22 October 2014: The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) briefed UN Member States on funding requirements for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD), with a focus on the FfD Trust Fund, and recalled the invitation in UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 68/279 for Member States and other donors to contribute to the trust fund to support the participation of representatives from developing countries, including LDCs, in the conference. The briefing took place on 22 October 2014, in New York, US.

The FfD Conference will convene in July 2015, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Informal consultations in preparation for the Conference began on 17 October 2014.

A DESA representative said additional, voluntary funding for the conference is needed in three areas: to ensure the participation of government representatives, civil society, academia and the private sector from developing countries; to fund the preparation of background and policy papers for the substantive discussions, which will inform and build upon the informal sessions and interactive hearings with stakeholders; and to support communication and outreach for the conference, in order to raise awareness and mobilize political support.

Preparatory consultations for the third International Conference on FfD will take place on 10-13 November 2014, 9-11 December 2014, and either 12 December 2014 or 14 January 2015. They will be followed by drafting sessions for the outcome document, on 27-29 January 2015, 13-17 April 2015, and 15-19 June 2015. [IISD RS Sources] [FfD Website]