Guterres urges G77 to press for fairer finance as conflicts threaten development

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the G77 and China to press for greater investment and a stronger voice for developing countries, arguing that conflict and financial inequality are putting development further out of reach. His remarks for the group’s foreign ministers’ meeting in New York were published by the UN on 25 September 2026. [1]

Guterres called for an end to conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen and elsewhere. He said ceasefires were being broken and human rights and international law violated with impunity, linking the need for peace to countries’ ability to develop. [1]

“The G77 and China’s quest for justice must continue,” he said. [1]

Financing needs grow as aid falls

Guterres put developing countries’ additional financing needs for the Sustainable Development Goals at $4 trillion a year. That estimate also appears in the Sevilla Commitment, the development-financing framework endorsed by the UN General Assembly in August 2025. [Sources 1, 3]

He urged multilateral development banks to increase investment and their shareholders to provide fresh capital, accelerate reforms, expand concessional finance and mobilise private investment. Developing countries should also have greater weight in international financial decision-making, he argued. [1]

The appeal comes against a sharp fall in development aid. Preliminary OECD figures show that official development assistance from Development Assistance Committee members and associates totalled $174.3 billion in 2025 on a grant-equivalent basis. That was a 23.1% decline from 2024 after adjustment for inflation and exchange-rate changes. [4]

The fall did not extend to every channel. Core support to the World Bank rose by 6.4%, while support to regional development banks increased by 11.9%, both in real terms. Those figures measure contributions to the institutions rather than their lending. [4]

Climate finance and institutional reform

Guterres also called for adaptation finance to triple, more accessible and predictable resources for climate-related loss and damage, and effective early-warning systems to protect everyone. He sought affordable finance for renewable energy, electricity grids and storage, alongside management of critical minerals that benefits producing countries. [1]

On institutional reform, he argued that the Security Council and the Bretton Woods institutions no longer adequately reflected developing countries’ economic and political influence. He praised the G77’s support for the UN80 reform initiative and said changes should respect Member State leadership and national ownership. [1]