The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, set to take place from 30th June to 3 July in Spain, presents a crucial opportunity to reform global financing systems, including much-needed changes to the international financial architecture; with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) off track and progress on poverty and hunger stalling, or even reversing.
In early January, the co-facilitators released the zero draft of the conference’s outcome document. CIVICUS calls for the explicit commitment to protect civic space, support for locally led development, and recognition of civil society as an independent actors in sustainable development. Our recommendations emphasise the need to combat the repression of civil society actors, move beyond transactional development approaches, and ensure financial flows prioritise accountability and human rights. Integrating civic space protection into international frameworks is essential for fostering inclusive, transparent, and equitable development.
1. Protection of Civic Space
While the draft addresses pressing global challenges such as climate change and corruption, it overlooks a critical and increasingly urgent issue: the growing repression of civil society actors. According to the latest CIVICUS data, over 70% of the global population resides in countries where civic space is severely restricted. This poses a direct threat to meaningful partnerships with civil society, which are essential for driving political will and ensuring the effective implementation of global goals. Without civic space, efforts by civil society and the media to expose corruption and highlight factors contributing to climate change can be severely constrained. The repression, intimidation, and harassment faced by civil society actors and human rights defenders undermine trust, which is vital for fostering effective multilateralism and global governance.
Recommendation: The draft must incorporate strong, explicit commitments to protect and promote civic space. This will ensure that civil society’s role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals remains secure, enabling long-term, inclusive progress.
2. Supporting Locally Led Development
CIVICUS is deeply concerned about the continued reliance on transactional approaches to development, which often fail to build the long-term capacity of civil society. These approaches risk undermining local empowerment and hindering sustainable progress. Instead, the draft should place greater emphasis on supporting locally led development initiatives, which are crucial for fostering community-based, grassroots solutions to global challenges. Moreover, locally led development approaches help ensure that resources reach communities on the ground.
Recommendation: Shift the focus from transactional, short-term development strategies to empowering civil society and communities at the local level to lead development efforts. This requires creating enabling environments where local actors have the resources, autonomy, and capacity to drive progress on the SDGs through predictable core funding.
3. Recognising Civil Society as Independent Actors
The draft misses a crucial opportunity to recognise civil society as an independent, vital actor in development. Civil society plays an essential role in advocating for and implementing sustainable development, yet its contributions are often overlooked. Without adequate recognition and support, civil society risks being excluded from key partnerships in shaping development strategies, limiting its potential to drive systemic change.
Recommendation: Explicitly recognise civil society as an independent and key actor in the development process. Ensure that civil society’s expertise and input are included in shaping policies and strategies, particularly those related to SDG implementation.
4. Ensuring Sustainable and Responsible Financial Flows
The draft does not sufficiently address the intersection between development assistance—such as Official Development Assistance (ODA), the role of public development banks, and sustainable lending—and civil society participation and civic space. Without a framework that enables civil society participation and safeguards civic space, financial flows for development may inadvertently end up strengthening repressive state apparatuses and entrenched patronage networks, exacerbating exclusion and undermining sustainable development. CIVICUS is concerned that without clear protections for civil society, financial resources could be diverted in ways that reinforce systems of oppression rather than advancing the SDGs.
Recommendation: Development finance, including Official Development Assistance (ODA), the work of public development banks, and debt architecture, must align with efforts to protect and promote civic space and civil society participation. Financing should prioritise accountable, transparent, and inclusive governance, ensuring that funds are not diverted to repressive regimes or corrupt systems that curtail civic space and hinder the work of civil society, but instead contribute to meaningful and equitable development in line with the 2030 Agenda.
5. Integration of Commitments to Protect Civic Space in International Frameworks
The protection of civic space is not just a national issue; it is a global concern requiring collective action. Recent international commitments, such as the Pact for the Future, underscore the importance of safeguarding civil society and human rights at the global level. The draft must align with these existing frameworks and reflect the international consensus on the critical role of open civic space in democratic governance and the promotion of human rights.
Recommendation: Integrate the protection and promotion of civic space into international policies, particularly those that address human rights and development. This includes aligning the zero draft with recent global agreements that emphasise civil society’s indispensable role in achieving the SDGs.
For more information, contact:
Jesselina Rana, UN Advisor – New York, CIVICUS –
Credit: UN Photo/Cia Pak
