United Nations — A UN report has concluded that the gap between rich and poor countries is widening further, as measures agreed by many countries last year, including reform of major global financial institutions, remain unfulfilled promises.
Evaluation report Scheme It was adopted in Seville, Spain, last June to narrow the gap and achieve the 2030 United Nations development goals before the conference. Spring Meetings next week In Washington, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are the two main global financial institutions that work to promote economic growth.
Kristalina Georgieva, Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund, said that the Fund is ready to raise the level of global growth, but Iran war It has now darkened the outlook for the global economy.
Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said geopolitical tensions are exacerbating developing countries’ struggle to attract financing. “This is a very risky time for international cooperation, as geopolitical considerations are increasingly shaping economic relations and financial policies,” he said.
The report pointed to rising trade barriers and recurring climate-related shocks, which further widen the gap.
At last year’s conference in Seville, leaders of many countries, but not the United States, unanimously adopted the Seville Commitment, which aimed to close the $4 trillion annual funding gap for development. He called for increasing investments in developing countries and reforming the international financial architecture, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly called for major changes in the two institutions, saying that the International Monetary Fund has benefited rich countries rather than poor countries, and that the World Bank has failed in its mission, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has left dozens of countries burdened with debt. His criticisms echo those of outside critics who cite frustration in developing countries with the control of decision-making in financial institutions by the United States and its European allies.
The UN report on the implementation of the Seville Commitment said it represented the “best hope” for closing the widening financial gap.
But in 2025, Li said, 25 countries reduced their development aid to poor countries, resulting in an overall decline of 23% from 2024, the largest annual contraction on record. He said the largest decline – 59% – was from the United States.
Based on preliminary data, another 5.8% decline is expected in 2026, Lee said.
the The report said definitions — including those imposed by the Trump administration — have had a significant impact on developing countries. The report said that average customs duties on exports from the world’s poorest countries rose from 9% to 28% in 2025, and for developing countries, with the exception of China, average customs tariffs rose from 2% to 19%.