Spain hosts key UN talks on global development finance as US retreats
Trump slashed more than 80% of USAID funding, which previously accounted for roughly a quarter of total international development financing.
The once-in-a-decade conference, which runs through Thursday, aims to deliver concrete solutions to address critical global needs, including hunger, poverty, climate protection, health and peace.
It will also emphasize international cooperation and rebuilding multilateral trust.
According to organizers, a central focus will be the restructuring of financing for the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted in 2015 with a target date of 2030.
The goals address issues such as poverty, health, education, climate action, and equality.
A new agreement on global development financing, the Seville Commitment, is expected to be adopted during the conference by participating U.N. member states.
The United States, which is not attending, did not sign on to the agreement in advance.
From the perspective of development advocates, more ambitious action is needed.
The organization Germanwatch, for example, has called for a solidarity levy on environmentally harmful industries, arguing that polluters continue to reap profits while vulnerable populations bear the brunt of the climate crisis.
Despite global consensus on the SDGs, reaching them by 2030 appears increasingly unlikely due to conflict, climate disruption and shrinking development budgets.
The last such conference was held in 2015 in Addis Ababa.
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Los Angeles Times
11 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
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'Let me make this clear, this bill is a backdoor abortion ban,' she said. Shari Home, 73, said she and her husband were weighing how to divide their Social Security income on food, medication and medical supplies after her husband, who suffers several chronic health conditions, fell last year. 'The hospitalizations were so expensive, so we applied for and got Medi-Cal in January and food assistance, and it's been such a lifesaver,' said the Laguna Woods resident. 'Without Medi-Cal, I don't know what we would do. Our lives would not be good. We would not have the medications that he needs.' Michelle Del Rosario, 57, wore a button picturing her son William, 25, on her blouse. The Orange resident, one of Kim's constituents who has previously voted for her, is the primary caregiver for her son, who has autism, epilepsy and does not speak. Her son relies on his Medi-Cal coverage for his $5,000-a-month seizure medicine, as well as the home health support he receives, she said. 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Forbes
18 minutes ago
- Forbes
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Bloomberg
18 minutes ago
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