Remarks by H.E. Elisabeth Svantesson, Sweden's Minister for Finance, and Chair of the World Bank Group and IMF Development Committee, at the 2026 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development #FfD
Hello from Washington.
I want to share a few takeaways from the meetings here this week.
There is no doubt that we are living in difficult times. In many meetings the conflict in the Middle East has come up. All of us are facing difficulties. But the impacts are uneven. Developing countries are hit the hardest. In times like these, cooperation must continue. But all of us also need to do what we can at home. We need strong and shock-proof economies.
At the meetings, countries gave strong support for the World Bank and the IMF. They welcomed efforts to help countries handle the situation. They also welcomed recent reforms to make the Bank more effective and focused. They called for continued efforts.
One important topic that we talked about is jobs. More specifically, the second pillar of the Bank’s jobs strategy. It is about creating the enabling environment for more and better jobs.
On this topic, countries talked about what they think is most important. They highlighted, macroeconomic and fiscal stability, effective regulations, rule of law and strong institutions. We also talked about removing barriers to jobs for women and young people.
In these times of repeated shocks, countries also highlighted the need for crisis response. They supported the Bank’s efforts to assist communities affected by conflict and violence.
Countries also expressed the need to remain focused on long-term development objectives, including by investing in health and climate.
It is clear that we need to work together. Countries, international organisations, and the private sector.
The strong support for the Bank’s work to achieve its 2030 targets was also clear. The targets include improving electricity access through Mission 300. Moving farmers up the value-chain through AgriConnect. And delivering safe water and irrigation through Water Forward.
Countries also reinforced their support for IDA, the fund for the poorest countries.
Thank you, and I wish you all productive discussions today.
