CIVICUS discusses financing for development with Elena Marmo, Head of Advocacy and Campaigns at the Transparency, Accountability and Participation (TAP) Network, an international civil society coalition working to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the pursuit of more peaceful, just and inclusive societies.

The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), taking place from 30 June to 3 July 2025 in Seville, Spain, brings together world leaders, governments, international organisations, businesses and civil society to address urgent challenges in financing sustainable development. This conference aims to reform financing at all levels and support the investment push needed for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). CIVICUS, TAP Network and other civil society partners will host an event focusing on trends that undermine sustainable development – including democratic and civic space regression, rising military spending and declining aid budgets – and highlighting civil society’s critical role in the financing for development agenda.

What makes this latest conference particularly significant?

FfD4 comes at a crucial moment for the 2030 Agenda and global economic governance. With official development assistance (ODA) declining, military spending rising and anti-rights narratives gaining ground, we urgently need to revisit the global financial architecture and hold governments to account for their development commitments grounded in human rights.

Civil society priorities span from debt and tax justice – including reducing debt burdens and taxing the ultra-wealthy – to advancing international cooperation, ensuring ODA commitments are met and reforming institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Equally important are transparent and accountable institutions, particularly for public budgeting and service delivery.

To advance these goals, TAP Network is engaging both independently and through the Civil Society Financing for Development Engagement Mechanism to highlight the concerns of TAP Network’s membership, which focuses on SDG 16 and its themes of peace, justice and inclusive institutions and its interlinkages with all the other SDGs.

How do regressive trends undermine sustainable development financing?

Civil society faces growing frustration with broken ODA promises and widening inequalities fuelled by regressive taxation, both within and between countries. We are pushing for fiscal policies that expand public services, uphold rights and create the fiscal space needed to meet the SDGs.

Some key concerns include unmet ODA commitments amid domestic resource mobilisation challenges and the lack of global tax cooperation, which concentrates wealth in the global north and among the ultra-wealthy. At the same time, many low-income and middle-income countries face unsustainable debt levels, particularly to unregulated private creditors, without fair restructuring options.

When debt distress occurs, it often triggers economic austerity measures that hurt people, undermining development outcomes and eroding public trust.

How can civil society bring accountability in financing for development?

Civil society plays a crucial role in ensuring accountability, nationally and globally. By bringing in the lived experiences of communities directly affected by policy decisions, civil society helps shape more inclusive and equitable outcomes. It enhances transparency in public finance, particularly in budgeting, procurement and public-private partnerships, mitigating corruption and ensuring human rights are placed at the centre of decision-making. It’s often women and people from excluded groups leading these efforts, particularly where public systems fall short.

Members of the TAP Network such as the International Budget Partnership and Transparency International have consistently demonstrated that national-level engagement improves transparency and development outcomes. At the global level, civil society participation ensured the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the outcome document of the third Financing for Development Conference, had a focus on accountability, gender equality and rights-based financing.

Civil society must continue to mobilise around macroeconomic issues and build cross-border and cross-movement solidarity. At TAP, we are working closely with allies such as CIVICUS to support this momentum. Central to advancing this agenda is work to document the challenges and the resilience of civil society.

What risks can come when development financing flows to governments that restrict civic space?

In such cases, there’s a serious risk these resources will be misused or diverted, particularly in the absence of independent watchdogs. This undermines the SDGs and may entrench authoritarianism.

However, conditionalities on ODA can be problematic, as they may be misused or perceived as neocolonial, limiting national ownership. Instead, we need incentive-based approaches that promote human rights and civic space, alongside stronger adherence to international law.

Donors must also fund civil society directly – particularly where governments restrict participation – and invest in independent media and institutions that enable citizen oversight and budget monitoring.

What tangible commitments should emerge from FfD4?

It’s time for states to commit to binding reforms of the international financial system. FfD4 must clearly acknowledge current challenges and respond with tangible action, from fulfilling ODA obligations to reforming global tax and debt systems and investing in transparent institutions.

Most importantly, it must reaffirm the role of civil society. Civil society organisations are essential partners in building fairer, more inclusive systems that prioritise people and rights.

In the context of a challenging negotiation process, the TAP Network remains focused on solidarity. We’re committed to confronting the overlapping crises of authoritarianism, climate change, conflict and inequality by mobilising civil society and allies and building platforms for collective strategising and learning.