Flagship Governors Seminar
“Challenges for Financing Sustainable Development for the Global South”
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
July 04, 2025
Recent shifts in the global landscape have intensified development challenges for the Global South. Most critically, the international order and governance founded on multilateralism, equality, and openness are now undermined by unilateralism, hegemonism, and protectionism. Geopolitical conflicts are destabilizing the foundations of peace and development; global trade and financial systems are increasingly weaponized; technology and innovation cooperation face growing barriers due to overly broadened security concerns; and climate disasters intensify as decarbonization efforts stall—or even reverse—in some developed nations.
Against this backdrop, the Global South continues to grapple with insufficient development financing. Elevated hard currency interest rates and tightening global financial conditions have not only increased the region’s debt burden but also further constrained access to affordable capital. Simultaneously, private investors have grown more risk-averse amid financial volatility, reducing commitments to developing economies. Established multilateral development institutions, meanwhile, have yet to accelerate reforms, limiting their capacity to amplify development impact. Advanced economies’ actual development assistance continues to fall short of commitments, often accompanied by heightened political conditionalities. Compounding these challenges, domestic efforts within developing countries to remove investment bottlenecks remain inadequate, hindering the full mobilization of local financial resources.
In this context, the NDB Flagship Governors Seminar examined the sustainable development financing challenges confronting the Global South and propose targeted solutions. It shed light on the joint actions needed to advance international financial architecture reforms, discuss innovative approaches to mobilize private investment, and propose concrete measures to strengthen global development cooperation. Further, it discussed the role of NDB in these areas, allowing the Bank to make greater contributions to the sustainable development of the Global South in the future.
Venue: Rio de Janeiro I+II Rooms, Fairmont Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date: July 04, 2025
Time: 11:30-13:00
| Agenda | |
| 11:30-11:35 | Opening Remarks by the Master of Ceremony
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| 11:35-12:05 | Keynote Speeches
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| 12:05-12:55 | Panel Discussion Moderated by the Master of Ceremony
First round: General remarks on the seminar theme by the Governors/Alternate Governors;
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| 12:55-13:00 | Concluding Remarks by the Master of Ceremony
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