Seville – “We call for a revision of global financing conditions that ensures alignment with national priorities and enables access to stable, long-term funding to support key sectors such as sustainable and resilient agriculture, water security, healthcare, and the digital and energy transitions,” said Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri, in her address on Tuesday at the 4th United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), held in Seville, Spain, from June 30 to July 1, 2025.

 

Zenzri emphasised the need to redefine the role of international financial institutions. “We must move away from a system in which certain policies are imposed on countries and toward one rooted in genuine partnerships that support national development programs,” she said.

 

She reiterated Tunisia’s firm belief that equitable access to financing is a legitimate right for countries of the Global South, highlighting Tunisia’s adoption of an ambitious national strategy to expand financing sources. In this context, she proposed a new global financing approach—one that includes greater flexibility in the allocation of international funding, clear and objective eligibility criteria tailored to the realities of developing countries, relaxed lending conditions, and the creation of a unified platform under United Nations oversight to coordinate financial and technical assistance across sectors.

 

The Prime Minister also called for the establishment of a new financial pact for Africa—one that would enable countries across the continent to secure direct and adequate financing for their development programs. She stressed that African nations are disproportionately affected by climate-related challenges—largely driven by industrialized nations—which in turn threaten the continent’s economic, financial, and social stability.

 

Zenzri further addressed the challenges developing countries face in mobilizing financing for reform. “Access to funding remains limited due to the rising cost of capital,” she said. “For Tunisia, as for many others, the burden of debt servicing weighs heavily on the national budget, restricting our ability to invest in essential sectors such as education, health, environmental protection, and infrastructure.”

 

On the issue of recovering stolen assets, the Prime Minister called for the adoption of a robust and binding international framework to expedite the return of misappropriated funds. “These are not merely financial sums frozen in bank accounts—they are resources vital to securing the future of coming generations,” she said.

 

Tunisia views this issue as a sovereign right of its people—one it cannot forgo. Yet, she noted, the complexity of international legal procedures has so far hindered tangible progress in this domain.

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