Monday, June 30, 2025
Surging women’s employment by 5% before 2030 in the Arab States
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. CET | Side event room 16
Organized by: UN Women in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank and representatives of governments and the private sector.
This official side event will discuss strategies to boost women's labour force participation through innovative financing, focusing on successful examples. Pioneers of women’s employment in the Middle East will present this flagship initiative aimed at increasing women's employment by 5% in the green, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and care-economy sectors by 2030, which represent unique economic growth opportunities in the Arab States region.
Financing care to fulfill the SDGs: A Global South agenda from Sevilla to 2030
5:30 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. CET | Care Pavilion, Pl. del Triunfo, 1, Casco Antiguo
Organized by: IDRC, Southern Voice, Grupo de Análisis para el Desarrollo, Oxfam, Red de Género y Comercio, UN Research Institute for Social Development, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, UN Women, the Ministry of Social Development of Brazil, the Government of Canada, and the Global Alliance for Care
This Care Pavilion event aims to advance concrete commitments for financing care systems, aligning with Global South calls for reforms in debt management, taxation, climate finance and social protection. Rooted in feminist Global South research and momentum from meetings during the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the event brings together a coalition advocating for care-centred development and international cooperation, with plans to continue the discussion during the next G20 summit in South Africa and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil. The event will be followed by a reception to officially launch the Care Pavillion.
Read the full concept note: Financing care to fulfill the SDGs: a Global South agenda from Seville to 2030
Tuesday July 1, 2025
Impact-driven business models and innovations: Building resilient impact economies in times of global turmoil
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CET | Side event room 9
Organized by: GSG Impact, Spain NAB-Consejo Asesor para la Inversión de Impacto, Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo, IDRC, the Spanish Development Finance Institution (COFIDES)
This event explores how to intentionally build impact economies — local ecosystems where businesses, investors and policy align to drive social, environmental and financial outcomes. Co-led by IDRC partner GSG Impact and its partners across 46 countries, the session will spotlight innovations in catalytic capital, impact policy and financing for small and medium-sized enterprises, with a focus on lessons from the Global South. A high-level dialogue will explore the role of blended finance, transparency standards and public policy in shaping sustainable, inclusive economies.
Financing care systems for gender equality and economic prosperity: A multistakeholder approach
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CET | Side event room 3
Organized by: UN Women, the Government of Spain, the Government of Chile, the Government of Brazil, the Government of Mexico, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, Oxfam, the Global Alliance for Care and IDRC
This side event will position public investment in care systems — policies, services and infrastructure — as essential to redefining the global financing framework. By showcasing the social and economic returns of care investment and sharing practical financing mechanisms, the event aims to advance progressive tax reform and gender-responsive public finance. It will highlight innovative practices, foster cross-sector collaboration and generate actionable recommendations to integrate care into national and international financing strategies.
Wednesday July 2, 2025
Strengthening climate financing in developing countries: Lessons learned from Latin America and South Africa
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CET | Side event room 5
Organized by: Red Latinoamericana por Justicia Económica y Social, the South American Network on Applied Economics (Red Sur), the Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada and the Instituto de Economia da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
This session will bring together government officials, experts and researchers to share recent experiences from Latin America and Africa, examining barriers to scaling equitable climate finance — including gender-blind approaches. It will identify actionable solutions to align climate finance with gender equality and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, while linking these priorities to the broader agendas of the Financing for Development and UN climate change conferences.
Thursday July 3, 2025
Youth moving beyond GDP: Intergenerational equity to finance what we value
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. CET | Side event room 13
Organized by: Beyond Lab, the UN Office at Geneva, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Government of Zambia, the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the International Institute for Sustainable Development, in partnership with the UN Youth Office, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and IDRC
This session will launch the Youth Network for Beyond GDP, a new platform to amplify youth voices in economic policymaking and support the development of indicators that reflect wellbeing, equity and sustainability. It will feature the first interactive dialogue between youth, high-level experts and UN member states, offering real-time inputs to policy processes and ensuring intergenerational perspectives are embedded in the shift toward metrics that go beyond the gross domestic product (GDP).