News outlets discuss the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the final outcome document of the Third International Financing for Development conference (FFD3) that concluded this week in Ethiopia.

Devex: Addis #FFD3: A taxing week
“Now that the dust has begun to settle and most delegates are on their way home … we’re left with the question: did we witness three pivotal days in the journey toward a new era for development, or are we back where we started?…” (Igoe, 7/16).

Devex: Negotiations at #FFD3 set the stage for 2015 meetings
“…The weeklong event has been fairly contentious, with negotiations over the inclusion of a U.N. intergovernmental tax body in the outcome document at one point threatening to derail the entire process. Senior global development reporter Michael Igoe reports on location in Addis Ababa to explain other contentious issues that held up negotiations, insights from civil society not just on the outcome document but the whole process as well, and what events at the #FFD3 conference suggest for the Sustainable Development Goal negotiations in New York and climate talks at COP-21 in Paris…” (Barcia, 7/17).

IRIN: Do #summits solve problems?
“…After four days of sound bite-laden keynote speeches, plenaries, and side events, many attendees packed up their bags and hotel toiletries wondering what had been achieved apart from a lot of Twitter traffic under the hashtag #FFD3. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which was endorsed by 193 U.N. Member States attending the conference as a ‘critical step forward in building a sustainable future for all.’ … But not everyone in attendance was so sure…” (Cosier, 7/16).

Reuters: U.N. conference agrees on plan to finance development goals
“…Meeting the 2030 goals would cost between $3.3 trillion and $4.5 trillion a year in state spending, investment, and aid, analysts say, an amount roughly equivalent to the United States 2016 federal budget of $3.8 trillion. Current spending on infrastructure, education, and health left a funding gap of about $2.5 trillion, much of which would have to come from private business, according to the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)…” (Maasho, 7/16).

VOA News: Tax Issues Unresolved at U.N. Aid Summit
“…A four-day United Nations conference in Ethiopia reached an agreement on a financial framework for the Sustainable Development Goals, the successor of the Millennium Development Goals. But the new framework does not include a U.N. Global Tax Body…” (van der Wolf, 7/16).