What if the global financial system was designed not to preserve old power – but to protect the future? What if debt relief, climate reparations, and fair taxation weren’t fringe demands, but everyday tools to build just, resilient economies? And what if the people shaping that system were not just the same old decision-makers – but young people, from the most underrepresented places globally?

This edition of Our Future Agenda Quarterly opens with that question and doesn’t let go. As the world prepares for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), we ask: Will this be the turning point – or another missed opportunity?

From the halls of the United Nations to the streets of Freetown, São Paulo, and Delhi, a new generation is already demanding better. In “Beyond Broken Promises,” we explore how decades of failed financing agreements have led to skyrocketing debt and growing inequality – especially for young countries. Our accompanying FfD4 explainers pull no punches and shed light on how to explain global financing to your best friend, neighbor, or Dad.

You’ll meet young leaders fighting for financial justice, explore future scenarios of our global economy in 2100, and you’ll hear from artists and poets who are using their voices to challenge inequality, rewrite the narrative, and make finance feel urgent, human, and real.

We also take a hard look at climate finance, special drawing rights (SDRs), and global tax systems – areas where young voices have often been shut out, but where change is finally cracking through.

Whether you’re a policymaker or young changemaker, this edition of Our Future Agenda Quarterly is built to challenge your thinking and spark bold action. It’s a toolkit for advocacy at FfD4, a space for intergenerational dialogue, and a rallying cry for a fairer financial system. The road to just and resilient economies is ours to build.

Let’s get to work.