Spain urges 27 EU countries to “mobilise private resources” to fulfil the 2030 Agenda

Eduardo González The State Secretary for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eva Granados, warned the Development officials of the 27 EU Member States on Tuesday of the need to “mobilise private resources” to fulfil the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Granados has represented Spain at the first informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in the Development Cooperation format (FAC DEV) of the new institutional cycle. The meeting was chaired by Jakub Wiśniewski, Under-Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was attended by Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sîkela, President of the European Investment Bank Nadia Calviño, Vice-President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Mark Bowman and representatives of the European Parliament. According to the Polish Presidency, the main topics of discussion at this meeting – held on Monday and Tuesday in Warsaw – were support for building resilience in public institutions and societies in developing countries (using the examples of Mauritania, Ukraine and Syria to address support in managing crises, both humanitarian and developmental) and the issue of development financing. Ministers also agreed on the need to fully exploit the opportunities offered by the EU Global Gateway strategy, including the involvement of the European private sector. “Europe is the world’s largest provider of official development assistance. Our Member States, together with the EU institutions, provide 42% of global development aid, despite representing only around 16% of global GDP,” said Commissioner Sîkela. Seville Conference Furthermore, the meeting also focused on preparations for the IV International Conference on Financing for Development, which will be held from 30 June to 3 July 2025 in Seville. Upon arrival at the informal Council, Eva Granados reaffirmed before journalists Spain's commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda, because “shared prosperity is not only a matter of solidarity, but it is also a matter of peace and stability in the world”- “We know that the financing gap between the 2030 Agenda, between the Sustainable Development Goals, and the financing that is being provided to them is between three and four billion a year,” she continued. For this reason, she warned, “it is time to mobilize private resources.” “It is time to say that we are, at a global level, with one voice and showing our commitment to the countries that expect a lot from the Seville Conference, because financing for development, in the end, is the key that will allow us to reach the sustainable development goals,” she concluded.

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