The challenges and opportunities emerging from the coronavirus crisis necessitated the need of a high-level global forum which is focused on delivering tangible and breakthrough results to the national financial institutions and their countries. There was also a need for international consensus on the Post-COVID-19 agenda for the national financial intermediaries and the countries and territories they serve.

Therefore, the Associations of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), member countries of the Islamic Development Bank (ADFIMI), Development Financing Institutions in Africa (AADFI), European Organisation for Sustainable Development, City of Karlsruhe, Germany, the Government of Uganda and the Uganda Development Bank Ltd. joined hands in organizing the 1^st World Development Finance Forum which was held from the 29^th to 30^th of September 2020.