Prime Minister Gaston Browne Attends Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, Spain

Prime Minister Gaston Browne Attends Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, Spain

 

SEVILLA, SPAIN – 29^th June 2025……Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Honourable Gaston Browne, is leading Antigua and Barbuda’s delegation to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), being held from 30 June to 3 July 2025 at the FIBES Sevilla Exhibition and Conference Centre in Sevilla, Spain.

The Prime Minister arrived in Sevilla on Sunday. During his four-day mission, Prime Minister Browne will actively participate in a series of high-level engagements focused on global financing, climate resilience, debt sustainability, and strategic partnerships for development.

On Monday, Prime Minister Browne will deliver the country statement during which he will call for urgent global financial reform to address the deep vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

He is also expected to call for the immediate implementation of the Debt Sustainability Support Service (DSSS)—a SIDS-led initiative launched through the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS)—to help unlock investment, reduce debt risk, and value climate resilience as a financial strength.

An advance copy of Prime Minister Browne’s remarks outlined a five-point plan, including adopting the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) and institutionalizing the SIDS Centre of Excellence. 

On Wednesday, 2 July, Prime Minister Browne will deliver the keynote address at a prominent side event titled “Financing Development in a Climate-Challenged World: Debt Sustainability Support Service (DSSS),” where he will highlight the importance of restructuring the global financial architecture to better serve Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and climate-vulnerable nations. The DSSS, a mechanism co-led by Antigua and Barbuda and the Maldives, is featured in the FFD4 outcome document, the Compromiso de Sevilla.

Prime Minister Browne is also expected to emphasize that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other climate-vulnerable countries face worsening debt crises due to unfair financial systems and climate shocks. It is also anticipated that he will  highlight the DSSS as a transformative mechanism developed under the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS).

The Antigua and Barbuda leader is expected to announce that the DSSS is moving into implementation, with foundational work completed, partners identified, and regional rollouts planned. 

In addition to participating in the Opening Plenary and General Debates, the Prime Minister is also confirmed to deliver a Special Address at Round Table 5: “Realizing a Development-Oriented Sovereign Debt Architecture” on Wednesday afternoon.

Throughout the conference, Prime Minister Browne will engage in several bilateral meetings with international partners including:

            •           The Director General of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

            •           The OPEC Fund

            •           H.E. Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain

            •           Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., Director of PAHO

            •           Ireland’s Minister for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond

 

These engagements will focus on scholarships, climate finance, regional resilience building, health cooperation and advancing the mental health awareness agenda, and deepening Antigua and Barbuda’s diplomatic relations.

The Antigua and Barbuda delegation to the Conference also includes Ambassador Aubrey Webson, the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations; Peter Abraham Jr., Debt Manager and Antigua and Barbuda’s Representative on the UN Loss and Damage Fund; and Claxton Duberry, Third Secretary at the Antigua and Barbuda Mission to the United Nations.

Prime Minister Browne will return to Antigua on Thursday, 3 July 2025, following his departure from Sevilla on Wednesday evening.

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