Guterres Warns of Global Aid Crisis at Seville Summit, Urges Action on Development Goals
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that global aid budgets have been “decimated,” stressing that the crisis is not about numbers, but about “families going hungry, children unvaccinated, children dropping out of school.” His remarks came during the opening of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville — the first such gathering in a decade.
Guterres emphasized the urgency of mobilizing around $4 trillion annually to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global framework to end poverty, protect the environment, and promote peace. “We are here in Seville to change course, to restore a message of fairness and justice for all,” he said, warning that development and international cooperation are under immense strain due to weakening trust and fraying multilateralism.
The four-day summit has brought together about 50 world leaders and 4,000 participants from the public and private sectors, as well as civil society. The United States, however, has opted not to attend, having recently cut funding to USAID and formally withdrawn its support for the SDGs.
Despite these setbacks, speakers at the conference voiced cautious optimism. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for empathy and solidarity, urging nations to transcend historical divides. “No matter how strong the borders, how high the walls, they won’t be able to stop the challenges we are facing,” he said, encouraging attendees to seize this rare opportunity to chart a common path forward.
