UN Chief Blasts Dramatic Drop in Aid Budgets
(MENAFN) UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning on Monday, emphasizing that foreign aid budgets have been “decimated,” describing the current crisis not just as a financial issue but one that is deeply affecting people’s lives— “families going hungry, children unvaccinated, children dropping out of school.” His remarks came at a major development conference in Seville.
Guterres underscored that achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global agenda to eliminate poverty, protect the planet, and promote peace, requires an annual investment of approximately $4 trillion.
“But we are here in Seville to change course, to restore a message of fairness and justice for all,” Guterres declared.
The UN Secretary-General spoke during the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, marking the first such event in a decade. The four-day gathering in Seville has attracted around 50 world leaders and 4,000 representatives from business, civil society, and financial institutions.
Earlier this month, the US confirmed it would not attend the conference. Washington, which recently slashed funding to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—one of the largest aid organizations globally—has also formally rejected the Sustainable Development Goals.
“For decades, the mission of sustainable development has united countries large and small.
Together, we achieved progress,” Guterres said. “But today, development and international cooperation are facing massive headwinds. We are living in a world where trust is fraying and multilateralism is strained.”
Despite these setbacks, the mood among conference participants remained hopeful, with many believing that the world can still rise above common challenges.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez highlighted the importance of empathy in fostering effective multilateralism, delivering a passionate address during the event.
“Today, I want to emphasize the value of empathy – an inherent good within multilateralism that allows us to see the world from someone else’s perspective. Let us look beyond the random scars of history, called borders, and act. Because no matter how strong the borders, how high the walls, they won’t be able to stop the challenges we are facing,” Sánchez said.
“In this complex world, we don’t have many opportunities like this. So, let’s take advantage of it and work together so that when we look back, we are certain that we did what we needed to do,” he added.
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