Event

FfD4 side event: Aligning private business and finance with sustainable development

The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) comes at a critical moment for global development. As global intersecting crises – from climate change to economic and geopolitical instability –  are widening development gaps, the private sector’s role has become more crucial.

It is in the interest of UN Member States to create a more coherent and predictable environment for private sector engagement that supports long-term stability and sustainable economic development. Building on the 2024 Pact for the Future, including Action 55C, FfD4 offers a timely opportunity to redefine how businesses contribute to and are held accountable within global development frameworks.

Event summary

  • Date: Thursday 3rd July 2025
  • Time: 8.30-10.00am CET
  • Location: Side Event Room 19, FIBES Centre, Seville
  • Format: This is an in-person event, that people registered to attend the FfD4 conference at the FIBES Centre in Seville can attend.

Session objectives

  • Define pathways for strengthening global business norms in alignment with the implementation of key UN frameworks, leveraging the ambition of paragraph 29 of the draft outcome document for FfD4 
  • Assess the institutional role of the UN and its Member States in create a more coherent approach to private sector engagement and accountability, in context of Action 55C of the Pact for the Future and the broader UN80 reforms 
  • Foster a shared understanding across stakeholders of the need for a whole-of-society approach that positions the private sector not only as a contributor, but as an accountable partner in shaping and upholding multilateral goals. 

Panelists

Moderator: Pauliina Murphy, Engagement and Communications Director, World Benchmarking Alliance

Opening remarks & framing

  • Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development, UN DESA
  • Gerbrand Haverkamp, Executive Director, World Benchmarking Alliance 

Panel 1:

  • Hendrik Garcia, Minister, Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the UN in New York
  • Franco Piza, Corporate Director of Sustainability, Bancolombia
  • Liesel van Ast, Deputy Head, UNEP-FI
  • María José Naranjo, Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Bancoldex
  • Sebnem Sener, Head of Private Finance for the SDGs, United Nations Development Programme

Panel 2: 

  • Angus Rennie, Senior Manager Partnerships, UN Global Compact
  • Julius Cainglet, Vice President for Research, Advocacy and Partnerships of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) 
  • Evelyne Serro, Senior Manager – Sustainability, Safaricom
  • Cristina Gil White, Chief Engagement Officer, Global Reporting Initiative
  • Prof. Jorge A. Pérez-Pineda, Associate Professor, University of Madrid
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