A pioneer group of governments gathered in Nairobi on May 11, on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit, to plan how shared global challenges can be resourced in the new era through global public investment.
The meeting of the Coalition of Governments on Global Public Investment was convened by Senegal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Cheikh Niang.
“Global Public Investment is not simply a financing mechanism; it is a new political logic for international cooperation in the twenty-first century. The Global South must help shape this next phase. Not in opposition to partners in the North, because partnerships remain essential, but in a spirit of greater equality and co-authorship.” said Mr Niang.
Senegal, along with Colombia, is co-chair of the coalition, which brings together countries committed to advancing political dialogue and practical cooperation to renew international cooperation.
Global public investment is a forward-looking approach to international cooperation grounded in co-responsibility and inclusive governance. Separate but additional to the current system of ODA, global public investment will strengthen legitimacy, reduce fragmentation, and support more effective and predictable financing for shared global challenges. Global public investment is an approach from which all countries benefit from shared solutions, to which all contribute according to their means, and in which all decide as equals.
Botswana’s Fifth President, Mokgweesi Masisi, gave a special address to the meeting on behalf of Club de Madrid, the largest forum of democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers, who are leveraging their individual and collective leadership experience and global reach in support of the work of the coalition.
“For countries across Africa, this Coalition represents a shift from a model of dependency to a model of partnership; not standing outside the system asking for support, but ready to co-invest in our shared future. But for that to happen, we need a system that works differently,” said Mr Masisi.
Today’s meeting of governments builds on the one held on 20 March in Bogotá, and will be followed by further meetings that will take place across 2026, 2027 and 2028. A flagship of the UN’s Sevilla Platform for Action, the coalition provides a platform for governments to articulate shared priorities and to shape emerging global frameworks. Over 25 countries are already involved in the Coalition. Today’s ministerial meeting brought together a further 18 governments from four continents.
“What we are seeing is that governments have moved beyond initial discussions and are now mapping out a shared work programme,” said Simon Reid-Henry, the coalition’s head of secretariat. “Today’s meeting demonstrated that global public investment has gone from being an aspirational idea to one recognised as a practical policy choice – and that is now being readied by governments for implementation.”
“Political momentum for global public investment has accelerated dramatically in 2026,” said María Elena Agüero, Secretary General of Club de Madrid. “The governments involved are not mourning the old but building the new. Global public investment can be realised this decade.”
