Strengthening national data and statistical systems for sustainable financing
Timely and granular data and statistics are vital for informed sustainable financing decision making, yet there are substantial gaps in availability of information, particularly in the global south.
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) was held in Seville, Spain, from June 30 to July 3, 2025. The conference centered on fostering new solutions and international collaboration to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to boost sustainable investment, address debt challenges, and elevate developing countries' role in global finance. The FfD4 outcome document the Sevilla Commitment or Compromiso de Sevilla provides a framework for commitments and follow up actions key outcome. The need for better data and statistics is mentioned across the Commitment and several references are made to support strengthening of national data and statistical systems.
Following up on data commitments
To help operationalize the Sevilla Commitment, several Sevilla Platform for Action (SPA) were established. One of these SPAs, the ‘FfD4 and the Future of Data: Strengthening Systems for Sustainable Financing’ is centered around how the commitment to strengthen national data and statistical systems can be operationalized. It is co-led by Norway, Colombia and the United Kingdom and over 20 countries and international partners have already endorsed it. Many more have engaged in the process.
Recommendations for implementation
Building on the collective experience and expertise of its members, the initiative over the course of a few months jointly developed a set of recommendations with concrete options for implementation, the four recommendations are:
- Consider data and statistics as a public good
- Improve national data and statistics system coordination
- Strengthen data governance and innovation
- Invest in national data and statistics capacity
The four recommendations are accompanied with a set of implementation options, some which can be implemented relatively easily and others that may require more time and resources. A number of examples and stories are also provided to showcase concretely how data and statistics make a difference in different settings and contexts relevant to the Financing for development agenda.
The recommendations will be presented at the 2026 Financing for Development Forum. The goal is that countries and partners will change approaches and subsequently improve availability of relevant and timely national data and statistics.
Get Involved!
Endorsement of this initiative is still open to countries and organizations interested in contributing to the objectives of the SPA. Endorsements should come from a high-level official engaged in the FfD process and can be sent to one of the three co-leads (Norway, Colombia, or the United Kingdom).