News

Sevilla, Spain – July 3, 2025. The Secretary-General of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Ambassador Noemí Espinoza Madrid, participated in the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), held from June 30 to July 3, 2025, in Sevilla, Spain. Her address during the Sixth Plenary Meeting marked a key moment to highlight the challenges and proposals of the Greater Caribbean within the international financial architecture.

In her speech, the Secretary-General stated: “The Greater Caribbean is not on the margins of global challenges. It is not a periphery. It is a region deeply interlinked with the crises and opportunities of our time—and ready to exercise responsible leadership in crafting solutions.”

In this regard, she reaffirmed the ACS’s commitment to a fairer, more resilient, and inclusive development model, grounded in respect for collective sovereignty and an authentic voice in global debates. She further stressed the urgency of renewing multilateralism to center people, recognize differences, and strengthen the shared commitment to the common good.

Ambassador Espinoza Madrid emphasized the importance of acknowledging the high vulnerability of Greater Caribbean countries to climate crises—a vulnerability that was not unilaterally created and, therefore, cannot and should not be addressed in isolation. She also highlighted the urgency of accelerating women’s leadership, ensuring that women have a voice in decisions about how and for what purpose development resources are allocated.

Strategic Participation in Side Events

As part of her agenda in Seville, ACS Secretary-General took part in several side events that addressed crucial topics for the development of the Greater Caribbean:

• Translating FfD4 Ambition into Action on the Ground
This session discussed the urgent need to strengthen financing mechanisms to ensure more effective cooperation aligned with the Seville Commitment. The ACS reaffirmed its role as a key regional mechanism to guarantee that international cooperation yields tangible results and transforms lives in the Greater Caribbean.

• Financing Women for a Fair Future: Alternatives to Retool Development and Reform Finance from a Women's Rights Perspective
ACS Secretary-General called for the empowerment and investment in Caribbean women as a critical condition for achieving a fair and sustainable future. From a South–South cooperation perspective, the ACS reiterated its commitment to advancing solutions that place substantive equality at the core of its actions.

• Measuring Development and its Implications for International Development Cooperation: Challenges for Middle-Income Countries
Alongside ECLAC and Member States, the ACS participated in a dialogue on rethinking how development is measured to better reflect the diversity of national contexts. The Secretary-General advocated for approaches that integrate people’s well-being, states’ capacity to guarantee human rights, and the protection of the planet.

• Youth Moving Beyond GDP: Intergenerational Equity to Finance
At this event, the Secretary-General stressed the importance of incorporating the transformative leadership of young people—especially young women—in the design of new tools to measure development in a more inclusive way, aligned with the future we aspire to build.

Key Bilateral Meetings on the Sidelines of FfD4

During the conference, the Secretary-General held strategic bilateral meetings that further position the ACS as a regional platform for consensus-building:

• With the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Ambassador Elmer Schialer, discussions focused on opportunities to deepen Peru’s engagement as an Observer State of the ACS. Both authorities agreed on the strategic potential of the Andean country in key areas for the Greater Caribbean, such as food security, technical cooperation, and trade facilitation.

• With Mr. Waleed Al-Bahar, Acting Director General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and current Deputy Director General for Operations, both parties reaffirmed their mutual interest in strengthening cooperation ties, with a focus on initiatives that generate tangible impact for the people of the Greater Caribbean.

• With Ms. Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir, Director of the OECD Development Centre, and Mr. Sebastián Nieto Parra, Head for Latin America and the Caribbean, discussions explored synergies to build a strategic alliance between the ACS and the OECD. The meeting laid the foundation for collaboration aimed at promoting resilience, inclusion, and sustainable development in the region.

• With Mr. Antón Leis García, Director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), both parties reaffirmed their shared interest in strengthening joint work in the Greater Caribbean, especially through the revitalization of the ACS and the development of specific high-impact projects. The meeting highlighted their mutual commitment to equality, non-discrimination, and respect for human rights, as well as the importance of cultural ties between both regions.

A Region That Proposes Solutions

The participation of the ACS in the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to transforming the global financial architecture from a regional, inclusive, and solidarity-based perspective.

The voice of the Greater Caribbean was present through concrete proposals, strategic partnerships, and a firm call to build a people-centered multilateralism—one that acknowledges vulnerabilities without reinforcing inequalities, and that champions sustainable, fair, and locally-led solutions.