Remarks at Informal dialogue with Member States on International Development Cooperation: Taking Forward the Sevilla Commitment

Delivered by Ms. Nigar Bayramli, Second Secretary

5 December 2025

Madame Chair,
Dear Colleagues,

I would like to start by thanking the distinguished panelists for their insightful remarks, which have provided valuable reflections to guide our discussion today. This dialogue comes at a defining moment for the international development cooperation system. The widening financing gap for the Sustainable Development Goals, together with overlapping climate, debt, and development challenges, demand innovative strategies to mobilize and align financial resources. In this context, the Sevilla Commitment provides a renewed and ambitious push for a fairer and more inclusive global financial system and strengthened development cooperation as a catalyst for sustainable growth.

On the role and purpose of development cooperation, Azerbaijan views cooperation not only as a vehicle for financial support, but as a platform for partnership and knowledge sharing. In this respect, effective cooperation should empower national systems, leverage local ownership, and mobilize both public and private actors toward shared development goals. Our national experience shows that integrated approaches, linking development planning with financing strategies, can optimize coordination and long-term impact.

On the allocation of scarce resources amid rising needs, we emphasize the importance of strategic prioritization and data-driven investment targeting. Instruments such as Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) and SDG investment mapping, which Azerbaijan has employed in its national context, can serve as useful models for enhancing the effectiveness of public expenditure and targeting resources toward sectors with strong development multipliers such as agriculture, sustainable transport, renewable energy, digital and trade infrastructure.

Successful development cooperation rests on strong institutions, accountability, and partnerships that extend beyond traditional donor-recipient models. In this regard, Azerbaijan is also emerging as a model for South-South cooperation showing that middle-income countries can lead with accountability and financial innovation. Over the past five years, Azerbaijan has expanded its development and humanitarian cooperation activities, particularly with Small Island Developing States and African partners, while supporting capacity-building initiatives through multilateral cooperation mechanisms. The Trust Fund established by the Government of Azerbaijan in partnership with UNDESA will further support institutional resilience, innovation, and capacity-building in developing nations.

As rightly stressed by Professor Klingebiel, we share the view that climate finance must be understood as an integral component of broader development finance. In our role as COP29 President, Azerbaijan remains committed to strengthening coherence between the two within the framework of the Sevilla Commitment. The implementation of the Baku Finance Goal and advancement of the “Baku to Belém Roadmap to 1.3 trillion” reflect ongoing efforts to ensure that scaled-up climate ambition is matched by accessible, predictable, and affordable finance for developing countries, especially those most vulnerable to climate impacts.

The Sevilla Commitment calls on all of us to respond to the estimated four-trillion-dollar annual financing gap not only with greater volumes of financing, but with smarter coordination, deeper partnerships, and more effective delivery. Azerbaijan remains committed to supporting reforms that strengthen development cooperation, mobilizing investment for sustainable growth and making the global financial architecture more inclusive and responsive.

Thank you.