An Ethiopian delegation led by Minister of Agriculture, Girma Amente, participated in the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development held in Sevilla, Spain, this week. In his address, Minister Girma urged the international community to honor the commitments outlined in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which was adopted at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3) a decade ago. He welcomed the consensus emerging from the new Seville Commitment, describing it as a timely and essential continuation of the Addis Agenda. Emphasizing the importance of building on its gains, he expressed hope that the Seville Commitment would help overcome the challenges faced in implementing the Addis framework.
The Minister highlighted the staggering $4 trillion gap in financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as evidence of a global failure to turn pledges into tangible results. He noted that this shortfall has left developing countries burdened by unsustainable debt, declining development finance, and increasing pressures from climate change and geopolitical tensions.
Addressing the issue of debt sustainability, Girma called for the advancement of a fair global taxation system targeting multinational corporations and the establishment of a sovereign debt resolution mechanism under United Nations oversight. He also underscored the need to enhance access to grant-based and highly concessional financing, aligned with national development priorities, particularly for developing countries.
The Minister stressed the urgency of creating dedicated support mechanisms for countries vulnerable to external shocks, aimed at preventing sudden financing disruptions and preserving development gains. He further called for the prompt release and effective deployment of available development and climate finance, with a strong focus on infrastructure development and decent job creation, especially in Africa, where demographic potential remains significantly underutilized.
Describing the Seville Commitment as a critical opportunity to recalibrate global efforts, the Minister reaffirmed Ethiopia’s strong support for multilateralism. He expressed hope that future global forums will demonstrate measurable progress rather than persistent gaps between ambition and implementation.
On the margins of the conference, the Minister also addressed a high-level Ministerial Meeting held in parallel to the main plenary, under the theme “Revitalising International Development Cooperation.” In his intervention, he emphasized that strengthened international cooperation remains the only viable pathway to achieving the SDGs. He urged the global community to uphold the principles of shared responsibility and solidarity in addressing today’s complex development challenges.