UN delegates urge development finance as debt and rising seas threaten 2030 goals

The UN General Assembly has heard renewed calls for more development finance and stronger international cooperation, as delegates warned that debt, inequality and climate impacts are holding back progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The debate on 5 November reviewed the work of the Economic and Social Council, the UN body responsible for coordinating economic and social issues. Senior officials said the world remained off track to meet the goals and urged governments to turn commitments into measurable results.

Helen Claire King, the Assembly’s Vice-President, said the Council’s 80th anniversary was an opportunity to sharpen its focus on delivery. Debt pressures, limited public finances and persistent funding gaps were undermining developing countries’ ability to invest in sustainable development, she warned.

Lok Bahadur Thapa, who led the Council during its 2025–26 session, said conflicts and disasters required integrated humanitarian, development and peacebuilding efforts. He cited the Council’s work on illicit financial flows, credit-rating agencies and the implementation of the Sevilla Commitment on development financing.

His successor, Amar Bendjama, said geopolitical tensions, debt, food insecurity and inequality threatened development gains. He pledged to advance the 2030 Agenda, discussions on artificial intelligence governance and preparations for the 2027 Sustainable Development Goals Summit.

Delegates called for better coordination across the UN system and reforms to make the Council more responsive to national priorities. Sierra Leone’s representative said poverty, debt and inadequate financing were jeopardising the 2030 Agenda, and called for international financial reform and climate finance.

Small island states warn of rising seas

The Assembly also heard calls for action on sea-level rise, which Palau’s representative, speaking for the Alliance of Small Island States, said threatened people’s wellbeing, cultures, communities, food security and livelihoods. She called for easier access to climate grants and concessional finance, arguing that island states were unfairly bearing the effects of a crisis they had not caused.

The European Union’s representative urged emissions cuts and cooperation under the Paris Agreement, while Tuvalu called for innovative financing to support adaptation and said discussions should continue across multilateral forums to develop international law.

Australia welcomed the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise, agreed in September, as a framework for collective action. Russia also welcomed its adoption by consensus, while stressing respect for national sovereignty and priorities.

The United States opposed new binding treaties and financial mechanisms on sea-level rise, arguing instead for national action, private investment and technological innovation. Its representative also criticised UN involvement in environmental policy and education.