People-Led Accountability Framework for FfD4

This non-governmental initiative will complement governmental and UN monitoring mechanisms by tracking how effectively the FfD4 agreement and its commitments translate into actual development outcomes and financing flows for developing countries. When progress stalls, this effort can provide a basis for advocacy and action.

The draft outcome document of the FfD4 mandates the Inter-Agency Taskforce on FfD to propose progress indicators and suggests having biennial reviews at the ECOSOC FfD Forum. It encourages national Financing Action Reviews similar to voluntary SDG reviews. This people-led monitoring framework will serve as a vital civil society complement to these formal processes.

The last FfD outcome, the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda, taught us important lessons: simply ‘accounting’ for progress, or lack thereof, is insufficient to drive change. Real accountability requires establishing responsibility of relevant actors and identifying actions that need to be taken, and these can serve as a basis for advocacy. It also requires robust engagement from non-state actors to foster shared ownership and sustain progress toward commitments.

This initiative brings together a small consortium of diverse think tanks to create and implement a People-Led FfD4 Accountability Framework, which will:

• Develop a country level and global level results framework based on identifying what it will take to fulfill one or two of the most critical commitments and actions from the FfD4 outcome.
• Assess relevant data at national and global levels through constructive engagement between government and non-government actors, including civil society, academia, and the private sector.
• Produce a comprehensive People-Led FfD4 Accountability Framework Report every two years that highlights progress, identifies challenges, and outlines clear steps for action and advocacy.

Launched during the FfD4 conference in Seville as part of the Platform of Action, this work will focus on pilot countries and ensure representation across regions, with particular emphasis on Global South contexts where southern think tanks and civil society organizations play vital roles. The initiative will maintain strong connections with multilateral FfD processes while building on existing frameworks to maximize synergies and address data harmonization challenges. The initial focus will be on a few countries for proof of concept, with the plan to roll out to more countries.