UN Development Aid Conference Opens in Seville Amid Funding Cuts
UN Development Aid Conference Opens in Seville Amid Funding Cuts
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The United Nations Conference on Financing Development has commenced in Seville, Spain, bringing together over 50 world leaders and more than 4,000 representatives from governments, businesses, civil society, and financial institutions, Al Jazeera reported. The event, held once every decade, runs from June 30 to July 3, 2025, focusing on urgent global issues such as hunger, poverty, climate change, healthcare, and peace.
Key attendees include UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Kenyan President William Ruto. The conference aims to restructure financing to achieve the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015, with a target completion year of 2030.
However, the conference faces significant challenges due to major funding cuts by key donor countries. The United States, traditionally the largest contributor, is notably absent following President Donald Trump’s early 2025 decision to slash USAID funding by more than 80 percent. Germany, the United Kingdom, and France have also reduced development aid budgets to increase defense spending under pressure from NATO.
Global advocacy groups, including Oxfam International, have condemned these cuts as the largest reduction in development aid since 1960. The UN estimates a $4 trillion annual gap in development financing, complicating efforts to meet SDG targets.
As the conference unfolds, participants seek to reaffirm commitments to global development financing, known as the “Seville Commitment,” despite the current financial setbacks.
