Ambassador Sheikh Belal Urges Justice-Driven Finance at FfD4 in Seville
Seville, Spain | 2 July 20025 — At the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), delivered a powerful plenary address calling for a fundamental shift in global finance—from fragmented pilot projects to justice-driven, systemic solutions rooted in local communities.
Speaking at a session that underscored the pivotal role of commodity-dependent economies, Ambassador Belal emphasized that commodities are not mere exports, but lifelines for over 3 billion smallholders and millions of SMEs worldwide.
“In Seville—where olive groves stretch centuries—we speak of smallholders, SMEs, and commodities. The hands harvesting Andalusian olives and those tending Sudanese sorghum share stories of exclusion,” he declared. “Geography differs, but injustice echoes. Unless we rewrite trade and finance rules—to value those at our food systems' roots—we'll repeat history. With more data... but less dignity.”
The CFC, based in Amsterdam, presented a bold agenda to reshape financial flows through its Agricultural Commodity Transformation (ACT) Fund, blending innovative technologies like blockchain and AI with impact finance to return value transaction-by-transaction—not as charity, but as restorative justice.
Ambassador Belal urged global leaders to support tools such as MIGA-like guarantee schemes, innovative insurance models, and foreign currency hedges—vital for empowering those often labelled “too small, too poor, too risky.”
“Be the force of doing good—by doing good,” he implored. “Our door is open. ACT now.”
He also welcomed the Seville Commitment as the most commodity-friendly outcome to date at a Financing for Development conference, linking value chains to dignified livelihoods across developing and least developed countries (LDcs).
The speech concluded with a rallying call:
“The hands that feed the world deserve more than survival. They deserve dignity, security, and a fair share of the value they create. This is not charity. This is justice. This is the foundation of sustainable development.”
About the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC):
The CFC is an intergovernmental financial institution based in Amsterdam, working in over 100 countries to support inclusive economic development through impact investing in commodity value chains.
📍 Event Info: https://financing.desa.un.org/ffd4
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[CFC Media Relations Team]
[Email: managing.director@common-fund.org]
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