Civil society organisations were well organised in the sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) held in Belém in 2009, and influential in framing a powerful agenda for transforming adult education. Despite some successes, however, there were also frustrations in the drafting of the Belém Framework for Action (BFA). Drawing on this experience, the author of this article argues that there are important lessons to be learned, particularly in relation to the financing of adult education. Not least in the face of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change adding to economic challenges, he reasons, these lessons will be crucial for the outcome of CONFINTEA VII, which is to be held in Morocco in June 2022. After a review of the processes, power dynamics and struggles involved in Belém, the author outlines how pivotal issues around financing can be effectively framed and advanced in the upcoming conference.