ILO Leads Global Call for Social Justice and Decent Work at FfD4 in Seville

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has reinforced its leadership in shaping a global agenda rooted in social justice, decent work, and inclusive financing with a commanding presence at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), held in Seville, Spain. ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo and Deputy Director-General Laura Thompson spearheaded a high-level delegation whose engagement at the conference laid critical groundwork for the upcoming Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2) in Doha, Qatar this November.

The event marked a significant step in the global movement to restructure financial systems around equity, sustainability, and resilience, particularly in the wake of escalating inequalities, climate-related shocks, and the fallout of successive global crises.

A New Social Contract for a Changing World

The highlight of Houngbo’s participation was the high-level special event “From Seville to Doha: Financing Inclusive and Sustainable Social Development”, co-organized by the ILO alongside the Governments of Spain and Qatar, and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). The forum brought together Heads of State, Ministers of Finance and Social Affairs, multilateral financial institutions, and global civil society organizations.

In his keynote address, Director-General Houngbo stressed the need for a renewed global social contract that places people at the center of fiscal and economic strategies.

“Social protection systems and decent employment do not just promote dignity and stability; they are productive investments in sustainable development,” he stated.

At a joint press conference with Spain’s Minister of Labour and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, Houngbo reiterated the urgency of embedding empathy, fairness, and multilateralism in the global economic system—a message that echoed throughout the conference.

Launch of the Seville Platform for Financing Social Protection

A key achievement of the conference was the launch of the Seville Platform for the Financing of Social Protection, a flagship ILO initiative designed to support countries in crafting tailored financing strategies to increase social protection coverage by at least two percentage points annually, aligned with SDG indicator 1.3.1.

The platform aims to operationalize the goals of the newly adopted Seville Commitment, which calls for universal and sustainable social protection, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. It serves as both a policy framework and a technical tool for governments to align domestic resource mobilization with their social development priorities.

High-Level Roundtables and Strategic Dialogues

The ILO further demonstrated its convening power by organizing and moderating a multistakeholder roundtable focused on mobilizing and aligning domestic public resources for sustainable development. The session included:

• Heads of State and Government

• Ministers of Finance and Foreign Affairs

• Leaders from multilateral development banks

Discussions centered on tax justice, public financial management, and aligning national budgets with inclusive employment, social protection, and climate resilience objectives.

Advocacy for Indigenous Rights and Care Economies

The ILO’s Office for Spain played a pivotal role in facilitating technical dialogues throughout FfD4. Highlights included:

• “The Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Renewed Global Financial Framework”, co-organized with the World Bank and FILAC, where Office Director Félix Peinado emphasized the necessity of integrating indigenous rights into global financing mechanisms.

• “Investing in Care for Equality and Prosperity”, featuring Technical Adviser Sara López, focused on building gender-responsive social protection and strengthening national care systems as essential drivers of social and economic development.

Technical Expertise and UN Collaboration

ILO experts from its Spain office and the Geneva-based Social Protection Department contributed to multiple side events addressing:

• Equitable fiscal reforms

• Decent work promotion

• Cross-agency cooperation within the UN development system

Their involvement highlighted the ILO’s role as a technical reference point for governments and international partners seeking practical pathways toward inclusive growth and financial fairness.

Seville Commitment and Road to Doha

The conference concluded with the formal adoption of the Seville Commitment, an ambitious agreement aimed at expanding global social protection coverage. In her address to the plenary, Laura Thompson, ILO Deputy Director-General for External and Corporate Relations, emphasized the need to reform global financial architecture to ensure alignment between macroeconomic policy, employment generation, and fundamental rights.

With eyes now set on the Doha Summit in November, the ILO reaffirmed its role as a driving force in rethinking how the world finances development—anchored not in austerity, but in people-centred policies that prioritize inclusion, fairness, and resilience.

“We must reshape our financial systems to serve people—not the other way around,” Houngbo concluded.

Looking Ahead: Toward Equitable Global Financing Systems

The ILO’s robust participation at FfD4 signals a deeper commitment to leading global discussions on social financing, particularly at a time when intersecting crises are widening inequality and undermining development progress. As a founding institution in the global development framework, the ILO continues to champion initiatives that prioritize decent work, universal social protection, and just transitions—cornerstones of a fairer, more sustainable global economy.