Financing the SDGs Dialogue: Advancing Country-Led Approaches
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Event Details
DATE
27 - 29 October 2026
TYPE
Hybrid
LOCATION
Madrid, Spain
Co-hosted by UNDP and the Government of Spain, the Financing the SDGs Dialogue will bring together governments, development partners, international financial institutions, the private sector and practitioners to share lessons and explore practical approaches to financing sustainable development.
Building on the Sevilla Commitment and the Sevilla Platform for Action, the Dialogue will look at how public, private and international finance can work together to turn national financing strategies into policy reforms, investment opportunities and development results.
The Dialogue is organised with the support of the Government of Canada, Cooperación Española, the European Union, the Government of Finland, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the INFF Facility.
Programme focus
The programme combines political dialogue, country exchanges and technical discussions, with a strong focus on implementation and peer learning. It will also look at how financing approaches are applied to priorities ranging from climate and nature to gender equality, health, governance and resilience.
Discussions will focus on the following areas:
- Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) and country platforms, and their role in supporting country-led financing priorities and implementation
- Public finance and the fiscal ecosystem, including domestic resource mobilization, public expenditure, debt, fiscal policy coherence, public investment and governance
- Private finance and investment, including how to mobilize, align and de-risk private capital around national development priorities
Please see the full agenda with speakers here.
Agenda
DAY 1 - 27 October 2026
Global Trends and Financing for Development
| Time (CET) | Session | Description |
| 08:30-09:00 | Opening Remarks | Setting the scene for the Financing the SDGs Dialogue 2026 and its focus on country-led implementation of the Sevilla Commitment. |
| 09:00-10:30 | SDG Progress: The Road to 2030 and Beyond | Exploring progress on the SDGs, global development trends and emerging approaches to measuring sustainable development beyond GDP. Read more. |
| 10:30-11:15 | Coffee break | |
| 11:15-12:30 | The State of Implementation of the Sevilla Commitment | Assessing progress in implementing the Sevilla Commitment and aligning financing efforts behind sustainable development priorities. Read more. |
| 12:30-13:30 | Maintaining a Focus on Country Leadership: Development Cooperation in a Changing Financing Landscape | Strengthening country leadership through evolving development cooperation models, partnerships and financing approaches. Read more. |
| 13:30-14:45 | Lunch | |
| 13:30-14:45 | Spotlight Lunch: Launch of the Secretariat of the International Coalition on Taxing High-Net-Worth Individuals | Launching the Coalition’s Secretariat and advancing international cooperation on fairer and more progressive taxation of high-net-worth individuals. By invitation only. |
| 13:30-14:45 | Spotlight Lunch: Disability Finance Observatory. Launch of the 2026 Report - Reality Check: The Global ODA Baseline for Disability Inclusion | Launching the Disability Finance Observatory’s 2026 report and fostering dialogue on how development finance can more systematically support disability inclusion. By invitation only. |
| 14:45-15:45 | Broadening Country Ownership: Domestic Resource Mobilization for Sustainable Development | Strengthening domestic resource mobilization through tax reforms, improved revenue administration and coherent fiscal policies. Read more. |
| 15:45-16:45 | Driving Investment behind Country Priorities: Opportunities and Challenges | Mobilizing investment around nationally defined priorities through stronger policies, institutions and partnerships. Read more. |
| 16:45-17:15 | Coffee break | |
| 17:15-18:45 | Commitments and the Role of the Sevilla Platform for Action Initiatives | Advancing implementation of the Sevilla Commitment through coordinated action and country-focused partnerships. Read more. |
DAY 2 - 28 October 2026
Country-Led Approaches and Thematic Financing Solutions
| Time (CET) | Session | Description |
| 09:00-10:30 | Country-Led Approaches to Financing through Integrated National Financing Frameworks | Country experiences on financing strategies, reforms and institutional coordination. Read more. |
| 11:00-12:10 | 1.1 Financing Strategies in Practice: From Strategy to Implementation through Country-Led Approaches | Translating national financing strategies into practical reforms, investments and development results. Read more. |
| 11:00-12:10 | 1.2 Building Integrated Public Finance Systems at Country Level | Connecting revenue, expenditure and debt decisions to sustainable development outcomes through integrated public finance systems. Read more. Read more. |
| 11:00-12:10 | 1.3 Making Country Pipelines Investable: Country and Partner Perspectives on Investment Acceleration | Unlocking private investment through enabling policies, risk-sharing mechanisms and strengthened investment ecosystems. Read more. |
| 12:10-13:15 | 2.1 Country Platforms in Practice: From National Priorities to Investable Pipelines | Turning national development priorities into investment-ready pipelines that can attract financing at scale. Read more. |
| 12:10-13:15 | 2.2 Domestic Resource Mobilization for Sustainable Development: Tax Reforms that Deliver | Advancing sustainable development through effective tax reforms, stronger compliance and enhanced domestic revenues. Read more. |
| 12:10-13:15 | 2.3 Building Market Architecture for Mobilizing and Aligning Capital with National Development Priorities | Creating regulatory and market conditions that channel capital towards sustainable development priorities. Read more. |
| 13:15-14:45 | Lunch break | |
| 13:30-14:15 | Spotlight lunch: Financing Zanzibar's Future: INFF in Local Action | A lunchtime screening of “Financing Zanzibar’s Future: INFF in Local Action,” organised with the Local2030 Coalition, followed by a discussion with the Zanzibar Planning Commission and CRDB Bank on how integrated local financing turns national ambitions into results for communities. |
| 14:45-15:50 | 3.1 Integrated Financing for Development, Climate and Nature | Aligning development, climate and nature priorities through integrated financing approaches. Read more. |
| 14:45-15:50 | 3.2 Gender Finance: A Driver of Economic Growth | Advancing gender equality and economic growth through gender-responsive financing policies and investments. Read more. |
| 14:45-15:50 | 3.3 From Recovery to Resilience: Unlocking Financing in a World of Rising Risk | Strengthening resilience through financing solutions that help countries anticipate, absorb and recover from shocks. Read more. |
| 14:45-15:50 | 3.4 Financial Architecture for Addressing Inequality | Leveraging public and private finance to reduce inequalities and promote inclusive development. Read more. |
| 15:50-16:15 | Coffee break | |
| 16:15-17:15 | 4.1 From Fiscal Choices to Results: Delivering a Triple Health Dividend through Sustainable Country Systems | Improving health outcomes through stronger public finance systems, fiscal policies and institutional capacity. Read more. |
| 16:15-17:15 | 4.2 Strengthening Trust in Public Institutions, Grounded in Sound Governance | Building trust through transparency, accountability and effective public financial governance. Read more. |
| 16:15-17:15 | 4.3 Integrated Local Financing: Public Finance, Private Investment and Development Outcomes | Aligning public and private finance around local development priorities and community needs. Read more. |
| 16:15-17:15 | 4.4 From Compliance to Competitiveness: Operationalizing the Seville Plan of Action with ISO/UNDP 53001 and Business and Human Rights | Exploring how ISO/UNDP 53001 can streamline sustainability compliance, integrate human rights due diligence into corporate governance and strengthen long-term business resilience. Read more. |
DAY 3 - 29 October 2026
Instruments and Scaling solutions
| Time (CET) | Session | Description |
| 09:00-10:30 | From Issuer Readiness to Bond Issuance: Mobilizing Capital for Sustainable Development | Expanding fiscal space through sustainable debt management and innovative financing instruments. |
| 09:00-10:30 | Country Level Approaches to Deploying Catalytic Blended Finance Solutions for Sustainable Growth, Job Creation and Resilience | Leveraging risk-sharing solutions to mobilize additional public and private investment. |
| 09:00-10:30 | Tax Inspectors Without Borders 2.0: Closing the Compliance Gap, One Case at a Time | Enhancing domestic revenues through improved tax systems, cooperation and compliance. |
| 11:00-12:30 | Managing Risk, Financing Development: Country-Led Systems for Resilience and Investment | Strengthening country-led financial risk management systems for resilience and investment. Co-hosted with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Insurance Development Forum. |
| 11:00-12:30 | Delivering through Regional Platforms and Pipeline Development Instruments | Scaling investment opportunities through regional cooperation and project pipeline development. |
| 11:00-12:30 | From Digital Payments to Inclusive Digital Finance: Expanding Markets, Access and Inclusive Economic Opportunities | Expanding access to financial services through digital innovation and inclusive financial systems. |
| 14:00-15:30 | Closing reflections | Connecting lessons from the Dialogue to broader development and financing agendas. |
| 16:00-16:45 | Next steps | Identifying priorities for implementation, capacity development and coordinated partner support. |
| 16:45-17:00 | Closing Remarks | Concluding the Dialogue and outlining the path forward for advancing the Sevilla commitments. |
