July 1, 2025 – Seville, Spain
H.E. Dr. Girma Amente, Minister of Agriculture of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, delivered the national statement at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, Spain, as Head of the Ethiopian delegation.
In his remarks, Dr. Girma called on the international community to fulfill the commitments made under the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, adopted during the FfD3 conference held in Addis Ababa ten years ago. He welcomed the broad consensus reflected in the new Sevilla Commitment, describing it as a timely and necessary continuation of the Addis Agenda. He further Stressed the need to build on the gains of Addis Ababa Action Agenda and Ethiopia hopes that Sevilla Commitment will resolve Addis Agenda implementation challenges.
Dr. Girma warned that the staggering $4 trillion SDG financing gap reveals a global failure to translate promises into action, leaving developing countries burdened by unsustainable debt, reduced development finance, and escalating challenges stemming from climate change and geopolitical instability.
He emphasized the urgency of addressing unsustainable debt by advancing fair global taxation on multinational corporations and establishing a sovereign debt mechanism under the auspices of the United Nations. He further emphasized the need to expand access to grant-based and highly concessional finance, aligned with national development plans, particularly for developing countries.
Dr. Girma also underscored the importance of dedicated support mechanisms for countries vulnerable to external shocks, in order to prevent abrupt financing disruptions and safeguard development trajectories. Lastly, he called for unlocking and disbursing available development and climate finance with a focus on infrastructure and decent job creation—especially in Africa, where the demographic potential remains largely untapped.
Calling the Sevilla Commitment a critical opportunity to realign global efforts, Dr. Girma reaffirmed Ethiopia’s unwavering support for multilateral cooperation and expressed hope that future global forums will reflect measurable progress rather than continued gaps between ambition and action.
At this Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, Dr. Girma also addressed a high-level Ministerial Meeting held in parallel to the main plenary under the theme “Revitalizing International Development Cooperation.” In his remarks, Dr. Girma underscored that strengthened international cooperation remains the only viable path to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. He urged the global community to uphold the spirit of shared responsibility and solidarity in tackling today’s development challenges.