Advancing the DRM Agenda: toward FFD4 and the Seville Declaration

On April 25, nearly 60 high-level representatives gathered at the Gates Foundation building in Washington D.C. for the roundtable “Addis to Seville: the new Declaration on DRM”.   

Organised by the Addis Tax Initiative (ATI), TAI Collaborative, Oxfam, and the International Budget Partnership (IBP), the event brought together ministers of finance, heads of tax administrations, senior officials from development partners and partner countries, think tanks, and civil society advocates involved in development finance.  

The roundtable was a key milestone in the lead-up to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Spain. It aimed to generate political momentum and strategic alignment around the new Seville Declaration on Domestic Revenue Mobilisation (DRM), a forward-looking framework for the ATI and a key instrument to advance DRM in the broader development finance agenda over the next decade.  

Now is the time to talk about DRM. With just five years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda, fair and effective tax systems are key to funding development, tackling inequality, and building public trust.

Participants engaged in dynamic discussions on how the global community can elevate progressive DRM on the political agenda and unlock new development cooperation opportunities between now and 2030.  In addition, with FfD4 approaching, sustaining this dialogue and reinforcing political commitment to fair, efficient, and transparent DRM is vital to advancing equitable and effective development financing. 

The conversation in Washington touched on the core areas of the upcoming Seville Declaration on DRM, which build on the four commitments of the ATI Declaration 2025.

Participants emphasised the integration of tax policy and administration, advocating for investments in digital infrastructure, gender-responsive measures, and clearer frameworks for taxing natural resources and high-net-worth individuals. Concerns were raised that the current goal of doubling DRM support may be insufficient, prompting calls for more ambitious targets and expanded capacity building. On international tax transparency, there was support for enhancing country-by-country reporting and redefining illicit financial flows in line with UN initiatives. The importance of civil society and accountability was also highlighted, with calls for improved mechanisms to empower these groups through greater transparency.

 

Across all areas, there was a recurring call for robust monitoring frameworks and clearly defined success indicators to track progress toward DRM objectives through 2030. 

 

The Seville Declaration on DRM will be presented at FfD4 in Seville and approved by ATI members during the 2025 ATI General Assembly.