Reimagining Development Finance: PVBLIC and DBRP at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4)
- pvblic
- 4 days ago
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SEVILLA, SPAIN | June 30 – July 3, 2025
At a time of global uncertainty—marked by compounding climate shocks, rising inequality, and fragile institutions—the call to reimagine how the world finances development has never been more urgent.
The recent Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), held in Seville, Spain, from June 30 to July 3, brought together governments, development banks, multilateral agencies, and civil society to reshape the global financial architecture. In the midst of these pivotal conversations, PVBLIC Foundation and the Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity (DBRP) emerged as key conveners, advocates, and architects of a new approach to finance—one that prioritizes resilience, nature, and fairness.
Across four high-level engagements and one global broadcast, PVBLIC and DBRP introduced tools, platforms, and frameworks that position vulnerable economies not as passive recipients of aid but as powerful agents of innovation and systemic change.
Day 1 | June 30, 2025
High-Level Dialogue: Reimagining Development Finance – A New Architecture for Vulnerable Economies and Natural Capital
The week opened with a bold conversation that set the tone for FFD4: What would it take to replace outdated financial systems with ones built for today's challenges?
Moderated by global development leaders, this session featured powerful interventions from Ambassador Aubrey Webson (Antigua and Barbuda), Ambassador Va’inga Tone (Tonga), and Dr. Gene Leon, former President of the Caribbean Development Bank and Executive Director of the Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity (DBRP). Their message was clear: the existing financial system is outdated, inequitable, and insufficient to meet the needs of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
“We are not here to reform the system. We are here to build a better one,” said Dr. Leon.
“SIDS are tired of being labelled too small to matter. That narrative must end,” added Ambassador Webson.
The Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity (DBRP) was presented as a new kind of multilateral development institution—built by and for the most vulnerable. With a focus on natural capital, data-driven finance, and regenerative investment, the DBRP offers a concrete pathway to turn ambition into architecture.
Scaling SDG Impact – Networking Reception
That evening, PVBLIC Foundation and the Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity (DBRP) co-hosted a high-level networking reception alongside the UN Joint SDG Fund, the UN Global Compact, and the SDG Investment Fair. Designed to foster new partnerships between public and private finance, the reception brought together family offices, development finance institutions, UN agencies, and government delegations.
The gathering provided a space for leaders to explore blended finance models, nature-based investment strategies, and future collaborations that move beyond fragmented efforts and toward systemic coordination.
Day 2 | July 1, 2025
Launch of the Global Climate Hub Report
On the second day, PVBLIC Foundation, in collaboration with the Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria (AE4RIA) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), launched the Global Climate Hub Report, introducing new tools to support countries in meeting their environmental neutrality commitments.
Through a moderated panel, speakers from the Kingdom of Tonga, the Caribbean, and key institutions shared how evidence-based decision support, natural capital accounting, and regional data ecosystems are essential to ensuring climate financing reaches the communities who need it most.
“This moment is not about incremental change,” said Dr. Gene Leon, DBRP Executive Director. “It’s about rewiring the system before cascading shocks become permanent decline.”
Key themes included:
Using integrated coastal resilience systems and blue carbon credits as tools for economic planning.
Valuing mangroves, coral reefs, and ecosystems as bankable assets.
Leveraging the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) to guide concessional finance.
The DBRP was highlighted as a flagship institution that aligns scientific evidence with financing mechanisms, bridging the gap between local priorities and global climate goals.
Day 3 | July 2, 2025
Breakfast Dialogue: Beyond Projects, Towards Prosperity
On July 2, PVBLIC Foundation, the Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity (DBRP), and the UN Joint SDG Fund convened a dynamic closed-door dialogue with leaders from multilateral development banks, UN agencies, and SIDS governments to explore how to finance prosperity, not just projects.
In his opening remarks, Sergio Fernández de Córdova, Executive Chairman of PVBLIC Foundation, set the tone for this convening:
“We are here not to admire the problem, but to build the infrastructure of transformation. Projects are no longer enough. We need whole-of-system solutions.”
Ambassador Aubrey Webson, Permanent Representative of the Mission of Antigua and Barbuda, delivered a powerful call to action grounded in the ABAS (Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS):
“We do not need more piecemeal projects. We need a paradigm shift, one rooted in justice, equity, and sustainability.”
Ambassador Tone of Tonga emphasized the need for financial institutions to value resilience, not just risk:
“The DBRP must meet us on our terms, not after months of delay. For us, this is not a luxury. It is a lifeline.”
Speakers advocated for the Debt Sustainability Support Service (DSSS), new partnerships, and integrated investment platforms to build lasting prosperity, particularly for the nations most exposed to global shocks.
Day 4 | July 3, 2025
UN Web TV Global Broadcast: The DBRP as a Flagship Initiative of the Sevilla Platform for Action
In a moment of global visibility, the Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity (DBRP) was presented as one of the flagship initiatives of the Sevilla Platform for Action, the final outcome of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4).
The session outlined the DBRP’s core mission: to transform development finance by embedding natural capital, resilience metrics, and SIDS leadership into the heart of a new financial architecture.
“If we can collateralize factories, why not coral reefs?” asked Dr. Leon. “Nature is not a backdrop. It is our balance sheet.”
This broadcast formalized the bank’s positioning as a model for the future, a new multilateral development bank committed to fairness, environmental integrity, and regional ownership. Watch the full session via UN Web TV and explore how DBRP is helping to reimagine the future of global finance.
Throughout FFD4, PVBLIC Foundation and the Development Bank for Resilient Prosperity (DBRP) played a leading role in shaping the discourse around a renewed vision for development finance—one that is grounded in equity, sustainability, and systemic resilience.
Across each engagement, PVBLIC and the DBRP underscored the urgency of moving from fragmented, project-based interventions to integrated financial strategies that reflect the true value of nature, the lived realities of vulnerable economies, and the imperative of long-term prosperity.
Together, they presented a forward-looking blueprint for development finance, one in which:
Natural ecosystems are recognized and leveraged as strategic economic assets.
Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries are not recipients, but co-architects of global financial solutions.
Progress is measured not only by economic outputs but by durable and inclusive outcomes.
The message resonated during the Conference and aligned closely with the principles enshrined in the Compromiso de Sevilla, which calls for a transition beyond GDP-centric models and toward inclusive, resilient, and nature-positive financial systems.
This collective vision was powerfully articulated by PVBLIC’s Executive Chairman Sergio Fernández de Córdova, during his closing remarks at the Breakfast Dialogue on July 2:
“Let us rise to this moment—and let us rise together.”
More than a statement, it served as a collective call to action, urging governments, institutions, and financial actors to collaborate in shaping a new global financial architecture that delivers resilient prosperity for all.
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