Domestic Revenue Mobilisation at the heart of Sustainable Development: the Seville Declaration
Through three landmark International Conferences, the United Nations (UN) Financing for Development (FFD) process has established a dynamic global framework for development finance strategies and commitments, fostering collaboration among countries to address the evolving challenges of sustainable development.
The Third Conference (FfD3) in Addis Ababa in 2015 culminated in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA), which laid out a comprehensive roadmap for development finance, with a strong focus on the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Domestic Revenue Mobilisation (DRM). In this context, the Addis Tax Initiative (ATI) emerged as a multi-stakeholder partnership dedicated to promoting fair and effective DRM and strengthening the social contract.
Since its launch, the ATI has driven political momentum for DRM, advancing the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and fostering cooperation among development partners, partner countries, and supporting organisations to strengthen tax systems and bolster the financing of sustainable development.
A decade after FfD3, the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) will take place from June 30 to July 3, 2025, in Sevilla.
During the conference, world leaders will be forging a renewed global financing framework to unlock greater volumes of capital at lower costs, aiming to deliver a substantial SDG investment push and enable the transformative change that the world urgently needs.
Within this context, ATI members have reaffirmed their commitment to scaling up efforts in DRM by introducing the “Seville Declaration on Domestic Revenue Mobilisation.” This new initiative seeks to mobilise the international community to strengthen tax systems in support of the SDGs.
The Declaration outlines four actions to advance fair and effective DRM, foster policy coherence, and reinforce the social contract through collaborative partnerships and knowledge-sharing.
To mark this milestone, the ATI is hosting a high-level side event at the FfD4 in Sevilla. Co-hosted by the South Centre, Germany, and Nigeria, the event will introduce the Seville Declaration, explore its actions, and invite endorsements from countries and stakeholders, including both ATI and non-ATI members.
The event will gather policymakers, representatives of international organisations, civil society, and other FfD4 participants to discuss how to further evolve collective action to advance DRM in developing countries.
