7 October 2025 | 15:00-16:15 CET
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With major donors reducing development aid, the global development community is under pressure to do more with less. The OECD projects a 9–17% drop in official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, following a 9% decline in 2024, driven largely by cuts from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Meanwhile, youth, particularly in Africa, face mounting challenges including limited job opportunities, weak labour protections and rising poverty.
This webinar, organized by the Donor Platform's Thematic Working Group on Rural Youth Employment (TWG RYE), will explore how emerging financing mechanisms can contribute to youth employment creation. Speakers will examine the comparative advantage of new financing schemes such as green bonds, green loans, climate funds and carbon credits, with particular attention to their potential impact on youth.
| Provisional Agenda | |
|---|---|
| 15:00 - 15:05 | Welcome and introduction Genna Tesdall, TWG RYE Co-Chair (Moderator) |
| 15:05 - 15:15 | Scene setting: Global Development Finance Trends
Savis Sadeghian, Senior Technical Specialist, Environment and Climate, IFAD |
| 15:15 – 15:55 | Innovation in Development Finance
Peter Umunay, Thematic Lead, Food Systems and Land Use, Global Environmental Facility (GEF) |
| 15:55 – 16:10 | Q&A |
| 16:10 – 16:15 | Wrap-up and Closing
TWG RYE Co-Chairs |
Photo credit: ©IFAD/Peter Caton
