Spain hosts key UN talks on global development finance as US retreats

The European Union is aiming to replace at least some of the international development aid effort that previously came from USAID but has now been cut by the Trump administration. The UN development financing conference aims to deliver concrete solutions.

June 30, 2025 at 10:52

Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, right, pose with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, centre, before a gala dinner on the eve of the U.N. financing for development conference in Seville, Spain, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (Chema Moya/Pool Photo via AP) (Photo: Chema Moya)

Madrid (dpa) - The UN's Conference on Financing for Development kicks off in the Spanish city of Seville with a focus on tackling global inequality, amid a major funding shortfall following drastic US aid cuts under President Donald Trump.

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.

Spain UN Conference — Spain's King Felipe VI, top 2nd left, sits with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, top left, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, top 3rd left, Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, top, 4th left and Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, lower right, during a gala dinner on the eve of the U.N. financing for development conference in Seville, Spain, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (Chema Moya/Pool Photo via AP)(Photo: Chema Moya)

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.

Seville Commitment without US

A new agreement on global development financing, the Seville Commitment, is expected to be adopted during the conference by participating UN 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.