Strengthening sovereign finance coordination in an Era of rising debt pressures

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 22 April 2026 - Amid rising global debt vulnerabilities, tightening financial conditions, and shrinking fiscal space across developing economies, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), through the Sustainable Debt Coalition (SDC) Secretariat and its Sub-regional Office for West Africa, will convene a High-Level Side Event titled "Coordinating Sovereign Finance in an Era of Global Debt Pressures."

The event will take place on Thursday, 30 April 2026, in Addis Ababa, on the margins of the Twelfth Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD 12).

The discussion comes at a critical moment, as many African economies are facing rising debt service burdens that are increasingly crowding out essential public investments in health, education, infrastructure, and climate resilience. At the same time, development and climate financing continue to grow, while access to affordable and predictable financing remains constrained.

The event will bring together Ministers of Finance, senior policymakers, international financial institutions, technical partners, and development stakeholders to advance more coherent and coordinated approaches to sovereign financing.

It will spotlight practical, country-led innovations under the Sustainable Debt Coalition, including ongoing debt-for-climate and social development swap initiatives being advanced with Senegal, The Gambia, and Ghana, in partnership with technical institutions such as Banking Without Borders and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). These initiatives demonstrate how structured debt solutions can simultaneously support fiscal sustainability, climate action, and social investment.

Discussions will also focus on strengthening coordination across sovereign financing coalitions and platforms, with a view to improving alignment between debt management strategies, development priorities, and climate commitments. In an increasingly fragmented global financial landscape, enhanced coordination is seen as essential to improving access to affordable capital and ensuring policy coherence.

Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: [email protected]