Without nature, the UN SDGs and the "Compromiso de Sevilla" will fail
Posted on July, 01 2025
WWF Welcomes the “Compromiso de Sevilla” as step forward for sustainable finance but without nature, the UN Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved.WWF welcomes the Compromiso de Sevilla, the outcome document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), as an important step toward a more inclusive and sustainable global financial framework. But unless finance for nature is urgently scaled up, the ambitions set out in the document—and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) themselves—cannot be achieved.
“There is no path to ending poverty, securing food and water, or building resilient economies without protecting and restoring the environment, and recognising the role of indigenous peoples and local communities as custodians of nature” said Rebecca Stringer, Director of Public Sector Partnerships at WWF. “The Compromiso de Sevilla sets the stage, but governments and financial institutions must now act—by upholding the Paris and GBF commitments - and channelling real finance into climate and nature.”
The science and the economics are clear.
- Over $58 trillion—more than half of global GDP—is moderately or highly dependent on nature.
- Transitioning to a nature-positive economy could unlock $10 trillion in annual business opportunities and generate 395 million jobs by 2030.
- Yet we are investing just a fraction of what’s needed. The global nature finance gap is over $700 billion per year, while $7 trillion annually continues to support activities that harm the environment and climate.
- Protecting nature could prevent $2.7 trillion in annual economic losses.
Without nature, progress on all fronts will stall or reverse.
While the document makes important references to global processes like the “Baku to Belém Roadmap” under the UNFCCC and the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, WWF is concerned it falls short of calling for the phase-out of harmful subsidies and lacks the urgency needed to mobilise new, additional finance for nature.
WWF urges all Member States, financial institutions, and development partners to:
- Fully integrate nature-based solutions and climate resilience into the development finance agenda;
- Commit to mobilising new, additional finance for nature, particularly for vulnerable countries most impacted by environmental degradation;
- Ensure that policies and investments align with a net-zero, nature-positive, and inclusive economic transition.
- Facilitate direct access to financing for indigenous peoples and local communities who act as custodians of nature.
“We need a transformation in how financial decisions are made—so that they reflect the true value of nature and the costs of destroying it,” added Stringer.