, it's time for beyond ODA. We also need to understand what does that mean. So public support is diminishing. Political engagement is also not at the level where it used to be, based on solidarity, collective challenges, and it's kind of an insurance against global calamities if you support countries for development. So that is the provider side. It also needs a narrative. It also needs engagement. Third, and that's the delivery part, and I want to begin with the demand side of development cooperation with the Minister from Sierra Leone. Fragmentation, misalignment, impact measurement, burdens of reporting, and too many frameworks to deal with. Madam Minister, if you were to give us 3 proposals for the FFD4 to advance for you, to make development cooperation responsive to the needs of developing countries, especially in Africa and LDCs and small islands, what would you like us to consider and eventually advance in the outcome document? Over to you.

Thank you very much, moderator. In the interest of time, I observe all protocols and would like to thank the organizers for inviting me to the event. Fortunately, you've only asked me one of the 3 questions. I was ready to answer 3, but what happened this morning, I think that I won't even finish answering this one. What I would like to say at the outset, that we, especially the LDCs, need to take the lead in our own development. It should not be donor-driven at all. For instance, we developed a 7-year medium-term national development plan, 2024 to 2030, 7 years, which is, well, 2 years beyond our normal plan because it was in line with the SDGs. We aligned it with the SDGs, the AU Vision 2063, and the 2063 Agenda. and the ECOWAS Vision 2050, outlined an agenda of 5 game changers and 5 enablers, presented that to our partners and asked that they align. Fortunately, all of them have aligned their interventions with our plan, but that's not the panacea. You asked me about fragmentation and you also brought up statistics to do with fragmentation. Some of the problems, of course, when we're dealing with fragmentation is agencies probably with the same mandates intervening in different ways, sometimes one project canceling out another project, and just a waste and duplication of resources. The way that we usually deal with this, the fragmentation, or the way that fragmentation should be dealt with, and this is one of the areas I've given you, the first one is what we do, but in the area of fragmentation, we would want the encouragement for the consolidation of aid efforts through sector-wide approaches and harmonized funding instruments and promoting multilateral solutions where appropriate to leverage economies of scale. Then coordination platforms need to be established. We've tried our best to establish coordination platforms in Sierra Leone, but this is a little bit difficult as well. But we do have our development partners meeting and sector working groups to get them talking. It does not solve the problem of fragmentation, but it gets us talking about it, and we're able now to come up with common intervention strategies. I know I don't have that much time. These are 2, so you've given me one more, so I'll just run quickly just through 2 or 3 others. There's a need, and I'll just give the points, the need to improve transparency and accountability by encouraging the open sharing of data. This morning, the President spoke about what is not measured is not assessed, the importance of data. I would like to reemphasize that, but also the need to share data. I think that's number 3. Then we need to foster inclusive partnerships and focus on impact rather than interventions, focus on impact and results. Leverage innovative technology. Although these steps are not exhaustive, But I would also like to submit the need to adapt to changing contexts, and there have been so many fast-changing contexts, and we need to, in everything here, it's not cast in stone, but there needs to be some flexibility that we can respond to as partners in development. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister, and you will have the opportunity to come back, so I'm not ending with the first question. Thank you. So, very clear messages: use national systems aligned with national priorities, accountability, transparency, data availability, and impact measurement. This is your list, which should be adopted by the global community in Sevilla and then become the North Star for all providers, right? Okay, thank you so much. Well, Minister, this is the beginning, and sure, you're welcome to add whatever you wish to add, but our challenge right now is that we want to go into specifics so that the outcome document is not just a wish list, it has very specific— Let me now turn to, and I will come lastly to our Director-General from Qatar, the youngest provider in terms of in this field. So you have

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to share.

Let me go to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Pankin. And the question as a provider, Mr. Pankin, for you is what challenges countries are facing when they approach with their offers and the countries have their own systems, their own priorities, and they are seeking the help of providers to advance those objectives? which are also based on the Sustainable Development Goals. You are also a shareholder in the MDBs. We also want to learn from you what else can the MDBs do to align their funding decisions with the priorities of developing countries.

Thank you so much. Look, I'll be speaking not only on behalf of Russia as provider, but seeing the broader picture and analysing it. And I mean, it might sound already déjà vu, but look, the ODA system and the development cooperation system was conceived to be a powerful tool to promote collective efforts of the donor society— let's call it the old-fashioned way, donor society— to eliminate inequality and help in socio-economic development. Based on the priorities, plans and platforms nationally chosen by the countries. And accordingly, the measurable commitments were taken by donor community. They were put on paper, fixed in multiple strategic— agreed strategic UN documents, but unfortunately what we see And we heard part of it from our colleague on Sierra Leone, is that the system of ODA and IDC, they proved to be ineffective. Why so? Ineffective beyond any expectations. There were no practical results in the Global South which were expected, not in terms of volumes, Neither volumes, neither allocation of resources among regions and countries, especially those in most need, nor inefficiency and concrete results. Well, I may be over-exaggerating, but I think that the system has fallen in crisis and it has to be reconsidered deeply and seriously. Because the focuses have been shifted, multiple disordered priorities appeared, and sometimes and many times we see introduction of arbitrary demands on behalf of partners, receivers, beneficiaries, whatever you want to call them, politically correct or rather manner. You know, the— The solutions might be clear but uneasy. I mean, I don't know— we'll have a debate or a discussion here whether you disagree with me, but definitely we have to ensure depoliticization of this assistance and its criteria. We have to give up conditioning IDC by various demands. In whatever spheres— political or economic or others. We have to prevent imposing of false or disorienting cross-cutting clichés regarding many things like human rights, democratic society, gender and other things out of proportion. Climate threats sometimes, which are the drivers of the activities which do not bring the results expected, as I said. And the fourth point is to definitely couple increasing— increased flows of assistance with other tools which are aimed to ensure equality and just developments in the area of trade, financing for development, reducing external debt, and international taxation. Without doing that, the best instruments and methodologies for international development cooperation would not yield results anyway. And of course the focus should be on hardcore issues of interest to the recipient partner states, and those probably must be not the Christmas tree of anything which was agreed in the UN, but the focus on infrastructure development, focus on industrialization, on innovation, on digitalization— I mean, all that was talked about this morning— and definitely keeping in mind and paying attention to social issues— poverty, public health, education. And so, So summing up, remove the restrictions, change your mind, your attitude, coordinate with your partner, don't condition, don't bring politics, listen to the interests of your partner and then you'll have chances. Of course, with the dynamic of such aid that this aid would work. to the benefit of all those in need, as I said— Africa, LDCs, Small Island Developing Countries. They all should be in the focus, not only those ones who are prospective investment or trade partners, extraction industries, raw materials and so on. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Minister. Clear message aligned with the national priorities. Of the partner countries, so unambiguously clear. Director-General Al-Sulayfi, now I have to really seek your insights on South-South cooperation. As the newest among the countries who have joined this group of providers, what are your experiences? Where do you see the competing demands? Because this is also a An issue which we are dealing with humanitarian emergencies, poverty eradication and development, health expenditures, and also climate action. All of these priorities emerge in national plans. How is South-South Cooperation dealing with that? And again, using country systems, impact measurement, what are the innovations you have brought to the field? Over to you.

Thank you very much and thank you for this invitation. I think last week and this week is really very exciting because last week most of the people here was in the meeting of— spring meeting of IMF and World Bank. It went very well. Some of the challenges that faces some countries we try to solve. I'll give a small example. The State of Qatar and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have made a relief for repayment of the debt for Syria countries in World Bank, which releases a huge amount that's been pending for the World Bank to be given to such countries. I think such things is really— we can sort it out because this will help the countries with the new transitions now moving in the right way through the development side. But we need the efficiency of the economic situation in the countries. We need to build and focus on the ecosystem in the countries. How can we build ecosystem and how can we— dollars from going from one to others? I think this is very important and this is such a way that how we rethinking in different manners of this country on the development side. How we can do this is utilizing the natural resources of the countries. Country can borrow, yes, they can do, but they cannot do the repayments. What is the challenge? So like a bank, in the bank system, you will have a deposit and you will get the loan outside, but if you don't get the deposit, you cannot get the loan outside. So the burden on the loans is really a big focus because we need to think about how can we, the country first, do the repayment. And this is, I think, a very important aspect that we need to think about. As Excellency mentioned now, when you think about infrastructures, a profitable mechanism that we can put in the countries, that we can build, and the countries don't have later on the burden of the repayments. We see after COVID how many countries have really flown down, big, big countries, which is where they're doing very good on the GDP, but then there was a big failure on that. How can we really emphasize on this? To reduce this burden on the debt countries, as I mentioned, we need to generate a good income. utilizing their natural resources. I think this is very, very important. We need more coordination between donors and implementing partners, you know, and this definitely needs alignment with the national plan. I think we cannot work without the national plan of the country, a good strategy, as we mentioned today, mentioned by Her Excellency from Sierra Leone, and Sierra Leone is really working in very, very good progress. I think lots of countries have interest now. Either us, State of Qatar, we started the first debt relief with Sierra Leone on the soft component for education, conditional that Sierra Leone will put additional money to education and will support on the soft component that we will work together. To make this, I think this will have more priorities and sustainable for countries, so reducing the burden on making swift intervention. To improve, as you mentioned, on the MD side, working with the development banks, I think we need to focus more on the mega and special system like infrastructures. I think the bank, their role is really on the big mega infrastructures that can support the countries. People can see the difference, and I think this is very important. infrastructures that have a good revenue for the countries so they can pay back and make sure we have a good mechanism on this aspect. I think I'll stop here. There are lots of things, but I think we'll see what the fruitful— we'll be having from this session.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Minister, you wanted to say something? Please, go ahead.

Finally— well, not finally, but What we are working towards and what we're looking to in Sierra Leone is a transformative agenda in interventions which will really turn things around. One of the speakers mentioned that, yes, we've been doing the same thing, probably we've given it a different name. You have human rights interventions, if you do a proposal, it's almost the same. Gender, it's almost the same. Climate is almost the same. And you have these very small interventions that don't make an impact. I think we need to be looking towards transformative interventions. We're looking to establish a sovereign wealth fund for infrastructure development, infrastructure that will give us returns and will also support our flagship programs. Our flagship program is agriculture, but also one of the big game changers is technology and infrastructure, and we need large-scale investments for this.

Thank you, sir.

With other countries, I'm not just talking about Sierra Leone but other LDCs.

This conversation now takes me, Mr. Suleymaniye, back to you, and the Minister has really added a new element. What you were talking about, more than just giving handouts and ODA, what you were saying is enable countries to come to a level where they can manage debt, they have investment, they generate income. Eventually, you bring them to a point where they don't need aid anymore.

Right.

What we are talking about is the international development cooperation framework should be redesigned with this objective in mind, to eventually eliminate aid dependency. So as a South-South cooperation provider, what kind of framework do you think will work for you, for DAC providers, for recipient countries?

Thank you, thank you very much. And I think all of us agree that aid will never make country, rich countries. Everyone knows that, you know, and I think that's why we need the countries to develop on their side. We need to reframe on the building capacity, which is, I think, this is very important. We need always, when we're thinking on any development in the country, in the national plan, how can we support, you know, the Ministry of Education? We have good data, as Her Excellency mentioned. I think this will help the framework of this of this burden, you know, that having. Some countries, they cannot breathe now because the burden is already high, you know, but this is where we need to find, you know, and find solutions to this aspect. But I think we started to think and discover, first of all, what my natural resources, what I have. My countries, you know, 15 years ago, we are not rich countries like we are today, thanks God. You know, we have developed our natural resources, we utilized our natural resources, and this is where we are today. And I think it's a lesson learned of the experience that we can give to all of us. You know, see where Qatar was, you know, a couple of years— not only Qatar, all the GCC countries, you know, before discovering the oil. And this is where we are now. We have advanced on where we are together, and I think this is a very good experience that we need to share with all other countries that you can do it like us. And this is what we try to give now. It's not only in the humanitarian aspects, but we want to focus more on the development aspect. The humanitarian is needed, the emergency need, we'll go for it. It's part of our main strategy that we would like to work on it, but I think it's very important that this is something— it's a temporary base, but what we need is really the big framework of utilizing the main things. We have lots of countries, you know, they have huge mining, you know, inside, you know, their countries. This is what needs to be utilized. This is the future for them.

Thank you.

Mr. Salady, excellent point, knowledge sharing. South-South cooperation, that's where it should be going because you have come out of that stage and you know how to help other countries to also achieve their trajectory of development. So I couldn't agree more with you. Let's come to the Deputy Foreign Minister. Minister Pankin, you were very clear in your focus on national priorities. The challenge is national priorities when you have 3 or 4 provider streams with very different frameworks, with very different priorities, different modalities of delivery, different instruments. Don't you think there is a need for FFD4 to initiate something where a framework can be brought to the global stage which is harmonized? I'm not saying unified, but harmonized, so partner countries are not overburdened with dealing with so many frameworks.

You know, maybe that's the easiest part, I mean, to organize a coordination framework at the country level. I mean, usually, I mean, during recent decades you had that in the country. Especially among multilateral agencies, international development banks, UN system and so on, World Bank and others, that was not a problem. The problem was probably the bilateral side, and as we see today, the shift moves into bilateral assistance, and unfortunately bilateral relations between certain countries, there is always something on the agenda. which is not probably on the agenda of multilateral institutions. That's inevitable. And how to create a global coordination platform for international development cooperation— I mean, theoretically you may say you have it through these meetings of, let me call it, donor community in whatever forms and channels and levels, but— But it's not working. But coordination is rather sharing of information, not sharing the priorities or sharing the methods of working with a particular country. And definitely, if you look— when you start talking about private investors, well, let's be frank, private investment is driven by foreseeable profit. Otherwise, it's just a charity, which is which has other channels to be used. So if it's a profit, and then we'll come to what my colleague from Qatar said, it should be assistance which would bring in investors, which I also said, and then create a solid foundation for whatever— infrastructure or industry or innovation blocks or— allies or whatever. That's the problem, to bring all together. Not that aid is additional to investment or trade, not that trade can substitute aid, because without aid it's difficult to understand in certain countries how to use mechanisms, but definitely there should be more voice of global community. Address to donor community on what should be the priorities and methods of dealing with—

A place like the United Nations where everyone can come and speak about it. Thank you. Now, let's go to the floor, but the Deputy Foreign Minister has made an important observation. I hope somebody from the philanthropy or the private sector should be able to respond. They also have activities which are not solely profit-driven and they're also rethinking, so I want them to also share their rethinking processes. We had some of them with us in Washington. They were also thinking how to have higher impact on the ground. Our first speaker is from civil society, Ms. Patricia Akakpo, Network for Women's Rights in Ghana.

Thank you.

You have 2 minutes, please. Go ahead.

Thank you. I'm representing CSO FFD Mechanism. Mr. Chair and Your Excellencies, country leadership and democratic ownership of development cooperation programs are key to resolving fragmentation by placing access and control closer to those usually considered as objects of development. We must strengthen inclusive partnership and ensure accountability to local communities. The effectiveness issue, however, faces major challenges in the current context of shocking aid cuts and aid diversion. We must reverse this trend. International development cooperation needs to be refocused on poverty eradication, including the fulfillment of gender equality and women's human rights. Development cooperation requires a higher level of ambition. A major reform of the IDC governance is needed. FFD4 should strengthen the norm-setting role of the UN through a commitment towards the establishment of a UN Convention on IDC that democratizes and enhances accountability. This convention should include measurable, time-bound, and enforceable indicators. Moreover, we recognize the crucial role of that— we recognize the crucial role that multilateral development banks can play in financing sustainable development. As long as some conditions are met, including channeling more concessional resources, working in full alignment with national development priorities, human rights, and operating in a transparent and accountable way, without transforming how MDBs work and govern, they won't be fit for purpose. FFD4 presents an opportunity to reach a political agreement to establish a UN intergovernmental process to review IFIs and MDBs governance towards building institutions that are democratic, inclusive, transparent, accountable, and oriented to deliver sustainable development outcomes. FFD4 must reaffirm the role of the UN in global economic governance.

Finally—

I'm sorry, excuse me. We are really short of time. You can send us your text of your statement. I have 22 speakers in 16 minutes, so I don't know how will you manage it. So I'm leaving it to you. I'm not going to enforce, but let's cut the time to 1 minute per speaker. But our next speaker is Republic of Korea, speaking on behalf of 5 countries: Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, and Australia. So kindly, if— I know you have 3 minutes, if you could—

Thank you.

Cut it short, we have a very long list. Republic of Korea, please.

Mr.

Chair, Excellencies, colleagues, I have the honor to deliver this joint statement on behalf of the MIKTA countries: Mexico, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Türkiye, Australia. MIKTA, as diverse and cross-regional group of countries, unites a broad range of experiences and capabilities. Our collective role is to foster constructive dialogue, build consensus across all stakeholders, and deliver tangible outcomes that accelerate sustainable development for all. Today, we wish to share 4 priorities that MICTA believes are critical to the success of this Forum and the road to the FFD4D. First, we reaffirm the continued relevance of development effectiveness as a cornerstone of international development cooperation. Second, we recognize the urgency of bridging financing gaps with innovative and scalable solutions. Third, we reiterate the need for a reformed international financial architecture, one that is more representative, inclusive, responsive, and development-oriented. Fourth, fostering an enabling environment remains essential for achieving inclusive and sustainable growth. In closing, MICTA reiterates its strong commitment to a successful outcome of FFD4. We believe that the FFD4 outcome must deliver concrete, actionable, forward-looking, and ambitious commitment to close financing gaps and revitalize global partnership for the achievement of the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda. Our full statement will be submitted to the Secretariat for the official record. I thank you.

Thank you so much, Republic of Korea. A sigh of relief. You have set the bar very high. He delivered in half of the time that was allocated, so we are cutting it down to 90 seconds for everyone from 2 minutes. Thank you for understanding. Even then, we'll be way beyond our time. So our next speaker is Honorable Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Minister, thank you for understanding and sorry for cutting short the time for your speech. Over to you.

Thank you very much, Excellencies. It is both an honour and a responsibility to join you today for the important conversation on bilateral development cooperation. We gather at a time when global inequalities are widening external shock are becoming more frequent. A financial gap for the Sustainable Development Goals are growing deeper. Yet it's also a momentum of extraordinary potential, a time for renewed development cooperation, not as a static flow of aid, but as a dynamic platform for inclusion, innovation, and impact. In Guinea, we are advancing an ambitious long-term vision centered on responsible resource utilization, value chain development, and green inclusive growth. This vision is grounded in the belief that development cooperation must move beyond projects to build transformative systems in health, in education, in infrastructure, and in the empowerment of people and commitment. But we cannot do this alone. We need development cooperation that is fit for purpose, that reduces fragmentation, aligns with national priorities, and empower countries like mine to lead their own pathway to progress. We need multilateral development banks that go further, not only expanding financial capacity but adapting their instruments to adapt to the evolving risks. Let us be clear: development cooperation will only achieve its full potential under genuine partnership.

I thank you.

Thank you, Honourable Minister. Again, my regrets for shortening the time. Next is Minister of State for Finance of Maldives.

Minister?

Thank you, moderator. Let me make 3 points on revitalizing development cooperation. First, reducing fragmentation and enhancing country ownership creates stronger development cooperation. Too much of our assistance is donor-driven. We need to shift towards country-led strategies. That reflect national priorities, not external agendas. Second, stronger state capacity unlocks better outcomes. With capable institutions and skilled personnel, governments can engage far more effectively with donors. This means development partners must invest in the systems that allow countries to design, implement, and enforce their own policies over time. Third, simplifying process is essential. Standardized systems and shared data platforms would significantly improve efficiency and effectiveness. A successful FFD4 depends on genuine partnership, revitalizing multilateralism and development cooperation that empowers, not overwhelms.

Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Very clear messages. Secretary of State of Portugal, sir, please.

Excellencies, development cooperation faces overlapping crises and is in transformation, with new actors, tools, and innovative financing. The promise of the 2030 Agenda hangs in the balance. We must rise to this moment, together. To shape this future, we propose the following: First, enhancing effectiveness and coherence, aligning cooperation with national strategies, improving coordination among partners, and fostering transparency, inclusiveness, and results-based approaches. Second, mobilizing more and better financing. Third, advancing new developing metrics behind GDPD. 4, inclusive partnerships, including triangular cooperation, bringing diverse actors together. Despite the challenges we face, in 2024, Portugal increased its ODA.

So let's head together to turn this ship around.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir. El Salvador, please.

Excellencies.

Distinguished co-chairs, El Salvador sent its full version of this speech to the Secretariat. El Salvador recognizes the importance of financing for development and international cooperation, specifically in the current context of challenges. It is especially concerning that traditional mechanisms for cooperation and financial assistance have continued to diminish, especially non-reimbursable aid. El Salvador would like to reaffirm that financing and international cooperation must be real catalysts of change and not simply complementary support mechanisms. Therefore, it is essential to reevaluate the criteria that we use to measure development because tools that we use to measure these things like income per capita does not reflect the true needs of middle-income countries. Per capita income does not reflect internal inequalities, vulnerabilities, In the face of climate change or the dependency on external shocks, as well as other challenges, El Salvador would like to reaffirm its commitment to work with the international community and multilateralism to create a future that is more prosperous and resilient through renewed cooperation and efficient financing in the lead-up to the 4th International Conference for Financing for Development that will happen in Seville, Spain. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Let me read out the list because 3 more added. I have to close the list now. So it's Morocco, Venezuela, Senegal, Slovenia, Guatemala, Honduras, Yemen, Spain, Uruguay, Mexico, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Cuba, IDEA, Zimbabwe, India, Armenia, Cabo Verde, and civil society. And I'm closing the list of speakers, please, because it's just growing and we can't handle it. Morocco, please.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair. Just a short version of my statement. If we are to make the FFD4 a turning point for international development cooperation, we need to be ambitious, namely in 4 areas. First, we need to reduce duplications, build true partnerships rooted in trust, to recenter our country-led priorities and ensure that every dollar catalyzes lasting impact. Second, middle-income countries have special vulnerabilities and challenges. They are a specific case for development cooperation that deserves our attention and solidarity. Third, going beyond GDP is the cornerstone for achieving an inclusive development cooperation. Fourth and finally, we need to allow the MDBs to expand their support in terms of access to finance and technical support for developing countries, particularly middle-income countries. I thank you for your attention.

Thank you, Morocco, for your brevity. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, please.

Thank you, Chair. The current moment of generalized crises should really call us to create new conditions for financing development. In this context, our policies should be well calibrated to foster international cooperation and multilateralism. Which help economic stability and contribute to reducing global inequalities. Financing for development is one of the main elements to implement Agenda 2030, and for that, it is necessary to boost South-South cooperation, including successful experiences framed within solidarity and complementarity, such as Petrocaribe, a program that is put forward by Venezuela. Chair, we have several resolutions that refer to a trade system that is inclusive and non-discriminatory, but some countries continue imposing unilateral coercitive measures that are illegal against certain countries of the Global South. They even block the sale of natural resources. And on top of all of this, we have the threat of a trade war by instrumentalizing trade measures such as tariffs that are imposed today with goals that have nothing to do with trade. They are used to coerce and dominate other countries. To conclude, Venezuela would like to express its commitment to financing for development and South-South cooperation. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Senegal, please.

Thank you, Chair. It is with great interest that we heard the contributions of different speakers this morning. We would like to highlight an issue that we think is very important, and it has to do with the OECD's report that talks about the reduction in official aid development. This hurts Africa in a continent that has a population of over 2 billion as well as its different declarations. So what are some of the mitigation strategies so that the hopes of Africa do not dissipate when it comes to reaching the SDGs because Seville is only a few 2 weeks away. What can we do so that the international community finds its humanity again in order to avoid some of the horrors that we saw during World War II and horrors that we were able to overcome when states worked together? We need to renew this common will so Seville marks a new dawn for international aid.

Thank you.

We need to see countries move forward through mechanisms that support our development, and our analysis needs to take into account precarious equilibriums and the risk of climate change. Thank you.

Thank you. Slovenia, please.

Thank you, Chair. Around 3.3 billion people live in the countries where governments spend more on interest payments than on health and education. Adequate, predictable funding empowers countries to build resilient economies, invest in education, healthcare, and infrastructure. All these are preconditions to build resilient and prosperous future. Addressing these challenges requires an immediate and ambitious global action across all 3 dimensions of sustainable development. Most vulnerable low-income countries need assistance in overcoming structural impediments to development and building resilience against external shocks. Slovenia supports the use of complementary measures of progress that go beyond gross domestic product, including the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index. Chair, human rights and the 2030 Agenda are mutually reinforcing. Promotion and full respect of human rights create a foundation for peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous societies. Slovenia is a strong advocate of a human rights-based approach to development, with a special focus on gender equality and meaningful participation of girls and women across all spheres of development. Thank you.

Thank you. Guatemala, please.

Gracias. Thank you. Good afternoon. Despite the importance of international development cooperation and the fact that it is a fundamental pillar to complement national public budgets, in 2024, ODA fell 7.1% in real terms, interrupting 5 consecutive years of growth. This trend will hold, taking into account the decisions of some countries to weaken their commitment to the financial architecture to promote cooperation. And this weakening is not merely a statistic. It has a direct impact on some of the most critical and vulnerable sectors, which significantly affects the possibilities of of progress in least developed countries. And this scenario should lead us to question the validity of principles having to do with co-responsibility and solidarity that have historically anchored development cooperation, as well as the commitments of the SDGs. We cannot accept that in a moment of multiple crises, our collective responses are weakened. As a country, we would like to reiterate the need to to revise the architecture and mechanisms that currently exist and go beyond our limited measurements where limited vision that is based only on GDP is clearly insufficient to reflect the complexity of processes that have to do with social and economic transformations.

Honduras, please.

Thank you very much, Mr. Moderator. Middle-income countries such as Honduras harbor the majority of the world's population, but we face different crises— climate, social, and migration— that go beyond our capacity to respond. We need to rethink the current criteria so that we do not become invisible when it's time to access ODA. We need to complement GDP with indicators that are more just such as the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and promote cooperation mechanisms that are more flexible. MDBs should adapt their financing instruments in order to mobilize additional resources and design financial products that respond to the realities of middle-income countries. The current crises require urgent responses, but we should not put in danger the resources that should go towards sustainable development. Differentiated strategies that recognize that countries are heterogeneous, especially middle-income countries, and we need to make sure that resources are available to face their specific challenges. We have mechanisms to finance global public goods such as the Green Climate Fund, carbon bonds, as well as climate debt swaps, but we should guarantee that these funds are additional and have clear criteria for eligibility and transparency in order to avoid duplications and improve improve their impact. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Vice Minister. Yemen, please.

Thank you.

Yemen offers unique insight on development cooperation from a conflict-affected state perspective.

In Yemen, we've seen how maintaining core economic functions, even amid conflict, creates foundation for ultimate recovery.

Our experience with the Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Group demonstrates how preserving basic capabilities in physical and monetary systems, maintain institutional knowledge that would otherwise be lost.

Development cooperation requires politically resilient frameworks. Traditional models assume stable governance that doesn't exist in conflict zones. Yemen has designed systems with appropriate checks and balances that function despite contested authority, creating technical bridges that persist when political dialogue fails. We need debt management approaches that recognize our unique

Thank you, Yemen.

Secretary of State for International Cooperation of Spain.

Distinguished delegates, international cooperation is changing and challenges having to do with effectiveness are more important than ever. The process leading up to Seville should help us improve our instruments and modalities. I would like to highlight 5 priorities. First, recalibrating international cooperation to face new challenges, never losing our focus on eradicating poverty. We are facing multidimensional challenges that require integral responses that are focused on fair transitions. Second, multilateral development banks are important. They should improve the access for developing countries to concessional financing and implement the recommendations of the G20's roadmap. Moreover, we need financing available in local currencies and new catalysts such as recanalizing special drawing rights. We also expect progress in the way that concessional financing is assigned based on indicators that go beyond GDP. Third, it is necessary to support strengthening capacities at a national and international level in order to mobilize domestic resources, and it is necessary to fight against illicit financial flows. Fourth, we hope that the efficiency agenda will accelerate. Quality and quantity are both important, and policy dialogue, among other instruments, are essential in this sense. Fifth, it is urgent to strengthen inclusivity as well as spaces for debate.

My sincere regrets, but you did a great job, State Secretary. Now, the Vice President has given this ruling. I have to respect it. We will listen to Uruguay and Mexico, and then this fireside chat has to close. But VP has assured there are 8 more speakers. They will be given priority in the subsequent fireside chat. That's Vice President's decision. I have to abide by it. So Uruguay, followed by Mexico, please. Thank you, Mr. President.

Gracias.

Thank you, Moderator. The upcoming conference in Seville is a key opportunity to improve the effectiveness and impact of cooperation, which would benefit all developing countries. For Uruguay, international cooperation is an essential part of its development strategy. It helps strengthen capacities, improves the quality of public policies, and contributes to advancing an agenda based on rights. It also strengthen bilateral and regional relationships, and it promotes multilateralism as a governing principle. In Uruguay's new role as a beneficiary but also a provider of cooperation, we actively promote South-South and triangular cooperation in areas such as sustainable agriculture, health, education, and renewables. And we therefore add to the protection of our global public At the same time, we think it's necessary to continue receiving traditional cooperation, focused and high quality, in order to close structural gaps. For this, we must change the current paradigm, as others have mentioned, in terms of access to financing and international cooperation based only on economic indicators. We should actually opt for multidimensional measurements. Action number 53 of the Pact for the Future gives us an opportunity to be the leaders in that transformation, and the concept of development in transition helps us express this idea. Thank you.

Mexico.

Excellencies, colleagues, since we began negotiating the zero draft, the environment for international cooperation has become more restrictive and complex. We need a larger volume of resources and also to transform its effectiveness and inclusion. Mexico thinks it It is indispensable to center our cooperation in the principles of national ownership, harmonization, local priorities, results-based management, and accountability. Each dollar should translate in the largest impact possible. We should also change our metrics to access ODA. Per capita income masks vulnerabilities and deep inequalities. Mexico thinks that complementary criteria should be included, such as the Gini Index, the Vulnerability Index, as well as the rate of unofficial employment, and we should orient our flows where they are most needed to close structural gaps. Cooperation that does not incorporate gender in its perspective will be less efficient. Mexico would like to reaffirm its commitment to South-South and triangular cooperation, promoting the participation of startups, social businesses, universities and community organizations. We would also like to boast of voluntary reporting to the framework to measure South-South cooperation at UNCTAD to strengthen the visibility of its contributions. Multilateral development banks should expand their financial capacities.

Thank you.

Just made it in time. Let me now invite our panelists for their parting thoughts, 1 minute each. I'll begin with Mr. Pankin, the Deputy Thank you, Naveef.

Well, one minute. It should happen in the UN. If you want to achieve understanding shifts, reform of institutions, of development aid, it should happen in the UN, not in OECD, because look, we heard that number of providers, as we call them these days, is twice as much, more than twice, the number of OECD member states. The same about the international finance institutions with the weight of votes and voices there. So the UN should be a centre point and maybe Sevilla would be a proper starting point, not definitely a finishing point, but a starting point for reshaping and making the development assistance more effective.

Thank you. Thank you very much, and I agree with His Excellency here. I think from the UN we will start to make the change. I think the change is what we hear today from all the other countries. We need to get away from traditional financing to very innovative financing. I think this is very clear. The need is huge how to get out from all this burden, you know, how to get out from this typical transitions is not working very well and the gap is really very close, very big, and how to— for us of all to come here to close this gap. I think this is the important point that we want to take out today.

Thank you.

Yes, I also feel that we need to have a complete recalibration of the But not just the UN. I think it should be all of us. We need to be genuine and open about it and try to put aside all these geopolitical influences, sit down, have a conversation, and see how we can really make it work.

Thank you so much. Excellencies, 3 messages: countries should be in the lead, their priorities, their systems should be used, coordination, cooperation, integration— keywords— and Sevilla is a starting point, so please go there with an open mind, give specific guidance, and then see where we can land with the future of development cooperation. Thank you. I think more than the panelists, member states deserve a round of applause. For their short statements and their patience. Thank you so much.

Now I thank the AST, Mr. Hani, for kindly moderating these sessions and expertly guiding the discussions. I also thank our distinguished with panelists for their very comprehensive, constructive, and substantive contributions. And I also thank the delegation for participating in a very productive exchange of views. We are very sorry that we could not accommodate all the requests for the floor due to the time constraints. I now briefly pause the meeting and I invite the panelists in the next discussion to take their Please remain seated.

Please remain seated. I'm the world's worst timekeeper. I have no idea why they gave me this job.

Hello.

Hello.

Hi, how are you?

Hello.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Diana.

Very nice to meet you.

Pleased to meet you.

I'm not sure. I'm pretending to be the boss, but I'm not.

And the kids stay with information.

They have the screen.

Okay.

Right.

And then she sees that here.

Oh, yeah.

Honorable Minister, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, the Forum will now continue the Ministerial Fireside Chat 4 on Harnessing Trade and Technology for Sustainable development. I'm pleased to welcome the distinguished presenters for this discussion. I also welcome Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in the Economics of Innovations and Public Value at the University College of London, to moderate the panel discussions. Like in the previous sessions, I look forward to an open and constructive and productive exchange of views. Madam Matsukato, you have the floor.

Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Good afternoon, Excellencies, Ministers, distinguished delegates, and colleagues. It's wonderful to be here, and it's my pleasure to welcome you to today's discussion on harnessing trade and technology for sustainable development. Read any newspaper today and we're all talking about trade. So as we look ahead to the FFD4 Conference in Seville, this topic really could not be more important. And just to set the scene a bit before we go into this wonderful discussion with this illustrious panel, trade and technology have historically been powerful engines, of course, of growth and economic transformation. Open and rules-based trade has lifted, according to the World Bank, 1 billion people out of poverty in recent decades. We also have, of course, investments occurring today in digital technologies, and according to the OECD, digital trade now represents more than 25% of global services exports, and every 10% increase in internet access boosts exports by up to 2% in developing countries. But as you can imagine, the discussion here will not only be celebrating statistics like this but also saying, but, but, but. But, however, however, however. So research has also shown that the benefits of this trade system have been disproportionately gained by the wealthy, both within and between countries. Hence, this is not just about the Global South and development. It's just as much about the Global North. Recent backlashes to free trade in high-income countries clearly show that this is equally about a fairer distribution of benefits within countries, especially between workers and business. And as a result of not getting this right— and that's why we're here today, to get it right— the system for international trade and technology access has come under strain. We have global trade is actually slowing, tariffs and trade restrictions are rising, and digital markets are potentially fragmenting. And, you know, if these trends continue unchecked and we fail to put a fair system in place, the gains from trade and technology will be eroded, and that would be a huge huge mistake. So ultimately, that would leave everyone worse off, and we would continue to find lots of different tensions in the world order. And just as examples of where we've gotten it wrong, for example, the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is, of course, a force for good, but unless it actually has within it provisions to make sure we have technology transfer and knowledge sharing, then it actually becomes really hard for developing countries to comply to the costs, and this ends up reducing market access for developing countries. Similarly, when we had the Green IRA in the United States, that was the green industrial strategy. But if that ends up sucking capital away from the Global South, that ends up hurting us all, because these challenges, whether it's a healthier planet or whether it's net zero, are global challenges. So we must actually work together. So this pattern currently is potentially not sustainable, and what we will talk about today will be multifold, but just quickly, we absolutely need to be investing in productive capacities in order to meaningfully participate in trade. Second, we need to restore that missing policy space and the fiscal space in many countries that would actually help to reinforce a rules-based order and ensure that developing countries don't face more and more different types of barriers, which then hurt their ability to access global markets. Third, of course, we need to reinvigorate multilateralism. This has been a cross-cutting theme across all the different sessions. In conclusion, sustainable development demands coherence between domestic policymaking, international rules, between economic governance and social justice, between growth and the kind of economy we need. Let me now hand over to this wonderful panel. Let me first introduce Her Excellency, Ms. Fatoumata Bako Traoré. the Minister for the Budget of Burkina Faso. In her role at the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Planning, she plays a very key role in shaping and executing the nation's fiscal policies. Can I hand over, please, to you for 3 minutes?

Thank you very much, moderator. Thank you for giving me the floor. This is an excellent opportunity state our views on this very relevant issue. We wish to welcome the participants of this forum, which is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to inclusive sustainable development and decent sustainable development and sovereign development in accordance with the sovereign desires of the people of Burkina Faso. We are facing myriad multidimensional challenges, including climate-related challenges, security security-related challenges, humanitarian challenges, economic challenges, financial challenges. These are all issues which are exacerbated by two-pronged structural vulnerability as a least developed country and as a landlocked developing country. In light of this context of vulnerability, we have shaped our vision for trade and technology for this to be used for the advancement of development on the basis of 3 points which we have fleshed out. First and foremost, our country wishes to reaffirm the fact that trade is neither a luxury nor is it a mere driver for growth. This is a tool for resilience, for inclusion, for structural transformation. For the countries of the Sahel, such as Burkina Faso, and generally for least developed countries, international trade needs to be aligned with public policies for industrialization as well as local transformation of resources and generation of decent jobs. When we consider the example of our country, since independence, we— which resulted in raw commodities exploitation, and this was done in a way that did not fully take into account added value that could be drawn through the simple transformation of these raw materials, these commodities which our countries has in such abundance. So our vision now is to move towards industrialization through these commodities. Second point, technology. If there is an appropriate framework, this can be a driver, a catalyst for change. We are cognizant of the fact that there are many risks that we will address simultaneously, including the digital divide as well as technological independence. For this reason, international, equitable, inclusive cooperation is indispensable to guarantee people's access to modern infrastructure, to high-quality internet and strategic data. Developing countries should no longer be merely passive consumers of various innovative technologies, but we should be drivers and actors in the technological transformation. Third, our vision hinges on the rethinking of this process, which is respectful of national sovereignty and more inclusive. Our vision for addressing and dealing with international trade should include bringing policies closer towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals. This is— at this cost that multilateralism can be resilient in this time of crisis. We believe it is important, it is past time for Africa to be a fellow architect of a new economic global architecture. To conclude, I wish to state that we continue to firmly believe that sustainable transformation, sustainable development hinges on equitable trade and local industrialization, regional integration, technology— cutting-edge technology to help meet people's real needs, and reformed global governance that reflects the aspirations of the people of the South. Thank you so much, Your Excellency.

These were incredibly wise points that we'll come back to later in the discussion. I'd now like to introduce His Excellency Ismaël Nabaye, the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation in Guinea. If you could talk a bit about the role of planning and the lead role of public investment, indeed, in crowding in the private sector instead of what is often an overreliance on the private sector.

Thank you very much, Madam Moderator. First of all, let me just bring the greetings and the compliment of the people of Guinea to the people of nations represented here today. You are right, trade is extremely important. I think before we talk about foreign affairs, in the centuries beyond, we used to do trade by using foreign transformation. You're rightly right. In Guinea, we believe that only trade and technology just a catalyst accelerator for prosperity for all. We know there are a lot of things going on today, but we believe we need that opportunity in order to transform. You rightly read the planning. Guinea right now, we are embarking on one of the biggest projects in the world today, which is iron ore. For many years, we've been taking the trade of iron ore, bauxite, taking from our region to send offshore in order to transform. What the Guinea leadership have done to do transformation locally that can benefit the Guineans but also can benefit Africans, that come to a point that we have a free trade area, African free trade area. We can be robust to help Africans to do trade among ourselves. But beyond that, we are using the project to do a planification, not only for 1 year or 2 years, we are doing planning for 15 years. That 15 years is based on 5 clusters. Each cluster of planification can be using the minerals to develop what we call the commerce, trade, and industry, education, and then culture, but also infrastructure to be developed because today the problem in Africa is about lack of infrastructure. Because I give you one example, in my part of the world, when there's a mango season, eventually you got to get mango all over because there's no packing, there's no saving, mango can be spared. So today, because we have improved the road connectivity, the agricultural products have increased more than 30%. Infrastructure is the key. The third is economy assurance, but the last is healthcare. But all in all, what is really important is that the trade must be green, must be fair, must be pretty much for all the people that are doing the trade. But as I said, all the things that happen in the world today for us is an opportunity. Opportunity to do some transformation locally, opportunity for us to do trade to our neighboring country, but we need to develop what you call infrastructure. The planification is the key because we don't know what's going to happen 5 years, 10 years from now. You need to plan a robust development agenda that will align to the UN Agenda 2030, but also agenda of the African Union 2063. For us, it's the key. Trade is a link to opportunity for shared profit for all, but also a link to fairness, environmental elements, and then also in emphasizing regional trade, continental trade, but also the trade all over the world.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your comments, which I think also really outlined why we also need a very different approach that understands green growth in terms of all the investments we actually require in making our natural resources themselves greener and more innovative. Think of the electrification that we are all trying to reach that requires lithium for the batteries, but lithium extraction is currently both polluting and very excessively extractive of waterways. So in Chile, of course, one of the big things they're trying to do is actually to extract that lithium in a greener way, and that requires innovation, investment, and training. What is growth? It's an endogenous function of investment innovation and training. Let me now complete the panel. I'm glad to introduce His Excellency Steven Collette, who's the Deputy Vice Minister of International Development in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Over to you for 3 minutes. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Professor Mazzucato, and a warm welcome to all the colleagues here, and thanks for being here. As you mentioned, and I'll refer to the speaker of Ethiopia, the Minister of Ethiopia mentioning that we need transformational solutions in a transformational era. And as you alluded to, trade can be transformational for the good and for the bad. And we have learned a lot about the MDGs and how— and the Millennium Goals and how important trade has been to accomplish that. So for us, it's fully logical to be a part of an international trade system. The Netherlands, as earning its income, one-third of its income from International trade is dependent on a trade system. We are an open economy. We are a kingdom with 3 small island development states as associated countries, and so we need international system, and that system at the moment is in crisis, and making it more inclusive is the only answer to that crisis. Restoring the trust— we all talk about sovereignty, but we also have to talk about partnership and sharing responsibility. Now, to make that concrete for us also, as the speakers before me have said, it's important to start with the national agendas and the regional agendas. So in Africa, we very much look into the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. We look into the African Union's Strategies 2063 and build our support from there, and our support meaning the way we frame the discussions in Geneva, in Brussels, but also the bilateral partnerships. And for that, we use trade integration lessons learned. So we have learned, for instance, that in the COVID times, integrating more solid contracts, more cooperation, producers and consumers and traders can help all the actors down the line. So we have learned those lessons, and we are now trying to invest with our partners in trade corridors. There was mentioning of corridors. We are working in East Africa on the base of the East African Community to actually secure economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction through investing into agri-corridors, which are not only about international agricultural trade but also about regional and even local trade, and we think the KPIs there should very much be both in terms of growth but also in terms of job creation and green growth and even digital transformation. And for that, we follow the national strategies of Kenya and the regional countries, and we do this in the context of the Global Gateway, the European vehicle for infrastructure development, including, if you may, the software side. And I would like, if I may, Thank you. Madam Moderator, one more point on trade restrictions because you referred to the European Union and CBAM, and just to comment on that because there's also different ways to actually lock in companies into the good. So companies can be a force for the good not only because they create jobs but also because They pay living incomes, they adhere to regulations on deforestation, or they help us adapt to climate change, not only to say they also helped us to innovate. For that, they need a strong regulatory environment. The EU is putting that in place, and I have to underscore next to that the EU should and will also guide the producer countries in adopting to those new demands because it's a force for the good for all. Thank you.

Excellent points. And actually, your country hosted the Global Commission on the Economics of Water that I co-chaired with the head of the WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. And one of the things that we actually emphasized was ultimately trade is about also partnerships, but we need just partnerships. And water is one of those areas where we have many unjust partnerships. You know, 80% of industrial wastewater is not recycled. That's not a good partnership when the state gives the water rights to companies. So not just talking about partnerships, but really rethinking, redesigning contracts to be truly mutualistic at the centre of trade agreements is critical. So next, I have a civil society representative. I'm not sure who that is. Can you guide me? I've been told I should call on them. Oh, here he is. Miss Erica Levinson, Regions Refocus and Society for International Development. You have 2 to 3 minutes.

Thank you, Moderator. It is inarguable that trade has a key role to play in the development and structural transformation of countries. In particular, tariffs and customs duties from trade have historically played an important role in bolstering national budgets, especially while countries are developing. But this traditional source of financing for developing countries has been upended by multilateral trade rules that prohibit the use of these tools and bilateral trade and investment agreements which further pry markets open. In contrast to the strategies used by now-developed countries. More recently, tariffs have come into the spotlight as unilateral coercive measures, which has showcased the structural vulnerabilities of developing countries. Their sheer economic survival in the global economy has become hinged on the whims of other countries, and it is women who bear the worst of the shockwaves caused by these whims. According to the— adding to the challenge of harnessing trade as a source of financing for development is the increasing digitalization of trade. Only 35% of people in developing countries have access to the internet, corresponding to structural inequalities along lines of class, race, ethnicity, and gender. The barriers which have led to this divide are in no small part created by unequal distribution of gains from trade. The repeated renewal of the WTO e-commerce moratorium has cost developing countries an estimated $48 billion in tariff revenue and least developed countries an estimated $8 billion. The international trade regime has a history of undermining the policies space of developing countries on many issues in addition to digital ones, including through the ISDS mechanism. Trade has played a key role in the formation and exacerbation of the climate crisis, and today is one, one of the main obstacles to ecological and climate action. There are attempts by developed countries to unilaterally impose sustainability standards on developing countries on the one hand, and on the other, to use trade to ensure their own access to critical minerals in developing countries. To restore the role of trade as an engine of development, an emphasis on policy space for developing countries must cut across every issue area. Trade must be reoriented as a tool to reduce inequality, stay within planetary boundaries, and empower developing countries to achieve their priorities. I thank you.

Thank you very much. We now have quite a few national representatives on the list, so I will first come to you, but I also really want to come back to the panel for some closing remarks, so I'm going to make sure that we have time for that. So first I have Cuba.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Developing countries suffer with greater severity the consequences of the current multidimensional crisis in the world. It is necessary to reform the current order that perpetuates inequalities in international relations and with that the precarious position of developing countries. AI and technological advances such as robotics, digital platforms and data analytics are merely starting in most developing countries. If we compare it with the rapid evolution of economies in developed countries, closing the digital gap is a huge task that could help us move towards improving conditions in developing countries. We must denounce protectionist unilateral policies that block access to markets and reduce the competitiveness of products exported by developing countries. Likewise, we should reject arbitrary UCMs, which are illegal and are imposed against sovereign states. In order to make sure that we have the right to development, it is necessary to have equity, non-discrimination, transparency, and international cooperation in economic affairs. Treating certain countries in a discriminatory fashion due to political and economic considerations denies the right of the right to development for peoples and communities.

Thank you.

Thank you for reminding us the incredible importance of transparencies, but also ethics and values at the center of how we do trade and technology development. Next, I have Bangladesh.

Thank you. I thank the panelists and the delegates for their contribution in this insightful discussion. International trade remains a pivotal engine for sustainable development. We must strengthen multilateral cooperation, uphold the rules-based, fair, equitable multilateral trading system, and reaffirm our commitments to the World Trade Organization. Aid for trade programs can bolster trade-related infrastructure, and capacity-building efforts, facilitating greater participation in the global value chains. The rise of trade restriction and technological fragmentation poses significant challenges today. The multilateral institutions play a critical role in aligning trade and technology policies and drive initiatives to tackle these challenges. These institutions should facilitate policy coherence, provide technical assistance, and support capacity-building initiatives tailored to the needs of the developing countries and LDCs. Inclusive digital trade policies and supporting the development of e-commerce frameworks can help ensure the technological advancements contribute to equitable economic growth. Regional trade agreements can serve as platforms for collective action against protectionism. Investing in digital infrastructure and fostering technological innovation can bridge the digital divide, enabling developing countries to participate fully in the digital economy. We should commit to expeditious facilitation of transfer of essential life-saving technologies to countries in need during emergencies. In conclusion, harnessing trade and technology for sustainable development requires a concerted effort to reinforce multilateral cooperation and ensure that benefits of globalization shared equitably across countries.

I thank you.

Thank you very much for those comments. I next have the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Honduras.

Thank you very much, Madam Moderator. In order to revitalize trade policies and strengthen multilateral cooperation, we must modernize commercial agreements integrating sustainable development principles, gender equality, quality human rights and environmental sustainability. Trade should align with SDGs, prioritizing a more equal distribution of its benefits. It is also key to strengthen spaces for multilateral dialogue where all countries, particularly developing countries, can participate in the same conditions. Global initiatives should focus on creating inclusive trade environments that are adapted to the different levels of development of different countries. This implies boosting strategic industrial policies, strengthening institutional capacities, fostering technology transfer, especially toward countries that, like Honduras, depend on exporting primary products. Our government is pushing for and adopting different kinds of policies, and we are betting on sectors such as renewables, sustainable tourism, the agro-industry, as well as digital technologies. Multilateral institutions are catalysts that can promote technological and financial instruments that are adapted to the realities of developing countries. This should include flexible credit lines, funds with guarantees, green financing and insurance for exports that are focused on SMEs that in countries such as mine constitute the beating heart of the economy. Thank you.

Thank you very much, and especially for reminding us that industrial policy is essential, but it needs to be a policy that goes towards sustainability, getting all the different sectors, including those for natural resources, to transform, as we heard before. Next, I have Ethiopia and then Mexico.

Thank you, Madam Moderator. As a driving force for sustainable development, it is imperative to reinvigorate international trade policies and multilateral cooperation. A renewed commitment to open, fair, and rules-based trade can create the conditions for economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction. Multilateral institutions such as the WTO, ACT-ADE, and the World Bank must play a stronger role in ensuring that trade policies are designed with inclusivity and sustainability at their core, providing support to countries with limited productive capacities. In this digital age, technology offers unprecedented opportunities to integrate developing economies into global value chains. However, without coordinated action, technological divides will widen, further marginalizing vulnerable nations. Global and national efforts must focus on bridging digital infrastructure gaps, promoting financial inclusion, and building capacity for e-commerce and digital trade. At the same time, international cooperation is critical to mitigate the risks of rising protectionism and technological fragmentation that threaten to exclude developing countries from future growth. Ultimately, trade and technology must be harnessed together through deliberate inclusive policies that empower all countries, especially the least developed, to participate meaningfully in global economy. Only through collective action can trade continue to serve as a true engine of inclusive and sustainable development. In this regard, the FFD4 outcome document must go beyond being just another outcome document; it must deliver on concrete commitments.

I thank you Thank you very much for urging us to not just create a document but actually a plan and call to action in the ways that you outlined. Next, I have Mexico and then Brazil.

Excellencies, colleagues, Mexico considers that it is time to redefine with ambition and realism how trade and technology can be true tools to transform sustainable development. Today, we face growing tariff barriers, normative fragmentation, as well as the fact that multilateral cooperation is stuck. Technology, while it generates opportunities, it can also broaden preexisting inequalities. In Seville, we should commit to revitalizing our multilateral trade system through clear, fair rules that are aligned with the SDGs, facilitating the full implementation of the Agreement on Facilitating Trade. And we should also include binding clauses on ESG issues. Moreover, strengthening markets for basic goods to make them systems that are more fair and resilient. Closing the digital gap is also equally urgent. We need public and private investments in resilient digital infrastructures with universal coverage to guarantee that emerging technologies such as AI are developed under ethical frameworks, with responsible governance, and in full respect of human rights. Multilateral institutions should foster cooperation between tech and industrial policies with policies on data governance. governance, boosting technical cooperation for developing countries. Digital financial inclusion and the access of women, indigenous peoples, older people, and people with disabilities to digital services are essential for development that is fair and sustainable. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Your own country, of course, right now is talking a lot about prosperidad compartida. It's not just about prosperity and growth, but how we share it. I think your comments were very critical on that, sharing it with women, sharing it with indigenous communities, sharing it with workers at the centre of the process, not as an ex post thought. Thank you so much for that. Brazil and then Lesotho.

Thank you, Moderator, and thank you very much for the panellists for your comments on the importance of trade, but also industrialization, diversification of production.

These are very—

this is the link between trade and technology. Addis Abeba speaks of trade as an engine to development. Professor Mutsukata reminded us that about approximately 1 billion people were lifted out of poverty through trade, and it's essential that we don't allow this engine to break down. The Global South needs to increase its productive capacity, its agricultural and industrial capacity and services. Increase in productive capacities lead to job creation, to wealth creation, increased fiscal revenue, and as a result, a debt stabilization and recovery of fiscal capacity to invest in social and environmental goals. There's an urgent need to preserve market access for developing countries. There's a need to fight the rise in protectionism, be it through tariffs but also regulation. Although these unilateral initiatives such as CBAM or due diligence are well-intentioned—

and they are—

they may further reduce market access for developing countries. Discussion at the UN led to special and differential— preferential treatment at GATT, and the disadvantages, the structural disadvantages of developing countries should be recognized, such as the very, very high cost of capital. So it is very— it is crucial that in our discussions we preserve market access for developing countries, or this engine for growth and development, which is trade, will break down to the Thank you very much.

Very pointed comments on making sure that we actually have justice at the center of sustainable development. Otherwise, we end up getting green nationalism like we ended up with vaccine nationalism during COVID and that didn't help us achieve what we needed globally. Next, Minister of Finance of Lesotho.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you to the panel for enlightening us on this very important subject. Once again, we are in a situation where some of the countries are suffering from the recent policies concerning tariffs that basically exclude some countries from trading. Lesotho calls for a multilateral rules-based trade system that recognizes the fundamentals of each economy as well as the strengths of the different economies. Free trade, that is the cornerstone of growth and that has put us where we are in terms of globalization and multilateralism, should be recognized as the standard. We need to reform— to refrain from protectionist policies that exclude others and tend to concentrate resources on others, especially at a time when development finance is lacking and at a time when some countries are going through debt crisis. We need digital inclusivity at a global level to harness efficiencies in our economies so that all economies can thrive and be able to operate in a global economy that recognizes the strengths of all. Thank you.

Thank you very much. The next session actually will be very much about data and digital inclusivity as it relates, again, to expanding productive capacity in such a way that actually has data for good instead of data for bad. Next, we have China.

Thank you. Thank you, moderator. Regarding the trade and technology and their role for the international development, China believes that the international trade is an engine for inclusive growth and poverty eradication. It is important for promoting sustainable development, structural transformation, and industrialization in developing countries. Currently, international trade as an engine for development is increasingly under threat. In particular, the recent abuse of tariffs by major countries on all trading partners, including LDCs, seriously infringes on their legitimate rights and interests, violates the WTO rules, undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system, and impacts the stability of the global economic order. The imposition of high tariffs on the Global South, especially the LDCs, is tantamount to depriving them of their right to development, creating a deep development divide, seriously impeding the realization of the 2030 Agenda, and undermining international and regional peace and development. Economic globalization is a sure way for human society to achieve development and an unstoppable trend of the times. Protectionism leads nowhere. There are no winners in the trade war. In the context of increasingly severe and complex multifaceted challenges to global development and rising development humanitarian needs, countries should unite to jointly safeguard the WTO-centered rules-based multilateral trading system, make economic globalization more open, inclusive, universally beneficial, and balanced, and accelerate the realization of SDGs. China has all along supported true multilateralism with concrete actions. further deepening reform comprehensively and expanding its high-standard opening up. We have granted zero-tariff treatment for 100% tariff lines to all LDCs having diplomatic ties with China, the first developing country and major economy to do so. We will continue to deepen and expand cooperation with other countries and UN agencies and make unremitting efforts to realize SDGs on schedule.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. The very strong comments on the potential negative effects of tariffs on growth, on development, and on peace is very important for this conference. Next, we have someone from civil society, the Inclusivity Project and NGO Committee on FFD.

Thank you. Thank you, Chair. I deliver this statement on behalf of the Inclusivity Project and the NGO Committee on Financing for Development.

First, in response to how international trade policies and multilateral cooperation can be reinvigorated. Trade must be reoriented to drive inclusive and sustainable development.

Multilateral institutions should set clear development-centered standards, promote cross-border cooperation, and promote targeted support to developing countries.

We must focus on integrating micro, small, and medium enterprises, which account for 70% of global global employment, in the regional and global supply chains.

Strengthening their participation is key to creating resilient, diversified economies.

Recent increases in tariffs and protectionist measures have destabilized supply chains and disproportionately hurt developing economies.

To counter this, we must invest in resilient, digitally connected supply chains and strengthen trade facilitation measures that keep markets open and accessible.

Accessible.

Building inclusive digital infrastructure and regulatory frameworks will also help prevent technological fragmentation from widening global inequalities. Third, on the role of multilateral institutions, they must take the lead in ensuring that trade and technology policies reinforce one another to support inclusive growth.

This includes promoting universal digital and financial literacy, tailoring financial instruments MSMEs, including easing collateral requirements and ensuring women, dissent communities, and other marginalized groups can access the tools, financing, and marketing—

market opportunities they need to thrive in domestic and international value chains. Consistent with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, empowering women-led business must be central to these efforts. Trade and technology can drive sustainable development, but only if we act together to bridge divides, reduce trade barriers, and strengthen global supply chains and ensuring—

Thank you very much for those excellent comments. Last on the list, I have the African Union before I go to each panelist for a closing remark.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. The African Union would like to support the idea of having a rule-based non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, and equitable transparent multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core. The multilateral trading system should contribute to the achievement of Agenda 2063 and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

It is important in that direction that trade be equitable to support sustainable development and ensure that African countries exercise their right to industrialization.

Industrialization is key, Madam Chair, because it is supporting productive transformation in African countries and will allow to create the decent jobs that are needed for the population.

It is also an important driver of growth and will support structural transformation to ensure that countries are able to navigate the turbulent environment in which we are today.

It is therefore important for the FFD4 to drive clear messages that are going to support the international trading system and also give the way to African countries to industrialize, to ensure that they are able to achieve sustainable development in Agenda 2063.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. This has been a great set of comments and I want to go now back to the panel. And just to be a bit provocative, otherwise the danger in these conferences is that we all sound like we're agreeing, and of course we are, but there's also problems in the system. And just think of all the different adjectives we talked about: equitable trade, inclusive growth, sustainable development. This is all obviously a direction of travel. It's not just growth or development or technology and trade in and of themselves. Given those challenges, those adjectives— inclusion, equitability, equitable growth, sustainable growth— what is the biggest problem right now that you think we're facing, and maybe just an example from your own country of a seed of hope that, if it was scaled, would actually help us achieve that direction of travel globally? I'll start from this side. Yes.

All right, thank you very much. You're right, I think for us trade and technology must not be only connect market, but it must put hope, opportunity, and future across every nation. Today, in this century, the true wealth of nation will not be measured by what they export, but how many lives they empower through trade and technology. We feel also that trade and technology might lift all boats, not just the biggest ship. Just give an example to a woman that is selling some of their good mangoes, some stuff. I think about 20 years ago, that same lady in my country, she's selling the same thing that helped her to send her children to school, to come back to change their life. Guinea is a mining country, but when you look into the projection, the contribution of GDP is trade, twice the mining, because mining they are only taking the brain. So trade is extremely important for us because if you want to have millions of dollars today, not in the bank, but in one market called Medina in Guinea whereby all the trade is happening, you can have million dollars that if you need some, because to tell you how trade is very important. For us, trade, there is no loser, there are only winners. Not because imposing trade barriers to someone, that can increase, but everybody is losing. We have seen the last century, trade has empowered, has reduced poverty in many parts of the world. I think Asia is one example. That's what Africa, that's what Guinea is aiming today, to use trade and technology to reduce poverty, to make sure that in 2040 Guinea will be an emerging and developing country. Thank you.

Minister, please.

I think that all the information and communication that we're seeing say that commerce and technology can be used for sustainable development. And, you know, this has been said in different ways. And even though we aren't using them perhaps in the optimal fashion, In order to do it, we need to keep in mind the issue of sustainable public policies. This is fundamental and countries such as mine should really focus on sustainable agriculture, resilient agriculture, and we also need to focus on public policies that are based on green technologies and all of this will have an effect when we also have competency transfers for countries such as mine— least developed countries, developing countries— especially when it comes to strengthening capacities coming from large multinationals. So once again, we need to strengthen multilateral cooperation when it comes to trade in order to reach a level of growth that is inclusive and resilient, and especially in order to not leave anyone behind. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Steven Collette, maybe you can just give us an example in Holland where you're trying to actually transform, as I mentioned before, these partnerships to be just partnerships, whether it's the water area, or just to give people faith again that actually there is some justice as the goal, and then we backtrack on the how.

I think an example could be the cocoa value chain. A lot of cocoa produce from Western Africa comes through the port of Amsterdam, so there we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure that that is a value chain which is fair and just, meaning that we have a coalition of civil society, private sector, and governments from both sides, if you may, of the value chain to see how we can transform the sector for the producer countries to add value themselves. And for the businesses to secure that living wages are being provided and for the consumers to demand for this. And it's not an easy ride. It has been going on for a while because it's also a commodity which is determined by market pricing. But what we see is with the political will on both sides and also with the right measures and also the support of trade facilitation, as been mentioned, and aid, we can make slow steps in the right direction, and that's hopeful.

Thank you. Thank you so much. The time is now up, but thank you everyone for participating. And just to say, I think that why this session is so important is that the details matter. We can all talk about equity in the global trade system, but unless we get our hands dirty in rethinking capital-labor relationships, public-private relationships, and definitely those global relationships, so we don't have what looks good in one country to actually hurt another, then in the end, these conferences will just be conferences where we come, complain, talk about solutions, but then don't implement and, you know, really move the system in a more inclusive and sustainable way. Thank you very much.

Thank you. I thank Mariana Mazzucato for kindly moderating the very important sessions and also very skillfully guiding the discussions. And I also thank the distinguished I thank the panelists for their substantive and constructive contributions, and I thank the delegation for participating in a very productive exchange of views. I now briefly pause the meeting and invite the panelists for Fireside Chat 5 to take their seats, and please remain seated.

Thank you, Very nice to meet you.

Same here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, how are you?

Nice to meet you.

Very nice to meet you too.

Wonderful.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

How you doing?

Very nice to meet you.

Hi, how are you?

How are you, sir?

Thank you. Thank you.

I didn't even realize there was a screen here. Okay, let me just—

we didn't.

No, we didn't. Okay, and they will—

okay, okay, great.

Fantastic. And sorry, just— I have one here, but we can do— here, it's on the floor. Sorry, the previous person must have—

Thank you.

Yeah.

Okay, colleagues. Thank you so much. I want to thank my colleague Ambassador Thapa for chairing the last 2 meetings and say that I'll take you through until the conclusion of these discussions at 6 o'clock. We are going to have chat number 5 on investing in data. To accelerate development, which will also be moderated by Mariana Mazzucato. I'm very pleased to welcome all of the presenters for this discussion, and I'm very happy to turn the meeting over to the moderator and looking forward to an open, constructive, and productive exchange of views. Thank you so much, Mariana. I give the floor I'll turn it over to you. Thank you.

Thank you very much, and thanks to all who are here, and welcome, Your Excellencies and ministers. We have a wonderful panel. So, the Ministerial Fireside Chat number 5— thank you for sticking in there— Investing in Data to Accelerate Development. Too often, we think of data and digital platforms as a sector. We hear that people have strategies, for example, around AI, and that we need to invest in data. But actually, data and digital platforms really are the new general-purpose technology. There is no goal, whether it's health for all, whether it's water for all, whether it's net zero, whether it's reducing the digital divide, that don't actually require investing in our ability to govern data and digital platforms. We actually did a study, my institute at University College London, during COVID with UNDP, and we found that those countries in the developing world that did the best during the pandemic were countries like Vietnam, Togo, Rwanda, Kerala in India, on the back of investments they had actually made in their public administrative capacity, their public-private partnerships, and key to that were actually digital platforms. That's not surprising. Remember the infodemics side of the pandemic, and there's an info side of all the different SDG-related goals. I'm really happy to welcome my panelists here today. We have— sorry, let me just see here. I think I have the wrong list. There we go. We have Mr. C.D. Kaita, the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs of Gambia. We have Ms. Maria Luisa Ramirez Coronado, Her Excellency, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala.

Hello.

We have His Excellency, Mr. Depwe Yempeh Azuoh, the Deputy Minister for Economic Management, Ministry of Finance in Liberia. Why don't I first start with Gambia, then Guatemala, and then Liberia? You each have 3 minutes to inspire us precisely on this issue of how do we make sure that the way we are investing in data and digital platforms actually allow us to reach ultimately the goal of what this conference is about, which is inclusive and sustainable development. Thank you.

Thank you very much, moderator, and this topic is very apt. We can say that the return on investment on data is huge as it relates to the transformation and innovation that leapfrog development. In fact, in certain circles, data is now dubbed the new gold. Despite this obvious value that data generates, there still exist gaps in important matters such as gender, climate change, and governance. It is on this deficiency identification that the government of His Excellency Adamu Barrow has created a specialized ministry focused only on data and called it the Digital Economy Ministry. We, as a country, have witnessed significant change and improvement in governance and government operations since this ministry came into being. The Gambia is digitizing its governance architecture and public financial management. The recent digitalization of our revenue collection at the Gambia Revenue Authority has resulted in the domestic resource mobilization to grow by 79% from 2022 to 2024. The revenue in 2022 was 11.6 billion. In 2024, it came to 20.8 billion, which is far more than any increase we could have realized in official development assistance. The government is using data to enhance compliance and service delivery to its citizens. And economic planning and policy formulation are all using extensively data to ensure that the policies are informed properly. The Central Bank of The Gambia has improved remittance and data collection since 2018 and now is able to report remittance data within 2 weeks after the end of the year. Data and technology are the key tools that developing countries can use to fight against illicit financial transactions. Leveraging data can also be used in artificial intelligence space, which also is a very productivity-enhancing tool. So we have seen how data can be useful, but we believe that to further leverage on that, we need the following.

Call for action.

That is to ensure that data is at the centrality of national development, and we are calling for a global compact on data for development to support integration of non-traditional sources of data such as citizen-generated remote sensing data and other data that are not traditionally captured. And we are also calling for ethical use of data. Because it's a double-edged sword. If it is not utilized properly, it can lead to unintended consequences. As such, we are calling for a robust legal framework such as the Data Protection Act so that data will not go into wrong hands or will— or to be used for the wrong purpose. Those are the contributions on this very important topic. Thank you.

Yes, excellent. Thank you so much. And, and really important also to remember the kind skewed ownership, something like 70% of the world's digital data is owned by 5 companies. Google alone handles 90% of search queries globally, and Amazon controls about 40% of US e-commerce. We need an active debate about what this means, how to transform these discussions so they actually bring together growth, competitiveness, development, and your comments are extremely extremely interesting. Next, Minister Coronado from Guatemala.

Muchísimas gracias.

Thank you very much. I would like to start saying that sustainable development requires making informed choices. We can't adopt strategic measures or political measures if we lack information, and this information is necessary. And for that, we need timely data, up-to-date data. They need to be high quality and they need to be disaggregated in order to address the conditions of our country and to reflect the diversity in our societies. The revised draft for the conference expresses that commitment to strengthen our statistical systems and improve the availability of data, which is consistent with Guatemala's position. Statistical information with a focus on gender equality, age, self-determination in terms of ethnicity and territories are essential components in order to identify structural inequalities. And without that, we run the risk of invisibilizing those who haven't had enough access to the benefits of development. That is why Guatemala would like to reiterate its commitment to the quality, comparability, accessibility, and clarity of data. In the case of climate change, for instance, more precise and localized data allows us to design adaptation policies that are more effective and resilient, especially in vulnerable communities. But in order to close these gaps, we need sustained investments. It's not just about financing. It's also about technical cooperation, capacity transfer, and political commitment. In Guatemala, we have seen how collaborating with local communities can generate valuable data, especially in territories where institutional access is limited or official data is scant. Our Commission on Population in Rural Areas have shown this based on surveys that we have carried out. In our country, these efforts are led by a Commission on Open and Electronic Government, and it has 2 main areas of focus: improving transparency so that public information is readily available or more readily available, and also improving the country's e-governance skills. And in that sense, in order to take advantage of that, we need frameworks for data governance that are clear and ensure the quality of data as well as the fact that they are used ethically without putting rights in danger or creating new risks. Trust in data also depends on that transparency. It is important for data to be available in an accessible format for our population. They need to be easy to understand and useful for our citizens, as well as main decision-makers when it comes to formulating public policy. A multi-stakeholder focus is very important. Our national statistical offices should work hand in glove with all sectors of government academia, civil society, and the private sector in order to broaden sources of data and improve our analysis. We should also promote a culture that has to do with the use of data. Information isn't enough if that isn't translated into public policy decision-making that are more impactful, more inclusive, effective, and always based on evidence. In Guatemala, we consider that data should be transformative tools. That is why we have prioritized their integration in our public policies as well as in our efforts to reach the SDGs and close gaps and inequalities. Likewise, I'd also like to point out that this year our country will present its 5th voluntary report on Agenda 2030. And in that report, we have reiterated that one of the challenges that we face in these processes is strengthening the role of national statistical systems in order to improve the production of statistics that allow us to identify the major gains, major setbacks as well, and also have up-to-date information in terms of surveys and population census, therefore favoring decision-making from the state to reach those that are furthest behind. In short, revitalizing our data agenda implies a shared commitment, investing more, innovating with purpose, and using data responsibly and ethically in order to forge societies that are more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much. Hearing about the necessity to have transparency and accessibility at the center of how we design data strategies is incredibly important, and hearing about the need to invest in national statistics offices, but also, as you said, to work with local communities. Pope Francis, who just passed away, often talked about that. He called it the principle of subsidiarity. working from the bottom up. Excellent examples. Next, to the Minister of Finance of Liberia, please.

Thank you so much. Honorable Chair and also the moderator, distinguished participants. Investing in data is, first of all, best investment because of visibility, equity, and transformation in development financing. Without strong data system, sustainable development remains a theory rather than reality. Accelerating progress in priority areas in terms of data collection, our National Statistics Office, LIGIS, will find a target thematic area in terms of survey, especially so that has to do with development indicators including gender, environmental indicators combined with capacity building for disaggregated data collection across the country in terms of location greatly accelerating across the nation. Liberia Labor Force Survey is one important disaggregated data that has key indicators enhancing policy relevance in data collection. In terms of integrating non-traditional data, Sources like citizen-generated data, mobile data, and remote sensing are very much essential complements. In Liberia, we have integrated mobile phone data during the COVID-19 process for real-time population tracking and were piloted through our remote sensing. Also, we're doing the same with agricultural statistics. The key to a strong validation framework is very much important in data collection. We don't compromise the national quality standard, making sure that all data are actually validated and organized by all sectoral agencies and ministries. In terms of governance and quality and ethics, there's a legal— strong legal framework in Liberia, which of course is very critical. At this time, the latest act has been revised to integrate new data across the country for our national account system. In terms of statistical balancing, transparency, and privacy, there's a need for the ethical standard to safeguard as a part of our reform and revision of our law. Liberia is investing extensively in data collection in order to drive sustainable development, particularly our new national agenda. On this note, we have our national project dashboard, which is a key tool for tracking all funding, development financing across the country. And these tools have helped us to ensure that information and resources brought into the system by our donor partners private sector attract. It helps us to maintain M&E system that also helps us to know that national development plans are targeted in line with the priorities set by all partners and all sector ministry agencies. For example, through the system, we were able to attract many donor support. And for this online data platform we have, For the past 1 year, we have had like 18 hits on our system. And just a few weeks ago, after the aid cut from USAID, we used the same system to track the cause and effect of the aid cut to the economy. That also helped us because of our data collection. And most of the development partners were able to acknowledge the fact that the HIV/AIDS is very much important too. Other sectors that never had participants or have responsible entity to the data dashboard were able to actually acknowledge it. As we speak, most effective strategies have been put in place. On the 17th of April, we have what we call National Development Forum where all partners were at a retreat, and those who never had data on the system acknowledged the fact that, look, because of the data gap, the reporting on the system was the weakness from their side. Most importantly, what we want to do as a country now is to have a governance framework in place for our development dashboard, which of course will help us to track every activity across the country in all sectors. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Very inspirational words on a kind of data dashboard. I was speaking earlier today with the team of the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, who is talking about the real need to actually address all the SDGs, and particularly the ones that they've put at the center of their own government strategy, like around water. But if there's no data on the water leakages, we can't actually tackle that goal. Having dashboards that are looking at the data gap that you talked about and how to fill it to achieve those goals is absolutely critical. Now we have a whole list of discussants. We will begin with Her Excellency Dayna Imad Hamzah, the Assistant Undersecretary for Sustainable Development in the Ministry for Sustainable Development of Bahrain. You have 3 minutes.

Thank you.

Your Excellencies, distinguished panelists and participants, good evening to you all. As we are a few months away from the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Spain, the discussion on investing in data is timelier than ever, as without accurate, timely, sufficiently disaggregated, and accessible data, we will not be able to fully implement and monitor progress on the SDGs. The Kingdom of Bahrain has always been committed to investing in data to accelerate development, and several strides have been made in this direction.

Today, the Kingdom is a leader in digital transformation and financial efforts, as the ability to exchange good quality data has enabled financial institutions to design more efficient financial products, positioning data exchange as a key driver of further innovation. The revamp of our Advanced Open Data Portal in 2023 has also shed light on the government's commitment to making data more accessible, allowing people and businesses to design innovative and transformative solutions. Additionally, the launch of Bahrain's National Summary Data Page has upgraded the Kingdom's tier in the IMF Data Standards Initiatives, emphasizing the role of comprehensive data in improving governance and attracting foreign direct investment. On capacity development, the Kingdom is committed to improving national statistical capacity for the collection and monitoring of data to reflect the actual progress made towards achieving the SDGs.

To that end, a series of workshops were organized under the umbrella of the National Task Force for Information and Population to enhance the adoption of best international standards and practices around data. Your Excellencies, distinguished panelists, and guests, we recognize that data is a powerful tool and key building block for artificial intelligence, technology adoption, and driving innovation. And with this I am happy to reiterate our commitment to strengthening data and data systems to help drive digital transformation, economic growth, and sustainable development without leaving anyone behind. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your visionary comments. We now have a response from civil society, Ms. Elizabeth Lockwood, Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities in Society for International Development.

Thank you, Chair. Robust data and statistical systems influence financing outcomes. When they capture gendered and intersecting inequalities, scarce public resources can be directed to those most in need. Open data strengthens public financial management by enabling transparent budgeting, sustainable procurement, and effective oversight by institutions and civil society, additional to shaping domestic resource mobilization Open data and statistical systems that manage data sharing with non-state actors also drive innovation, economic growth, and efficient service delivery while exposing discriminatory tax and spending patterns. National statistical offices and other national stakeholders have worked to increase the availability of timely and reliable information, but many are challenged by severe funding shortfalls, lack of capacity to effectively gather disaggregated data by intersectionality, and shortcomings in technical infrastructure. Thus, member states should affirm that data is a cross-cutting issue and that strengthening national data systems is a critical means for FFD reform and for implementation of the SDGs. We reiterate the importance of disaggregating data by intersectionality, including gender, disability, age, including older age, ethnicity, and other groups, and that citizen-generated data are recognized as a complement to traditional data sources. And we call to invest in digital public infrastructures that adopt common data standards, guarantee interoperability, track equitable access to resources, identify gaps and leakages, ensure priorities, and measure the impact of financing for development, particularly for those most left behind. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next, we have Cape Verde.

Thank you. Cabo Verde, as most SIDS, faces multidimensional vulnerabilities that hinder the SDG achievements. We need to enhance partnerships with academia, civil society, and the private sector to integrate citizen-generated data, mobile phone usage statistics and remote sensing tech into our national statistics systems alongside investment in digital infrastructure and capacity building. To face geographic and other constraints that limit traditional data collection, through the Center for Excellence, CITES are fostering shared standards, pooled resources, and collective learning. We advocate for strong national governance frameworks that safeguard data quality, ensure transparency, uphold ethical standards, and include public oversight, data protection policies, and mechanisms to validate and integrate diverse data sources. In closing, building a resilient, inclusive, and data-informed informed future for SIDS requires sustainable— sustained international support. We call for the implementation of the Global Digital Compact to bridge the data divide and ensure that no island is left behind. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next, we have the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

Thank you, Excellencies. International IDEA welcomes this timely discussion. Investing in data for SDG 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions is essential to the Financing for Development agenda and to the success of the 2030 Agenda. SDG 16 is a driver of sustainable development, yet it remains one of the goals with the least available official data. Without reliable data on democratic governance, justice, and human rights, development financing risks being misdirected and less impactful. To close this gap, International IDEA coordinates the SDG 16 Data Initiative, a consortium of 18 civil society and international organizations that produces and aggregates non-official data, including observational data, expert and public opinion data, to complement official statistics. This effort strengthens the evidence base, enabling a more complete, disaggregated, and holistic view of progress, or lack thereof, on SDG 16. Financing development requires financing SDG 16 data. Investing in data is fundamental. It guides smarter investments, improves resource allocation, and ensures more equitable outcomes. It is highly cost-effective and crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Robust data on SDG 16 lays the foundation for more resilient, equitable, and inclusive sustainable development outcomes. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We next have the Republic of Korea.

Thank you.

Given the current situation and the changes we are witnessing, the need to use resources efficiently has become even more pressing. Yet, without adequate data, it is difficult to determine what goes where and whether countries are fully benefiting. Yes, to today's buzz phrase, we can only achieve what we can measure. Against this backdrop, the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, GPADC, has conducted a global monitoring exercise since its inception. This exercise tracks progress on development effectiveness commitments based on 4 internationally agreed principles: country ownership, focus on results, inclusive partnerships, and transparency and mutual accountability. Its goal is to enable governments and development actors to improve development outcomes by embracing evidence-based decision-making. The value of GPEDC This monitoring is reinforced by strong participation and support from developing countries. Equally important, the monitoring exercise is multi-stakeholder in nature. This provides a practical approach to integrating non-traditional data sources and citizen-generated data into national statistical systems, an aspect this fireside chat rightly highlights. Therefore, Korea underscores the importance of GPEDC monitoring exercise as a tool to accelerate data-driven development and recommends that its value be duly reflected in the outcome document of the FFD4. I thank you.

Thank you very much. Next, we have the Minister of State of Finance for the Maldives.

Thank you, moderator. Data is not just numbers. It is the difference between an early warning and a disaster. Between planning and reacting, between surviving and thriving. Investing in data is investing in resilience. New and emerging technologies like AI offer hope. These tools can fill the gaps quickly, affordably, and at scale. But technology alone is not enough. Our statistical offices need capacity, autonomy, and modern tools. Investing in state capacity is critical, not only to manage data, but to manage it well. We must build robust systems that can handle growing volumes of complex information, while also protecting the people behind the numbers. This will enable us to lead our own development agendas, rather than rely on external assessments. This capacity must be built at all levels and sustained beyond donor support. That is how we create ownership, trust, and real accountability. Partnerships with the private sector and academia can help, but we must ensure these relationships are rooted in equity and sovereignty. For SIDS, the stakes are high. The smallest gaps in data can become the biggest gaps in policy. We cannot build resilience on outdated, incomplete, or invisible information. Let us commit to financing the data systems we need for the future we want.

I thank you.

Thank you very much. Chile.

Good afternoon. Chile would like to reaffirm that investing in data is an essential condition to accelerate sustainable development. Evidence-based decision-making is fundamental in order to ensure effective policies geared towards people and results. We value the progress achieved in strengthening national statistical systems and the growing acceptance of metrics that go beyond GDP to reflect more comprehensively the realities of development. However, gaps persist, especially in key areas such as gender, climate change, and governance. Closing the gaps in data disaggregated by gender is especially urgent to design public policies that are more inclusive and effective. This requires not just resources but also a sustained political commitment. Chile considers that it is important to explore the potential of integrating emerging sources of data, such as data generated by citizens and AI, complementing thus traditional data. However, this process should be supported by solid governance and ethical frameworks that ensure the quality, transparency, and protection of data. Likewise, it is also key to broaden international cooperation in order to strengthen statistical capacities, thus ensuring that all countries, regardless of their income, can have disaggregated data that are open and timely. Cooperation on this issue should be seen as an investment in a global public infrastructure With Benefits for All, Chile reiterates its commitment to move towards a robust data ecosystem that allows us to better design and measure policies that are up to our expectations in the 21st century.

The Minister of Finance of Zimbabwe.

Thank you, Madam Moderator. Let me begin by thanking the panelists for sharing their insights on this important topic. Zimbabwe recognizes the importance of real-time, quality disaggregated data in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. High-quality, timely, and reliable data is no longer a luxury. It is the foundation for meaningful policymaking, efficient resource allocation, and effective public service delivery. Without robust data systems, our ability to measure progress, identify challenges, and design evidence-based interventions is fundamentally limited. Many countries, including Zimbabwe, face critical gaps in data availability and quality. For example, some UN member states cannot measure progress on key goals. What is worse, data is often most scarce in the areas where it is most desperately needed. To change this trajectory, we must commit to comprehensive investment in data across collection, analysis, and capacity building. Allow me to share some of the interventions by the government of Zimbabwe that have led to enhanced availability and use of data to inform policy. Firstly, the Government of Zimbabwe established the Zimbabwe National Geospatial Space Agency, ZINSSA, to monitor variables in climate change, agriculture, and disaster risk management using satellite imagery and remote sensing. This has significantly improved our early warning systems and allowed us to deploy interventions in anticipation of disasters.

Disasters.

Secondly, we have, through our national statistical agency ZIMSTAT, invested in a centralized SDG data portal that allows us to conduct real-time tracking of progress towards achieving the goals. Local authorities have been empowered to track SDG implementation within their constituencies, which feeds into national statistics. Together, we can transform data into actionable knowledge, accelerate our development agenda, and shape a more equitable and prosperous future for us all.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Your comments actually resonated quite a bit with the dashboard that we heard about from Liberia. The Minister of Finance of Lesotho.

Thank you, Chair. Once again, data is a very important subject. Of course, there is a strong nexus between good data and technology, but I would like to go beyond technology to say that we need to invest not only in data, but also in data analytics infrastructure and skills for better diagnostics, planning, and policy accuracy. There is no substitute for accurate data for planning and analysis, Thank you. And targeted policies. Data and IT governance and systems enhancements need heavy investments that we need to put in. The interoperability of systems saves time and would be an add-on that is highly needed. Higher investments in data, institutions, and people reduces inefficiency and gives opportunity for better outcomes. As much as systems can be quite expensive and change often, we need to be able to move on with technology and make these bold steps in investments in technology and data. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next, we have India, followed by Mexico.

Thank you, Chair. India welcomes this timely discussion on strengthening data systems to support sustainable development. Quality, accessible, and disaggregated data is essential for informed policymaking, monitoring progress, and ensuring that no one is left behind. As we collectively seek to accelerate efforts towards achieving the SDGs, addressing persistent data gaps, particularly in priority areas, such as gender and governance is crucial. We believe that accelerating progress in these areas requires a comprehensive approach. First, substantial investment must be made in national data infrastructure to strengthen data collection, storage, and analytics capabilities. Second, fostering collaboration and partnerships among governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector is vital to leverage expertise and resources effectively. Third, sustained efforts in capacity building and training is necessary to equip stakeholders with the skills needed to generate, manage, and utilize high-quality data. Finally, promoting data-driven decision-making by providing accessible, reliable, and timely data will significantly enhance the impact of development policies and programs. Chair, the success of digital public infrastructure in India has demonstrated that data-based digital platforms can enhance financial inclusion and contribute to achieving SDGs. India remains committed to advancing global efforts in strengthening data systems for sustainable development. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next, we have Mexico.

Thank you very much, colleagues, excellencies. Investing in data means investing in smart development with the return of $32 for every dollar invested. Strengthening national statistical systems is essential for evidence-based decision-making and to accelerate Agenda 2030. We still have gaps when it comes to disaggregated data, especially by gender, climate change, and governance. In CIVIL, we must commit to strengthening the collection, analysis, and use of data disaggregated by sex, age, ethnicity, migratory status, and geographic location, integrating measures to determine impact and sustainability. We have to go beyond GDP and incorporate vulnerability, and inequality indicators to better reflect true needs. Mexico proposes fostering partnerships with local banks, tech enterprises, and community organizations in order to integrate citizen data as well as AI and remote sensors, guaranteeing interoperability, ethics, and digital integration, especially for women, Indigenous peoples, Older people and vulnerable youth. Quality and use of data require robust governance as well as transparency in the collection and use of data and data protection. Mexico supports participatory data systems when it comes to human rights and the Framework of Medellín, as well as the Global Action Plan of Cape Town. Seville should establish clear follow-up calendars that are aligned with international processes. Without adequate data, there is no sustainable development. Without ethics or inclusion, there is no justice. What you cannot measure, you cannot improve. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We next have Mr. Daniele Salvatori from Children and Youth International.

Thank you, Chair, for the floor.

I'm Daniele Salvatori, a member of the Measure Group for Children and Youth, which contributes to the STSO FFD mechanism, and we highlight the following. Firstly, we are concerned with the role of the Interagency Task Force and its reports, which are politically negotiated documents shaped largely by the interests of few countries. These reports have consistently fallen short on addressing critical governance reforms and institutional restructuring, key priorities for Global South countries in the FFD process. Given these shortcomings, we urge member states to strengthen intergovernmental follow-up mechanisms, not interagency processes. Should the mandate of IATF continue, we call for inclusion of civil society in the mechanism similar to other inclusive interagency bodies.

Moving forward, we propose that a dedicated UN intergovernmental process be established after FFD4.

To develop a data and monitoring framework focused on international cooperation rather than prescriptive national reporting systems that place undue burdens on developing countries. There should be designated mechanisms for civil society, especially children and youth, women, and indigenous issues to engage with such mechanisms. Additionally, to enhance accountability, we call on developing countries to strengthen their national budget and planning processes to meet ODA and climate finance commitments, we suggest that UNCTAD develop a template for annual financing plans to track progress and close gaps in unmet obligations. Finally, we support establishing an intergovernmental process to develop a concise set of finance indicators in consultation with the UN Statistical Commission to measure implementation across all FFD outcomes, including the Monterey Concept. Shenzhen and Doha Declaration. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We have 2 more contributions before I will come back to the panel for some closing statements and a bit of a debate that I'll try to provoke. So, we have Indonesia and then Ecuador.

Thank you, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues. Indonesia welcomes this important discussion. We believe that data is not just monitoring tool. It is catalyst for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development. Yet many developing countries and middle-income countries, including ours, still face persistent data gaps, particularly on gender, climate change, and governance. To address this, Indonesia has taken several strategic steps to leverage both traditional and innovative data sources. Our central statistics agencies, for example, have developed gender equality index and expanded the village potential statistics to include disaggregated indicators, helping us identify and respond to local development needs with greater precision. We have also made progress in integrating citizen-generated data and non-traditional sources. The SDGs dashboard, developed jointly by our ministry in Bapanas and our central statistics agency, is an open-access platform that combines official and community-based data to monitor SDGs progress down to the district level. Beyond data generation, it is equally important to consider how data is governed. Investing in data systems alone is not enough. Strong and inclusive data governance frameworks are crucial to ensure data is used responsibly, ethically, and transparently. The crucial— to ensure this includes clear policies and institutional arrangements to protect personal data, prevent misuse, promote accountability, and build trust. To ensure inclusivity, we believe effort must be focused on bridging digital gaps improving data and digital literacy, and ensuring equal access to data.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Next, we have Ecuador.

Muchas gracias.

Thank you very much, Madam Moderator, esteemed colleagues. Ecuador, since 2017, declared as a public policy the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The idea was to apply it effectively and include all stakeholders in a participatory fashion, such as the private sector, academia, and citizens at large. After that moment, Ecuador carried out several initiatives to obtain basic information in order to follow up on the SDGs. And the main initiative was to create a plan for statistical development, an instrument that was defined as a tool for strategic planning in order to articulate and manage in a systematic way pertinent information. Although resources are always limited, especially when it comes to generating information, but aware of its potential, Ecuador has actively sought out the collaboration and support of different international organizations and the United Nations in order to reach a higher number of indicators with a specific methodology and information that is generated periodically and provides for the appropriate follow-up. To accelerate progress in priority areas with persistent data gaps such as gender, climate change, and governance, it is fundamental to adopt a collaborative and strategic approach A first step could be to make viable technical and financial support from international organizations, taking into account the budgetary limitations that countries such as Ecuador face. This kind of support could be channeled to strengthen institutional capacities of public entities that are in charge of collecting, processing, and analyzing information, especially in sensitive sectors.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for these different comments, and I'd love to now come back to our panel. And I think sometimes the problem with talking about data, or really anything that has to do with innovation, is that no one would disagree. Who's ever said, I'm against data, I'm against digital inclusion, I'm against innovation, I'm against entrepreneurship? So it risks doing something that in Italian we call buonsensismo, common senseism. And so how do we actually make much more explicit the debate? What is the problem? We heard about the quantity of investment that we need. There is not enough of it, also in terms of public sector capacity. But also, I think what the comments, but definitely our panelists talked about, was the quality. These issues of transparency, access, inclusion actually is about defining what do we mean with the P of digital public infrastructure. What is public? What does it mean? What is the common good? Maybe just reflecting, and we can go from Liberia. Guatemala, and Gambia, just what are the national debates you've had? Because of course, we've also heard from India, but in India, which is one of the leaders, there's a debate nationally about it, the actual effects it's had, exclusion or inclusion. So give us a bit of spice so we don't bore the audience. Can we start with Liberia?

Yes.

Thank you very much. I think, uh, it's true. Data must be more inclusive, innovative, and also be governed by integrity. That's the main thing. And one thing there is that when a citizen trusts the process itself, they become more comfortable to provide more information for data collection. And that's the reason why you don't want to compromise quality and integrity in your data collection. And most importantly, with what we are doing now with our International Aid Transparency Initiative data collection, it also helped the local NGO and international NGO to now link their operation with our aid dashboard. That itself have brought transparency into aid delivery. And we are also asking that, look, every sector, especially what has to do with gender-sensitive information, climate issues should now be part of our reporting process to ensure that we are doing more inclusive development.

Do citizens trust this process, or is there a national debate in terms of worrying the degree to which these are, if you want, performatitive, or whether people on the ground, as we were hearing from Guatemala, are really benefiting?

Yes, the citizens trust the process because of the experience from the COVID-19 data collection process, also giving that comfort level. What needed to be done was to have this trust and coordination and cohesion among international organizations that are operating. Now that we are all collecting and making sure that everyone reports on the dashboard, it builds more confidence in the citizens.

Excellent.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Next, can we hear again from Guatemala?

Thank you very much. I would like to close my intervention with 3 elements that have been reiterated and speak about what we do in Guatemala when it comes to data. Data in and of itself doesn't really do much. The important thing here is the how. And when I talked about our Commission for Open Data, what Thank you. What we are trying to do is for that participation that comes from the territories begins to focus on 3 elements: transparency, and here data and whatever information is generated should be trustworthy, verifiable, but above all it must be consistent with sustainable development. The best platforms, we can have excellent capacities. However, our citizens will not see a return on investment in terms of what we've been doing when it comes to transforming our data in order to, and I repeat this, achieve sustainable development. A second element that's very important is ethics. What data should allow us to do is to move toward taking care of unmet needs in our territories. But in order to transform all of this, ethics in our public data should be accessible. And we recognize that accessibility is a developing issue in our country, so we are working on a universal connectivity plan because usually data will arrive through technology. But data isn't just about platforms. Data is about communication for society to understand that we are being inclusive when it comes to our public policies, but also and mainly development, a kind of development that makes us more inclusive with disaggregated data to meet collective as well as individual needs.

For the focus on both the individual and the collective and the need to put values of transparency, accessibility, inclusion at the center. So can we hear again from, from Gambia in terms of— I'll give you the microphone, I see you don't have one— just again in terms of These issues of trust, to go beyond the talk about digital and data, how do we actually build the trust, also the relationships between public and private, and get the citizens to trust that this ultimately will be good for their everyday lives?

Yes, thank you very much. The key issue about data for the citizens to believe is the data integrity and that the data will be used for purpose intended, and abuse will be limited. Because if the confidence is not there, the citizens will not provide information that is required. To do so, you need— that's why in The Gambia we have what they call Access to Information Act. We have enacted a law that entitles every citizen a right to access public information But of course, it has to have the integrity element, anonymity, and the ethical use of data. With those 3 parameters met, every citizen have access to require by law any information from public transaction or public office as they deem necessary, because data should not be cornered or not utilized. The more it is shared, the value increases with that. The more it is available, then it is used for decision-making. That is why we believe that access and integrity of data are key and central to how citizens— the citizens' trust must be in the data system. If that trust is not there, then you will have the issue of hoarding data, and the transparency, which is the key objective of data will be lost. And we have seen huge leaps and bounds of improvements that data transparency can bring into public service delivery, information sharing, crime reporting, financial management, and actually even data mapping. You can use one data from one aspect and match it to another that will give you fresh perspective and insight into what you will otherwise not be able to do. So as we speak, we have enacted into law Access to Information Act that every citizen or every public office has a right to seek for information, of course, with these parameters intact. One very important thing is to prevent abuse. That's why Data Protection Act is very central. Because if data is not used properly for purpose intended, then the confidence is lost and it is not becoming available for citizens to rely on the systems. Thank you.

Thank you. We have 6 minutes left and we have to use them. We will not let you out. Do you think this is possible to do what you're talking about at the national level without some global, if you want, collective governance processes? In Europe, you know, there's the GDPR and the Digital Services Act, but we really need a global approach, not a fragmented one. And what's great about the UN is we learn from individual countries like the Access to Information Act in Gambia. But then how do we— you know, do you think it's possible to truly have inclusion, transparency, and accessibility without a global reform, especially given, as I mentioned before, that 70% of the world's digital data is actually in 5 companies.

Yes, okay. I think that's why I call for a global compact on data, because without that global overarching clarion call for the information to be shared, then you will see that national systems will not rise to the occasion. It is important that development institutions Bodies like the UN start the call to call for a global compact on data management, so that national systems will also see it as best practice and they can leverage on that.

Thank you.

Voy a tratar de ser muy rápida.

I will just try to be very quick. I think that it's possible, but it's complex. And in fact, right now here, we have very similar positions and we're thinking about that sustainable development. What happens is that in our countries at an internal level, we have legislation that can be compared. I believe in sharing good practices and when it comes to data, if we share experiences that have been favorable, that have been successful, I think that we can take that to the global level. And in fact, it is what we're doing. So it's possible, but it can be complex in different kinds of situations.

Yes, thank you. I think the issue of national data and that of regional data are very much important. And from our end, from Liberia, we also have a joint project, which is a regional project that also helped to strengthen the data collection for harmonization and alignment with SDG as well. And quite interestingly, even the dashboard I'm talking about, we have such a hit from 100 countries around the world just to ensure that whether there's consistency in what we do. So regional data, national data also contribute to global data collection.

Great.

Thank you so much for those comments. We now have 3 minutes left to hear from the President to close our Investing in Data to Accelerate Development session.

Thank you very much, Marianna. My friends, I want to thank— once again, I want to thank Marianna for guiding us through this discussion. I also want to thank our distinguished panelists for their very substantive and, I think, really enlightening contribution and discussion about a critically important issue, because the issue of data and its sharing, its development, its reliability really speaks to fundamental questions around governance and the nature of the societies around us. It also speaks to an even more important question in my view, which is Yes. It's the issue of the capacity of government to do its job in every part of the world. I happen to believe that when we look at issues of development assistance, we frequently lose our way if we don't stay focused on what national ownership means. National ownership means that every government that's represented in the United Nations has to have the capacity to provide and supervise services for its people and to do its job. And as vital as the role of civil society is, and as vital of the role of other institutions are, we cannot lose sight of the critical importance of the capacity of states, because we know that most of the conflicts that are taking place in the world today are taking place in countries where the state has lost the capacity to lead effectively. We talk a lot about failed states. We talk about states that are losing the capacity to perform their obligations. And so I think it's important that we return to this question over and over again of how do we reinforce the capacity of states to do the work they have to do. And in the development of the modern state, the provision of social services, healthcare, education, making sure that people are well nourished, that people are able to provide for themselves and their families, the question of what is the capacity of that government to assist in providing the kind of help that people need. And you can't do that without reliable data. We can't have a national or international response to a pandemic without reliable data. We can't deal with climate change without reliable data. And, and so it really speaks to the vitality of the democracies and governance that we're, that we're seeing around the world. And whether we actually have the ability to focus, to maintain our focus on that question. I can think of a couple of areas, one in particular, one country in particular, where I was told, when I asked, how could we have spent this much money in that country, when the state has absolutely zero capacity to respond to the needs of its people? And people's answer was, well, we couldn't trust the state to do the job, so we decided to create alternative institutions. Of course, those alternative institutions disappear the moment the assistance stops. So I think this is a very serious debate around development that we need to continue to focus on. I really want to thank the delegates for this conversation and for, if I may say so, helping me to formulate these thoughts late on a Late in the afternoon, so colleagues, this concludes the afternoon's meeting. The forum will reconvene tomorrow at 10 a.m. in this chamber to first hold a dialogue with senior representatives of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, followed by the special high-level meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, the W. And UNCTAD. I have a note in front of me which I don't understand, but I will read it because that's what I have to do. Please note, please note, delegates, that there will be a different seating arrangement in the chamber for tomorrow's meeting. I have no idea what that means, but I look forward to coming here and finding out. The meeting is therefore adjourned. Thank you.