Global leaders gather in Spain to rethink development aid strategy

A major United Nations conference focused on development financing has opened in Seville, Spain, where leaders from around the world are meeting to address growing inequality and funding challenges following major aid cuts by the United States.

The four-day summit, held once every ten years, is bringing together over 50 heads of state and more than 4,000 participants from civil society, financial institutions, and the private sector. Among the key attendees are UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Kenyan President William Ruto. The agenda centers on urgent global issues such as poverty, hunger, healthcare, climate change, and peace.

This year’s gathering is notably marked by the absence of the United States. President Donald Trump’s administration drastically reduced foreign aid contributions, including the cancellation of over 80 percent of USAID programs, as confirmed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In response to Trump’s pressure on NATO members to increase military spending, countries like Germany, the UK, and France are also cutting development assistance.

Advocacy groups have expressed alarm. Oxfam International called the current reduction in aid the steepest since 1960. The United Nations estimates that the annual gap in development financing has now reached $4 trillion.

A major goal of the summit is to redesign the funding framework for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), established in 2015 with a target for completion by 2030. However, with shrinking support, ambitions to end hunger and poverty within the next five years appear increasingly unrealistic.

A shared declaration agreed upon earlier this month in New York will be formally signed in Seville. It reaffirms a global commitment to gender equality and to reforming global financial institutions. Chola Milambo, Zambia’s permanent representative to the UN, emphasized the document’s message: that financial hurdles can be overcome and that multilateral cooperation remains viable.

Still, Oxfam criticized the declaration, arguing that it lacks bold action and prioritizes the interests of the wealthy over the broader global population.