Sevilla, 2 July 2025 — At the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, the Government of Spain, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) — as lead of the UN Local2030 Coalition Secretariat and its permanent co-chair — and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) joined forces to launch the Sevilla Platform for Action, “Localizing Finance to Drive Systemic Impact for the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda.” The Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments and Finance in Common, strategic partners representing local actors and financing institutions, participated in the launch.

This new initiative significantly scales up efforts to channel more resources to the local level and ensure they are used efficiently, inclusively, and transformatively. Aligned with the UN Local2030 Coalition’s policy brief “Local Finance is Development Finance” and building on the preparatory process to the forum in Seville — which engaged over 1,000 participants through 30 local, national, and regional workshops — the new platform will provide knowledge and tools to create enabling environments, build partnerships, scale up transformative local financing solutions, strengthen local and regional capacities, and promote transparency and accountability.

The Sevilla Platform for Action aims to establish a multi-stakeholder community of practice to boost action for the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through knowledge exchange and decentralized development cooperation. The platform will make cities and regions more attractive and viable for receiving and generating sustainable development investments aligned with local priorities. It will also foster access to finance for civil society, the private sector, and local communities through capacity-building efforts that leave no one — and no place — behind, including in crisis contexts.

Anacláudia Rossbach, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, highlighted the importance of local action:

“Cities are here people live — where we can find the means to address climate change and where we can actually generate economic activities, growth, and development. If we invest locally, we have a higher chance of multiplying these investments — generating local economic development through economic inclusion, and empowering cities to increase their revenue resources. We also need to boost knowledge exchange and connect projects across different scales and levels to accelerate territorial transformation and drive systemic change.”

Antón Leis García, Director of the Spanish Agency for Cooperation, remarked:

“In the ‘Compromiso de Sevilla’ (Seville Commitment), there is a clear commitment to localization — and to what lies behind the word ‘localization’ — which means ensuring that those closest to citizens are defining policies, have the capacities, and are receiving the finance needed to deliver on the SDGs.”

Julia Nielson, Acting Director Development Cooperation Directorate of OECD, stated:

“This is why we think this initiative is so important: we are not going to achieve the SDGs without subnational governments, and decentralized development cooperation is about empowering them through knowledge sharing and financial and technical support.”

Recognizing that local and regional governments are essential drivers of inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development, the initiative seeks to align financing, policy, and partnerships at all levels to empower cities and regions as drivers of transformation. By leveraging multi-stakeholder collaboration, strengthening the institutional capacities of local governments, civil society, and private sector entities, and advancing place-based investment strategies, the Sevilla Platform for Action supports the call for stronger domestic resource mobilization, inclusive governance, and context-responsive financing.

Fatematou Abdel Malik, Mayor of Nouakchott and Co-Chair of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, added:

“We need to make sure that financing is channeled to where it can have the most impact, and this means that reform of the financial architecture must include the integration of the local level as a powerful means to make finance for development effective.”

Rémy Rioux, CEO of the Agence Française de Développement and Chairman of Finance in Common, said:

“We are truly living in times of system change — a paradigm shift. And hopefully, the system will be turned upside down and rest on its feet — on its firm feet — which are local actors and local institutions.” 

In addition to the leadership of Spain, other countries — including Brazil, Colombia, Cabo Verde, Tanzania, the Philippines, South Africa, Mauritania, Poland, and Zimbabwe — alongside international financing institutions, local and regional governments, civil society, the private sector, and academia, have endorsed the initiative. 

The full launch event can be viewed on UN Web TV.

About United Nations Local2030 Coalition

Comprising 14 UN entities and five key constituencies, the Local2030 Coalition acts as a convergence point between the UN system and a wide range of stakeholders to accelerate the localization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To learn more, visit local2030.org.

About UN-Habitat

UN-Habitat is the United Nations entity responsible for sustainable urbanization. It has programmes in over 90 countries supporting policymakers and communities to create socially and environmentally sustainable cities and towns. UN-Habitat promotes transformative change in cities through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance, and collaborative action. To learn more, visit unhabitat.org or follow us on social media @UNHABITAT.

For more information, contact:

Sébastien Vauzelle, Head of the Secretariat, UN Local2030 Coalition

Email: sebastien.vauzelle@un.org