The 38-member economic cooperation organization, the OECD, projects a drop of between nine and 17 percent in aid next year, and up to 25 percent for the bloc of least developed countries, while military spending has soared to record levels.
“The results speak for themselves: poverty reduction has stalled and virtually all of the SDGs are off track,” Al Nashif said, citing the World Bank’s warning of a “lost decade for development.”
Way forward
Despite the bleak outlook, he said the right to development offered a practical way forward: reforming fiscal policies, strengthening social protection and aligning global finance with human rights principles.
Nearly 40 years after the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development, Ms. Al Nashif urged governments to “move from words to action,” signaling new momentum through initiatives such as the Seville Commitment and the renewed global solidarity expressed at the 80th United Nations General Assembly.
UN independent expert: Belarus is not a “paradise” for workers
“Belarus is not the workers’ paradise that the authorities say it is, despite its proclaimed commitment to economic and social rights,” said the UN’s independent human rights expert on Belarus, Nils Muižnieks, addressing the UN General Assembly on Monday.
As an expert appointed by the Human Rights Council, Mr. Muižnieks presented his latest report, which revealed widespread politically motivated discrimination and harassment in both the public and private sectors of Belarus.
Hard labor
It also found unjustified restrictions on access to jobs based on political motives and the use of forced labor for little or no pay as a form of punishment for unjustly imprisoned people.
The report follows a two-year engagement under the International Labor Organization (ILO), which has put Belarus under increased scrutiny due to violations of trade union rights.
Mr. Muižnieks, who is not a UN staff member and does not receive any salary for his work, recalled that more than 1,100 people remain arbitrarily detained in the country and that some of those released have been deported and their passports confiscated, leaving them at risk of becoming stateless and fearful of returning home.
IOM steps up Ebola and mox preparedness across Africa
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is stepping up its health response across Africa, rapidly responding to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last September and supporting mpox preparedness in several African countries.
The agency’s priority is to make all entry and detection points fully operational to prevent illness in areas where there is human movement.
“These measures help prevent the spread of disease and keep both travelers and border communities safe,” said Frantz Celestin, IOM Regional Director for Eastern, Horn and Southern Africa.
Border communities face increased risk due to high mobility and limited access to health services, but thanks to operational checkpoints, more than 169,000 checks have been carried out.
Improved mpox response
The agency is also supporting national responses to mpox in several countries. In Uganda and Ethiopia, health authorities are using IOM mobility data for public health planning and outbreak preparedness.
In Malawi and South Sudan, IOM is improving surveillance, contact tracing and access to vaccination at key border points.