On July 2, UNDP teamed up with the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, Government of the Republic of Maldives, Ford Foundation, Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA), and the Trust, Accountability and Inclusion (TAI) Collaborative for a high-impact side event at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). Together, we spotlighted how financial integrity and governance can transform FfD4 commitments on public finance into tangible action. Public finance is the engine of sustainable development - but only when underpinned by strong financial governance. This governance depends on the effectiveness, inclusiveness, and accountability of the institutions and practices that shape how public funds are mobilized, deployed, and managed. In short, financing volumes matter, but so does the quality of governance.  

This event offered FfD4 stakeholders a first opportunity to unpack:  

• Where FfD4 landed on commitments related to building more effective, inclusive, and accountable public finance systems
• What’s needed to implement them
• Who must act - and how

The expert panel discussed how to leverage governance to catalyze and accelerate the implementation of key FfD4 commitments. The event contributed to the Sevilla Platform for Action (SPA), emphasizing the governance dimensions essential to the implementation of public finance commitments. It is built on UNDP’s decade-long learning on governance, anti-corruption, sustainable finance, and its Finance, Integrity, and Governance (FIG) Initiative.   

During the event, the GPCG also launched its working paper, “From Insight to Implementation,” outlining a strategic roadmap to translate FfD4 commitments on public finance into three action areas: bridging knowledge gaps, supporting country-level implementation capacity, and fostering transnational collaboration. The paper is available here.