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U.N. bids to salvage global development summit after U.S. boycott
U.N. bids to salvage global development summit after U.S. boycott

Japan Today

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • Japan Today

U.N. bids to salvage global development summit after U.S. boycott

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the United Nations is seen in the General Assembly hall before heads of state begin to address the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/Pool/File photo By David Latona and Marc Jones Scores of world leaders will be sweltering in the summer sun of southern Spain this week at a once-a-decade United Nations development financing summit aimed at curbing global poverty, disease and the worst-case threats of climate change. Despite the scorching temperatures, though, a major chill looms over the event - the decision early this month by the United States, traditionally the world's largest aid giver and key finance provider, not to show up. U.N. countries want to close a $4 trillion-a-year funding gap they now estimate prevents the developing world achieving the organization's Sustainable Development Goals that range from cutting infant death rates to minimizing global warming. Critics say the promises at the heart of the conference - called the "Seville Commitment" - are nowhere near bold enough. The measures, agreed by consensus after a year of tough negotiations, include tripling multilateral lending capacity, debt relief, a push to boost tax-to-GDP ratios to at least 15%, and shifting special IMF money to countries that need it most. The run-up, however, has been marred by the U.S. decision to withdraw over what it said was the crossing of a number of its red lines, including the push to triple development bank lending, change tax rules and the use of the term "gender" in summit wording. The European Union only joined the summit with reservations, particularly over how debt is discussed within the U.N. Speaking to reporters, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed described Washington's boycott as "regrettable", especially after its "catastrophic" recent aid cuts that she said had cost lives and livelihoods. Speaking alongside officials from summit host Spain and Zambia, which has helped organize it, she said the final outcome document agreed reflected both "ambition and realism" and that the U.N. would try to re-engage the U.S. afterwards. Remy Rioux, chief executive officer of the French Development Agency, said Washington's withdrawal had not been a total surprise given Donald Trump's views. The hope is that agreements will allow bolder action at the U.N. climate talks in Brazil in November. "We will push for the new framework... (and) its operationalization from Seville to Belem," he added, referring to the Brazilian city that will host COP30. AID IN DECLINE Other measures to be announced include multilateral lenders automatically giving vulnerable countries the option to insert repayment break clauses into their loans in case of hurricane, drought or flood. Another buzz phrase will be a "Global SDR playbook" - a plan where the wealthiest countries rechannel the IMF's reserve-like Special Draw Rights they hold to the multilateral banks, who then leverage them as capital in order to lend more. Campaigners warn that it will fall far short of what is needed, especially as more than 130 countries now face critically high debt levels and many spend more on repayments than on health or education. Aid and support from rich countries, who themselves have rising debts, is dropping too. In March, the U.S. slashed more than 80% of programs at its USAID agency following federal budget cuts spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk. Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden have all made cuts in recent years too. The OECD projects a 9–17% drop in net official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, following a 9% decline in 2024. It looks set to hit the poorest countries hardest: bilateral ODA to least developed countries and sub-Saharan Africa may fall by 13-25% and 16-28% respectively, the OECD estimates, and health funding could drop by up to 60% from its 2022 peak. So what would be a good outcome in Seville, especially given the U.S. pull-out? "We should make sure we are not backtracking at this point," said Orville Grey at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, referring to funding commitments. "We should at least remain stable." © Thomson Reuters 2025.

UN Security Council meets on Iran as Russia, China push for a ceasefire
UN Security Council meets on Iran as Russia, China push for a ceasefire

GMA Network

time23-06-2025

  • Politics
  • GMA Network

UN Security Council meets on Iran as Russia, China push for a ceasefire

US ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Shea addresses delegates during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following US attack on Iran's nuclear sites, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, June 22, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council met on Sunday to discuss US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East. "The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Sunday. "We must act – immediately and decisively – to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear program." The world awaited Iran's response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the US had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. Russia and China condemned the US strikes. "Peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved by the use of force," said China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong. "Diplomatic means to address the Iranian nuclear issue haven't been exhausted, and there's still hope for a peaceful solution." But acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the council the time had come for Washington to act decisively, urging the Security Council to call upon Iran to end its effort to eradicate Israel and terminate its drive for nuclear weapons. "Iran long obfuscated its nuclear weapons program and stonewalled our good-faith efforts in recent negotiations," she said. "The Iranian regime cannot have a nuclear weapon." Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia recalled former US Secretary of State Colin Powell making the case at the UN Security Council in 2003 that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein constituted an imminent danger to the world because of the country's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. "Again we're being asked to believe the US's fairy tales, to once again inflict suffering on millions of people living in the Middle East. This cements our conviction that history has taught our US colleagues nothing," he said. Cost of inaction 'catastrophic' Iran requested the UN Security Council meeting on Sunday. Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani accused Israel and the US of destroying diplomacy, said all US allegations are unfounded and that the nuclear non-proliferation treaty "has been manipulated into a political weapon." "Instead of guaranteeing parties' legitimate rights to peaceful nuclear energy, it has been exploited as a pretext for aggression and unlawful action that jeopardize the supreme interests of my country," Iravani told the council. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon praised the US for taking action against Iran, saying: "This is what the last line of defense looks like when every other line has failed." He accused Iran of using negotiations over its nuclear program as camouflage to buy time to build missiles and enrich uranium. "The cost of inaction would have been catastrophic. A nuclear Iran would have been a death sentence just as much for you as it would have been for us," he told the council. It was not immediately clear when the council could vote on the draft resolution. Russia, China and Pakistan have asked council members to share their comments by Monday evening. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the US, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass. The US is likely to oppose the draft resolution, seen by Reuters, which also condemns attacks on Iran's nuclear sites and facilities. The text does not name the United States or Israel. "Military action alone cannot bring a durable solution to concerns about Iran's nuclear program," Britain's UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward told the council. "We urge Iran now to show restraint, and we urge all parties to return to the negotiating table and find a diplomatic solution which stops further escalation and brings this crisis to an end." UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said that while craters were visible at Iran's enrichment site buried into a mountain at Fordow, "no one — including the IAEA — is in a position to assess the underground damage." Grossi told the Security Council that entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit at Iran's sprawling Isfahan nuclear complex, while the fuel enrichment plant at Natanz has been struck again. "Iran has informed the IAEA there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels at all three sites," said Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency. —Reuters

UN trade agency says it faces 'painful' cuts as countries navigate tariffs
UN trade agency says it faces 'painful' cuts as countries navigate tariffs

The Star

time18-06-2025

  • Business
  • The Star

UN trade agency says it faces 'painful' cuts as countries navigate tariffs

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the United Nations is seen in the General Assembly hall before heads of state begin to address the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/Pool/File photo GENEVA (Reuters) -The United Nations trade and development agency, tasked with helping developing countries access the global economy, faces "painful" cuts as part of broader reforms prompted by a decline in global donor funding, its secretary general said. Rebeca Grynspan told Reuters she was concerned that UNCTAD's work will be hampered while demand for its services grows, as countries seek information on the impact of sweeping tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. For UNCTAD's 2026 budget, Grynspan said she and her team had proposed cutting 70 posts, out of a total of about 500. "This is painful. There's no way to disguise this ... we haven't cut that number of posts ever in one budget," she said. "It really will constrain the organization and the things that we can do." U.N. agencies like UNCTAD are having to cut costs amid a financial crisis triggered in part by the U.S., which has provided nearly a quarter of the world body's funding, and longer term liquidity problems. "What worries me the most is the possibility to respond to countries in their needs fast enough," Grynspan said. Grynspan, who is part of the task force on broader UN80 reforms to improve efficiency and cut costs at the U.N., said she was involved in discussions on how to better divide tasks among the U.N's development agencies through collaboration. The U.N. Secretariat, the global body's executive arm, is preparing to slash its $3.7 billion budget by 20%. About 75 agencies and departments faced a June 13 deadline to propose budget cuts. The U.N. in Geneva is proposing leaving the historic Palais Wilson, which houses its human rights office. The final decision on UNCTAD's proposed budget will be made by the U.N. Secretariat and member states in September. (Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Aidan Lewis)

UN trade agency says it faces 'painful' cuts as countries navigate tariffs
UN trade agency says it faces 'painful' cuts as countries navigate tariffs

Straits Times

time18-06-2025

  • Business
  • Straits Times

UN trade agency says it faces 'painful' cuts as countries navigate tariffs

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the United Nations is seen in the General Assembly hall before heads of state begin to address the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/Pool/File photo GENEVA - The United Nations trade and development agency, tasked with helping developing countries access the global economy, faces "painful" cuts as part of broader reforms prompted by a decline in global donor funding, its secretary general said. Rebeca Grynspan told Reuters she was concerned that UNCTAD's work will be hampered while demand for its services grows, as countries seek information on the impact of sweeping tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. For UNCTAD's 2026 budget, Grynspan said she and her team had proposed cutting 70 posts, out of a total of about 500. "This is painful. There's no way to disguise this ... we haven't cut that number of posts ever in one budget," she said. "It really will constrain the organization and the things that we can do." U.N. agencies like UNCTAD are having to cut costs amid a financial crisis triggered in part by the U.S., which has provided nearly a quarter of the world body's funding, and longer term liquidity problems. "What worries me the most is the possibility to respond to countries in their needs fast enough," Grynspan said. Grynspan, who is part of the task force on broader UN80 reforms to improve efficiency and cut costs at the U.N., said she was involved in discussions on how to better divide tasks among the U.N's development agencies through collaboration. The U.N. Secretariat, the global body's executive arm, is preparing to slash its $3.7 billion budget by 20%. About 75 agencies and departments faced a June 13 deadline to propose budget cuts. The U.N. in Geneva is proposing leaving the historic Palais Wilson, which houses its human rights office. The final decision on UNCTAD's proposed budget will be made by the U.N. Secretariat and member states in September. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

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