G20 recommits to debt relief — but critics say it’s far from enough
21/20/2025: The G20 has released a ministerial declaration on debt reaffirming support for the Common Framework, its mechanism for coordinating debt relief among low-income countries. Launched in 2020, the Framework was designed to streamline debt restructuring but only a handful of countries — Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Zambia — have gone through the process.
Source: Devex
From aid to investment: Reshaping Africa’s path to growth
21/10/2025: Africa’s long reliance on foreign aid has come at the expense of its own industrial and human capital development. A shift from aid to investment will require stronger institutions, better-prepared projects, and renewed focus on local capacity.
Source: Devex
Supreme court rules that Trump can let foreign aid expire
27/9/2025: The US Supreme Court has overturned a lower court order that the Trump administration should honour a commitment to $10.5 billion in foreign aid funding set to expire on Sept. 30. The high-stakes case sheds light on how much power the executive branch has over government spending, which is typically the purview of Congress.
Source: Devex
Global military spending undermines development goals, says UN Secretary General
10/9/2025: Global military spending has been on the rise for more than 20 years, and in 2024 it surged across all five global regions to reach a record high. A new report by the UN Secretary-General encourages countries to prioritize diplomacy and multilateralism to protect global security - and avoid diversion of financial resources away from the Sustainable Development Goals.
Source: Inter Press Service
Trump seeks to undo Congress commitment to $5 billion aid
29/8/2025: The White House has announced its intention to cancel roughly $5 billion in US foreign aid that Congress already approved in previous fiscal years. This controversial measure, known as a “pocket rescission,” has not been attempted since 1977.
Source: Devex
Takeaways from the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development
7/7/2025: The Conference coincided with dark times for global development, as foreign aid budgets are slashed, sovereign debt escalates and the US refiused to participate. Nonetheless, the Sevilla Commitment attempted to map out a way to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, while the Sevilla Platform for Action — a string of more than 100 initiatives launched throughout the conference — aimed to bring that map to reality.
Source: Devex
UN report charts path out of debt crisis threatening global development
27/6/2025: More than 3.4 billion people now live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on health or education. The UN's Expert Group on Debt has presented 11 options for discussion at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development.
Source: UN News
Countries must act fast to save the Sustainable Development Goals
25/6/2025: The 4th International Conference for Financing for Development will take place from 30 June to 3 July in Seville, Spain. It provides a unique opportunity to address financing challenges to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Years of underinvestment by all states mean the majority of the SDGs are way off track from their 2030 target.
Source: Amnesty International
Why Spain is holding firm on aid spending
24/6/2025: At a time when much of Europe is caving in to populist anti-aid narratives, Spain is increasing its financial support for the global south and put ambitious goals for 2030 into law. By promoting multilateralism and international cooperation Spain has become an outlier in the new world disorder.
Source: The Guardian
US abandons Financing for Development conference
18/6/2025: The Trump administration has withdrawn from the UN's Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. The US no longer recognizes the Sustainable Development Goals and rejects the idea of UN negotiations on a new sovereign debt process to improve terms for indebted nations.
Source: Devex