Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
At the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Member States reaffirmed their commitment to closing a $4 trillion gap in development financing, despite declining official development assistance (ODA). The forum, held under the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), concluded with a ministerial declaration emphasizing the need to mobilize public and private investment, expand debt relief mechanisms, and combat corruption. ECOSOC President Lok Bahadur Thapa noted that these outcomes demonstrate multilateralism’s ability to deliver meaningful results through dialogue and compromise.
The declaration acknowledged the UN's liquidity constraints and addressed geopolitical issues, including attacks on critical infrastructure and unilateral trade measures. It identified poverty eradication as the greatest global challenge and highlighted the necessity for inclusive governance of artificial intelligence (AI).
Most funding for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is expected to come from domestic sources, but UN reports stress ODA's essential role, especially in the poorest countries. ODA decreased by 23.1% between 2024 and 2025, due to reduced aid from the US, UK, Germany, France, and Japan, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The 2026 declaration called on developed countries to increase ODA to the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI), noting that if all OECD Development Assistance Committee members had met this target in 2023, an additional $200 billion would have been available for aid.
Two new UN reports presented by Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), emphasized that coordinated actions and bridging the digital divide could support SDG progress. José Antonio Ocampo, Chair of the UN Committee for Development Policy, stressed that reducing borrowing costs and strengthening multilateral development banks are crucial for advancing sustainable development initiatives.
Throughout the forum, UN officials noted that many SDGs remain off track for full achievement by 2030, underscoring the need for stronger global efforts.