Image: Flickr/UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
First published on UNCAC Coalition
The fourth international conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) is under way in Sevilla, Spain, bringing together heads of state and high-level representatives from all UN member states from 30 June to 3 July. But unlike the previous conference in 2015 – which resulted in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda – this time the outcome document has already been agreed before the conference begins.
On June 17, 2025, UN member states approved the so-called Compromiso de Sevilla and transmitted it to the conference for adoption. Negotiated over the past months, the 38-page final document acknowledges that the global gap in financing for development has widened and is now estimated at USD4-trillion annually. In response, it announces “an ambitious package of reforms and actions to close this financing gap with urgency”.
What’s in the FfD4 outcome document on transparency and anti-corruption?
As several civil society organisations pointed out during the Civil Society Forum held before the conference, the Compromiso de Sevilla falls short in ambition, concrete measures, and inclusiveness. It does not meet the demands of civil society, nor of countries in the Global South. It is crucial to emphasise that getting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track and adequately addressing the complex, structural, and interconnected challenges we face requires systemic reforms and bold actions.
Yet, the document contains commitments on key areas which the UNCAC Coalition and civil society organisations fighting corruption have been advocating for, and for which we will hold governments accountable. Below is a summary of our key demands and how they are reflected in the FfD4 outcome document in five main areas (with direct quotes and referencing the corresponding paragraphs).
Making anti-corruption a cross-cutting priority:
We urged governments to recognise anti-corruption as essential to closing the financing gap, mobilising funds and ensuring these go to where it’s needed. For this, we need to decisively combat illicit financial flows (IFFs) and eliminate tax havens. The document states that governments will:
- “commit to eradicate all forms of corruption at all levels, address financial integrity, and integrate anti-corruption as cross-cutting issues to enhance public sector integrity and public trust, reduce inequalities, ensure fair domestic resource allocation and increase private investments and economic growth. We will prevent and combat illicit financial flows and corruption, and call on the international community to support anti-corruption capacity-building efforts and promote the exchange of best practices.” (13)
- To combat illicit financial flows, states will have to adopt “robust measures to prevent and combat tax evasion, illicit financial flows and corruption.” (26) Paragraph 29 further indicates that governments will “effectively regulate professional service providers (…) at the national level and enhance international cooperation to curb IFFs and other illicit financial activities”; “promote measures to eliminate safe havens, aggressive tax practices, and loopholes that create incentives for illicit financial flows”; “commit to take effective steps to prevent IFF from entering our jurisdictions” and to “strengthen the capacity of customs administrations for the detection of IFFs at the borders.”
Fully implement and leverage the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC):
- We called on governments to fully implement the provisions contained in the UNCAC. Of paramount importance in the coming months is to build an improved, more transparent, effective, and efficient UNCAC Implementation Review Mechanism in its next phase, to assist states in preventing and combating corruption. On this matter, the document promises:
- “We commit to full and effective implementation and enforcement of existing obligations under the UNCAC including by supporting a transparent, inclusive, and efficient Mechanism for the Review of the Implementation of the UNCAC to assist State Parties to the UNCAC in preventing and combatting corruption. Furthermore, we commit to scale up technical assistance and exchange of best practices for the implementation of the UNCAC upon request.” (29)
- “We will strengthen measures to curb corrupt borrowing and lending, including by enhancing domestic legal frameworks as appropriate, including clarifications regarding the authority to borrow, and fully utilising UNCAC and its Conference of the State Parties to explore options to make such contracts unenforceable.” (48)
Improving transparency and use of data:
- We called on UN member states to increase transparency in public financial management, including budgets and public procurement, debt, climate policies, international cooperation, and to build policies sustained in open, inclusive data. We also called for enhancing transparency in beneficial ownership of private entities. The document states in particular:
- “We will promote budget transparency and accountability, including by implementing transparent data-driven procurement systems, enhancing oversight and ensuring strengthened, resourced, independent and professional supreme audit institutions and parliamentary oversight or equivalent bodies”. (27)
- “We commit to enhance beneficial ownership transparency and cooperation on exchange of beneficial ownership information. We will implement effective domestic beneficial ownership registries with high-quality and standardised information”; “We will enhance mechanisms for information exchange among national beneficial ownership registries and consider the feasibility and utility of a global beneficial ownership registry”. (28)
- “We also stress the importance of transparency in climate finance reporting.” (41)
- “We urge the streamlining and consolidation of existing debt databases into a single global central debt data registry, housed in the World Bank, to harmonise and strengthen debt data reporting, enhance debt transparency, and reduce reporting burdens (…). We encourage borrowing countries as well as bilateral, multilateral and private creditors to improve debt disclosure and data sharing” (48)
- “We encourage the promotion of open, interoperable data platforms and standards to improve data sharing and accessibility”. (64)
Recovering stolen assets:
- Corruption hits hardest in the communities that can least afford it. That’s why it is vital to boost the recovery and return of stolen assets to the countries and communities of origin – quickly and transparently. The document outlines:
- “We commit to ensure that assets confiscated pursuant to UNCAC are returned to countries of origin, in accordance with the provisions of UNCAC, and are used transparently. We resolve to further enhance practices for asset recovery and return through strengthened international cooperation (…) capacity-building initiatives, and exchange of expertise, and to improve efficiency of asset recovery and return, including through the biennial international expert meetings on asset return and the 2030 Agenda (Addis process)”; “We will strengthen international cooperation in asset recovery including through the Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR), a joint initiative of UNODC and the World Bank.” (29)
Civil society participation:
We argue that systematic civil society participation in anti-corruption efforts, and in policy-making in all areas, greatly contributes to safeguarding development funds and improving governance. The document asserts that states:
- “will support the role that the media and civil society play in fairly, transparently and ethically exposing IFFs.” (29)
Looking ahead: promises made, action needed
While the FfD4 outcome document is not legally binding, it lays out a direction that now requires concrete action and practical measures. This week in Sevilla, the UNCAC Coalition and partner organisations will be calling on governments to implement the final document and make it truly operational, so its impact can be felt on the ground. We will continue to push for stronger anti-corruption frameworks and deeper, and more meaningful civil society participation.
