Finance for Sustainable Development

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

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

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

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

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

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

18/6/2025: The Trump administration has withdrawn from the UN's Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development.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

17/6/2025: Suspension of the Aid Transparency Index due to lack of funding has been resolved by a new financial model. A 2026 index will be published, including only those donors that provide financial support.

Source: Devex

9/6/2025: The secretary-general of the UN’s Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development sets out his agenda. The current draft outcome aims to increase domestic taxation in low income countries and reduce the international debt burden.

Source: Devex

5/6/2025: If fully enacted, the Trump administration's 2026 budget cuts would bring funding to its lowest level since before World War II, just 0.03% of the country’s gross domestic product, compared to a 0.3% average across the last decade.

Source: Devex