Good morning, distinguished colleagues, partners, and friends, 

On behalf of the INFF Facility, it is an honour to welcome you to the 2025 INFF Facility Partner Meeting. Let me start by expressing my deepest gratitude to the Government of Spain and the regional Government of Catalonia for hosting us in this beautiful city of Barcelona, a hub of innovation and collaboration. 

We gather today at a moment of both urgency and opportunity. With just five years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, it is clear that we must significantly scale up our efforts to meet the ambition of the 2030 Agenda. Progress remains alarmingly off-track, with only 17% of the SDGs on target. At the same time, global challenges—from intensifying climate crises and persistent inequality to economic shocks and geopolitical tensions—are straining the resilience of countries worldwide. 

Yet, amidst these challenges lies a powerful opportunity to reimagine how we finance development. The Financing for Development process is ever more vital and remains at the heart of this effort. As we build on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and look to FfD4 in Sevilla later this year, we need a renewed global financing framework. As the FfD4 elements paper says this renewed financing framework must not only address systemic inequities but also rebuild trust in multilateralism and place country-leadership at the centre of global cooperation. 

At the core of these efforts are integrated national financing frameworks (INFFs). Introduced in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, INFFs have emerged as transformative tools for aligning public and private financing with national development priorities. They are used by governments to deliver innovative, ambitious financing strategies, bridge financing gaps, and mobilize resources that deliver meaningful results. 

Since their inception, INFFs have become a key driver of innovation and impact. Today, more than 85 countries are using INFFs to strengthen their financing strategies, with 17 having operationalized their financing strategies to unlock billions of dollars in financing aligned with the SDGs. INFFs embody three essential principles: country ownership, mission-orientation, and integration. These principles ensure that financing strategies are tailored to national priorities, mobilising all kinds of financing flows, and create a coherent framework for synergized financing policies. 

Recognizing the immense potential of this approach, the INFF Facility was launched at the 2022 Financing for Development Forum. This joint flagship initiative, led by UNDP, DESA, UNICEF, OECD, the European Union, and the Governments of Italy, Spain, and Sweden, is designed to help countries realize the full potential of the INFF approach. 

In just three years, the INFF Facility has already made significant contributions, brokering technical assistance in response to demand from more than 30 countries in designing and implementing their INFFs, facilitating exchange between policymakers in more than 70 nations to share experiences, and published over 20 technical guidance, e-learning courses and analytical resources that empower governments and their partners to deliver results. 

But our work is far from complete. The FfD4 Conference, set to take place in Seville later this year, presents a unique opportunity to take financing to the next level. It is a chance to not only reflect on the progress we have made but also to address critical gaps and set a bold vision for the future. 

As we approach FfD4 we must keep in mind four key tracks of change. 

First, we know that finance can no longer respond merely to economic imperatives. It must be invested, measured, and appraised according to its impacts on key areas such as climate, our natural world, poverty eradication and gender equality. 

Second, if the private sector is not fully engaged in the design of this agenda, then it will be neither owned; nor implemented by the actors who account for over 450 trillion dollars in private wealth globally. This must involve more efforts to engage the private sector, civil society, and other diverse voices in an open and transparent dialogue. 

Third, we must reinforce and strengthen our commitment to supporting country-led approaches to financing for sustainable development, recognising INFFs as the primary financial planning tool at the country level. 

Fourth, it is untenable that the countries that have contributed least to climate change must use so much of their national budgets to address it while there remains limited progress in the wider reform of the international financial architecture. 

Over the next two days, we will reflect on progress, explore solutions, and set priorities for the future, focusing on financing at the country level and the role of INFFs within this context. Key discussions will focus on enhancing fiscal coherence and transparency, mobilizing private finance, and making finance work for climate, nature and development, for gender equality and resilience – at the national and local levels. We will also discuss how to shape commitments for the FfD 4, with INFFs remaining central to the global financing agenda. 

Let us seize this moment to challenge ourselves, inspire one another, and deepen our partnerships. Together, we can build on the momentum of the past decade and accelerate progress toward the shared vision of a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future. 

How do we scale up financing while maintaining fiscal and social accountability? 

How do we ensure that country platforms and INFFs work in harmony to deliver on country-led financing strategies and reforms?  

How do we build resilience against the shocks and crises that continue to undermine progress? 

The answers to these questions will shape the commitments we bring to Seville and beyond. As we deliberate over the next two days, I encourage all of you to share your insights, experiences, and ambitions. Let us use this forum to deepen our collaboration, challenge ourselves to do more, and recommit to the shared vision of sustainable development for all.  

In closing, I want to reaffirm UNDP’s commitment to this agenda. We remain a steadfast partner to governments and institutions worldwide, dedicated to our role leading technical support on INFFs, advancing country-led financing strategies, fostering innovation and collaboration to make financing work for people and planet: to advance the goals not only of the 2030 Agenda but the Paris Agreement, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and other social and sustainable development priorities. This journey is a collective effort—one that depends on the leadership, dedication, and vision of everyone in this room. 

Thank you for your dedication, your leadership, and your partnership. I look forward to the rich discussions ahead and the commitments we will forge together. Let’s make this meeting a stepping stone toward transformative outcomes for the FfD4 conference and beyond. 

Thank you.