Everyone, everywhere, should have access to quality healthcare, but many countries lack the public financing to make that a reality. That is why Wemos urges European governments to support fair, systemic reforms in global finance as they prepare for the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). The conference, set to take place in Seville (Spain) from 30 June to 3 July, will define how countries mobilize and govern public resources for the next decade.
In our new advocacy brief, we highlight how urgent reforms in debt, tax, and international cooperation are essential to enable governments, especially in low- and lower-middle-income countries, to invest in strong public health systems and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
FfD4: a unique opportunity to close the financing gaps
FfD4 will bring together world leaders to agree on a global financing framework to support sustainable development. The conference is an important opportunity to commit to new reforms in the international financial architecture and curb the current rules and practices that are failing lower-income countries. Debt burdens, tax abuse, and shrinking international support are eroding the ability of governments to provide essential services like health, education and social protection.
Today, 4.5 billion people lack access to essential health services, and 2 billion people face financial hardship due to health expenses. In more than half of the countries in debt crisis, debt servicing takes up more than twice the spending on health. Meanwhile, an estimated USD 492 billion is lost each year to tax avoidance, mostly enabled by financial systems in high-income countries. And in 2024 alone, official development assistance fell by 7.1%, undermining support for health, education, and poverty reduction.
These results in underfunded health systems and growing inequality, while countries are locked in a cycle of unsustainable debt.
Time for a transformative agenda
Wemos joins the Civil Society Mechanism for FfD4 in asking governments to support systemic reforms under the auspices of the United Nations. It is the only forum where all countries, rich or poor, vote on equal footing and that has the mandate to protect and promote the well-being of all people on this planet.
