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United Nations Revises 2026 Budget, Pairing Cost Reductions With Reforms

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UN Budget Cuts and Reform Proposals Sent to ACABQ for Review

The United Nations has submitted revised budget estimates to the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), proposing a 15.1 per cent reduction in resources and an 18.8 per cent cut in posts in the regular budget compared with 2025. The support account for peacekeeping operations, which underpins missions worldwide, would also see reductions in the 2025/26 period.

The ACABQ, a subsidiary body advising the General Assembly, will assess the proposals before forwarding its recommendations to the Fifth Committee, where all 193 Member States decide on administrative and budgetary matters.

Targeted Reductions

In a letter to Member States, Secretary-General António Guterres explained that the cuts followed an extensive review of mandate delivery and resource allocation. Stressing that reductions were “targeted, not across the board,” he said they had been carefully calibrated to maintain balance across the UN’s three pillars—peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development.

Programmes that directly support Member States—particularly least developed, landlocked, and small island developing States—along with Africa’s development advocacy, the Peacebuilding Fund, and the Resident Coordinator system, will be shielded from reductions. Regional economic commissions will see only modest adjustments, while the Regular Programme for Technical Cooperation will continue to expand to strengthen capacity-building for developing countries.

“Reductions of this magnitude will entail trade-offs,” Guterres wrote, noting possible impacts such as narrowed scope, longer timelines, or reduced frequency of outputs. Mitigation measures will include prioritising high-impact work, pooling expertise, and relying more on virtual platforms and automation.

Reform Measures Under the UN80 Initiative

The budget revision is closely tied to the UN80 Initiative, launched in March 2025 to strengthen the Organisation amid rising global political and financial uncertainty. Alongside the cuts, the revised estimates introduce the first set of proposals under Workstream 1, focused on management and operations.

Key measures include:

  • Establishing administrative hubs in New York and Bangkok.

  • Consolidating payroll into a single global team across New York, Entebbe, and Nairobi.

  • Relocating some functions from high-cost duty stations (New York and Geneva) to lower-cost locations.

  • Vacating two leased New York buildings by 2027, with projected annual savings from 2028.

Collectively, these reforms aim to cut duplication, enhance quality, and protect mandate delivery while improving efficiency.

Three Workstreams of Reform

The UN80 Initiative is structured around three workstreams:

  1. Efficiencies and management improvements – now reflected in the revised estimates, with further measures to come.

  2. Mandate Implementation Review – a report submitted in August is under review by a new Informal Ad Hoc Working Group, meeting on 16 September.

  3. System-wide realignments – proposals on structural and programmatic clusters will be presented later this week.

Together, the workstreams signal a major reorientation of UN operations, aimed at ensuring effectiveness, credibility, and sustainability.

Next Steps and Staff Engagement

The ACABQ will begin hearings this week before passing its recommendations to the Fifth Committee, with a final General Assembly decision expected by December. If approved, changes would be phased in starting 2026, with future budget cycles reflecting additional reforms from the UN80 workstreams.

In a separate letter to UN staff, Guterres acknowledged that the changes will affect daily work and professional life but pledged full support throughout the transition. “You will be fully engaged and supported throughout the process,” he assured, promising regular communication, consultation opportunities, and practical guidance.

Acknowledging the difficulty of the decisions, the Secretary-General emphasised accountability—beginning with him, but also extending to managers and staff. He urged that reforms be carried out with fairness, empathy, and professionalism, underscoring the shared responsibility of upholding UN values during the transition.

 

Facing rising risks, landlocked nations launch climate alliance at UN summit

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Operating within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the group aims to amplify their voices in global climate talks, where their distinct vulnerabilities have long been overlooked.

Disproportionate climate risks

Although LLDCs account for approximately 12 per cent of the world’s land surface, they have experienced nearly 20 per cent of the world’s droughts and landslides over the past decade – underscoring their disproportionate exposure to climate-related disasters.

Lacking access to the sea, these countries rely heavily on neighboring transit states, which further increases their vulnerability to climate-induced disruptions.

The Awaza Programme of Action is not the first global framework to address the development needs of LLDCs, but for the first time, such an action plan includes a strong focus on adaptation to climate-related disasters.

A call for resilience and preparedness

Natalia Alonso Cano, Chief of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, emphasized this in an interview with UN News.

LLDCs, she said, face overlapping risks: over half of their territory is classified as dryland; many are in mountainous regions; and some sit in seismically active zones.

“Landlocked countries in general, they suffer about three times the economic losses compared to the global average,” she said. “Also, the mortality rates [when disasters strike these countries] much higher than the global average. Such big difference explained by a combination of this vulnerability, but also a combination of exacerbating impacts.”

Limited capacity, growing challenges

Landlocked developing countries often struggle to respond to climate challenges due to limited financial capacity, dependence on undiversified, commodity-based economies, and weak governance. In 2024, one-third of LLDCs were either in conflict or considered unstable.

The new 10-year UN action plan aims to support LLDCs in climate adaptation, sustainable development, and disaster risk reduction.

“We know that early warning saves lives. It’s a fact,” Ms. Alonso Cano explained. “When you can communicate to the communities affected that something is going to happen and they need to prepare – to evacuate, for example – they need to do certain things. If they know what they need to do, that’s part of the early warning system. Obviously, it saves lives, and it saves livelihoods as well.”

She gave an example of drought preparedness: “If there [is] a systemic drought in an area, you work in the preparedness with the communities, they can, for example, take certain measures, reduce maybe the amount of cattle in the case of that, they can congregate towards points of water, etc. There are a number of measures to address that.”

Ms. Alonso Cano stressed the need for long-term planning: “We need to take into account what is going to happen in 10, 20, 30 years. And climate change will become more extreme – we know this for sure.”

Women and girls at the forefront

Within LLDCs, women and girls are particularly at risk, making gender a key concern at Thursday’s events at LLDC3 in Awaza. One highlight was a Women Leaders’ Forum, opened by UN Under Secretary-General Rabab Fatima, who emphasized that sustainable development cannot be achieved without the full participation of women and girls.

Ms. Fatima, the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, noted progress over the last 25 years: women now occupy one-third of parliamentary seats in LLDCs, compared to just 7.8 per cent in 2000.

“This is higher than the global average,” she said, adding that 11 of the world’s 54 female speakers of parliament come from LLDCs.

Persistent gender gaps

Yet challenges remain. “Progress is uneven and far too slow. One in four women in LLDCs live in extreme poverty – that is nearly 75 million women; and nearly half – about 150 million – face food insecurity.”

Employment statistics show wide gender disparities. While 80 per cent of women in LLDCs work informally, without contracts or protections, the global average is 56 percent. One in three girls in LLDCs marries early – nearly twice the global rate – and only one in three completes secondary education. In addition, just 36 per cent of women in these countries have access to the internet.

“That is why gender-responsive industrial and development policies are so important,” Ms. Fatima stressed. “These policies must be tailored to national contexts, and industrial development in rural areas, business support, formalization of employment, and strengthened partnerships must be priorities.”

Digital inclusion for women and girls

She also called for improved internet access and education for women and girls.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN specialized agency, is addressing these challenges.

Dr. Cosmas Luckysin Zavazava, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, told UN News that while some regions such as the CIS have achieved gender parity in internet access, LLDCs still face major barriers.

“That’s why we’ve developed special programmes for women and girls in this region,” he said. “It’s not just about access, but also about building coding skills and introducing girls to fields like robotics. Our programmes aim to motivate young women and girls to pursue careers in STEM sectors.”

Turning point for action

As the Awaza conference nears its conclusion, participants are expected on Friday to reaffirm their political commitment to the Awaza Programme of Action, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2024.

The time has come for implementation – or as High Representative Rabab Fatima put it, “Let this forum be a turning point.

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Landlocked nations ‘invisible to much of the world’: UN trade and development chief

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At a major UN conference underway this week in Awaza, Turkmenistan, calls are growing to tackle the high trade costs, investment gaps and growing digital divide that continue to hold these countries back.

Despite progress in some areas, landlocked developing nations – from Bolivia to Bhutan and Burkina Faso – account for just 1.2 per cent of global exports, even though they represent over seven per cent of the world’s countries. Their populations face some of the highest levels of poverty, food insecurity and economic vulnerability anywhere.

“These countries are invisible to much of the world,” not able to draw the attention needed to their unique challenges, said Rebeca Grynspan Secretary-General of the UN trade and development body, UNCTAD, speaking to UN News on the margins of the third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3).

Without international attention and coordinated action, they will remain stuck in structural limbo, she emphasised.

High costs, low returns

One of the most persistent challenges they face is geography itself.

Without direct access to seaports, they must rely on neighbouring transit countries to move goods – often through outdated or inefficient infrastructure.

This translates into trade costs that are, on average, 1.4 times higher than those of coastal countries, according to UNCTAD. In some cases, export procedures can stretch into weeks or months due to border delays, fragmented regulations and limited digital systems.

Ms. Grynspan highlighted that in customs procedures, digital tools can cut waiting times at borders from three days to three hours. To that end, regional agreements and digital initiatives have emerged as lifelines.

UNCTAD head Rebeca Grynspan speaking to UN News.

One standout example is the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade, championed by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Now in force among several Asia-Pacific countries, it helps reduce paperwork, automate customs and harmonise standards, making processes faster, cheaper and more transparent.

Paperless trade also has the potential to reduce corruption and ease language-related challenges.

ESCAP estimates that implementing cross-border paperless trade measures could reduce trade costs by up to 30 per cent for countries in the region without direct sea access and increase export potential for the whole of Asia and the Pacific by nearly $260 billion.

Infrastructure and integration

Even when goods reach border crossings, weak domestic transport networks further slow trade down. Roads and railways are often underdeveloped, underfunded or vulnerable to climate shocks.

“Regional infrastructure – like the African North Corridor – is crucial,” Ms. Grynspan said, citing examples where wait times at borders have dropped by more than 150 per cent due to corridor investment and coordination.

But infrastructure alone is not enough – it must be paired with digital systems and strong regional partnerships.

“For landlocked countries, regional integration is very important because when you integrate regionally, you are in a better position because goods pass through you…[making you] part of global value chains with value added.”

In landlocked countries like Bhutan (pictured), roads are a vital lifeline. But limited and costly transport infrastructure restricts mobility, inflates trade costs, and hinders access to markets, education, and healthcare.

Escaping the commodity trap

Another structural challenge is heavy dependence on commodities. Over 80 per cent of landlocked developing countries rely on raw materials like minerals, oil or agricultural goods, making them highly exposed to global price swings and long-term decline in terms of trade.

“You educate your people, but then they have nowhere to work because commodities do not give you the quality jobs that you need for the future,” said Ms. Grynspan.

The path forward lies in economic diversification, especially toward value-added manufacturing, digital services and knowledge-based sectors – industries that are less constrained by geography.

The investment conundrum

Yet to realise that potential, these countries need investment and they are not getting enough.

Despite more than 135 legal and policy reforms aimed at attracting foreign capital, foreign direct investment has declined by an average of 2 per cent over the past decade.

ESCAP’s analysis confirms this gap: landlocked countries in Asia are receiving far less infrastructure investment per person compared with coastal countries, even though their transport requirements are proportionally higher.

“Governments are trying to make their countries more attractive [but] investment is not coming in,” Ms. Grynspan said.

High risk factors, lack of guarantees, and a reliance on short-term financing are deterring investors.

“Multilateral development banks need to help us,” she added. “We need long-term, affordable financing and lowered cost of capital.” 

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UN urges MPs to deliver on development promises for 600 million in landlocked nations

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Speaking at Monday’s Parliamentary Forum of the Third UN Conference on LLDCs, senior UN leaders stressed that political will, matched with national legislative action, is essential if a new decade-long development plan is to make a real difference.

There are 32 such countries globally, home to over half a billion people. Many are also among the world’s least developed, hindered by high transport costs, limited access to global markets, and heightened vulnerability to climate impacts.

Cost burden

“These challenges are persistent and structural,” said High Representative Rabab Fatima who leads the office championing LLDCs. “They stem not just from being landlocked but from limited infrastructure, narrow export bases, and lack of access to finance.”

The figures, she said, tell a stark story: LLDCs account for seven per cent of the world’s population but only one per cent of global GDP. Trade costs are 30 per cent higher than for coastal states. Just 61 per cent of LLDC populations have electricity access, compared to 92 per cent globally — and fewer than 40 per cent are connected to the internet.

“These are not just statistics. They reflect real human challenges,” said Ms. Fatima.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres (left) meets President Serdar Gurbangulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan, during his visit for the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries being held in Awaza.

Be ‘champions of change’

She described the Awaza Programme of Action as “a milestone” and “a clear roadmap” to help transform structural disadvantages into opportunities. But she stressed that delivering on its goals requires action at the national level.

“Parliaments have a decisive role,” Ms. Fatima said. She urged lawmakers to align national strategies with the programme, secure financing, promote trade and integration, support good governance, and form parliamentary groups dedicated to implementation.

“You are lawmakers, you are budget-makers — and champions of change. Your leadership is essential to ensure that the Awaza Programme delivers tangible and lasting results for the 600 million people of LLDCs,” she told delegates.

Foundational role

President of the UN General Assembly Philémon Yang echoed her message, highlighting that “parliaments are essential to translating global commitments into measurable national progress.”

He emphasised that parliaments provide the legal framework for development in areas like infrastructure, innovation, and trade — and that they also hold the purse strings for key sectors such as education, healthcare, and climate action.

Addressing the urgency of environmental responsibility, Mr. Yang cited the July 2025 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed that climate action is a legal duty of all states.

Stronger cooperation

“Parliaments monitor government performance and ensure the efficient use of public funds,” Mr. Yang said. “Beyond policy and budgets, they are the bridge between the State and citizens.”

He also called for stronger inter-parliamentary cooperation — regionally and globally — to address the shared and specific challenges faced by LLDCs.

Concluding, Mr. Yang reaffirmed the UN General Assembly’s role as “the parliament of humanity,” committed to tracking progress and keeping LLDCs on the global development agenda.

“Let us strengthen this partnership between national parliaments and our global institutions,” he said, “so that we can deliver on the promise of sustainable development — a promise grounded in peace, prosperity, and dignity for everyone, everywhere.”

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Geography shouldn’t define destiny: UN summit on landlocked nations opens in Turkmenistan

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Urging global leaders to rethink development for landlocked nations, the UN chief declared: “We gather today to reaffirm a fundamental truth: geography should never define destiny.”

According to the UN Development Programme, of the 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) worldwide, 16 are in Africa, 10 in Asia, four in Europe, and two in Latin America. Together, they are home to over 500 million people.

Trade barriers, debt distress, and deep inequality

Mr. Guterres outlined the “daunting challenges” LLDCs continue to face – steep barriers to trade, high transport costs, and limited access to global markets. He warned that the debt burden of these countries has reached “dangerous and unsustainable levels.”

Although LLDCs account for seven per cent of the world’s population, they represent just over one percent of global economic output and trade. “This is a stark example of deep inequalities that perpetuate marginalization,” said the Secretary-General, attributing this to “an unfair global economic and financial architecture that does not reflect the realities of today’s interconnected world”, as well as to the legacy of colonialism.

Decade of ambition: the Awaza Programme of Action

The task before the conference, known as LLDC3 and running in Awaza through Friday, is to find solutions to these challenges.

“LLDC3 is about launching a new decade of ambition – through the Awaza Programme of Action and its deliverables – and fully unlocking the development potential of landlocked developing countries,” said Mr. Guterres.

Adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2024, that action plan represents a renewed and strengthened global commitment to support LLDCs’ development aspirations.

Four priorities for progress

The Secretary-General outlined four key priorities:

  1. Accelerate Economic Diversification & Digital Transformation
    • Invest in value-added industries, local innovation, and inclusive growth.
    • Bridge the digital divide to unlock AI, e-commerce, and smart logistics.
  2. Strengthen Trade, Transit & Regional Connectivity
    • Upgrade infrastructure and simplify cross-border procedures.
    • Integrate LLDCs into global value chains and reform trade systems.
  3. Advance Climate Action & Resilience
    • Double adaptation finance and build climate-resilient infrastructure.
    • Support LLDCs in green transitions with technology and partnerships.
  4. Mobilize Financing & Partnerships
    • Reform global financial systems to ensure fair, accessible funding.
    • Scale concessional finance and unlock climate investment at speed.

“The success of landlocked developing countries is essential to the success of the 2030 Agenda,” Mr. Guterres stressed.

“We have the knowledge, and we have the tools … Together, we can transform geography from a barrier to a bridge – connecting not just markets, but the peoples and cultures that give meaning to development.”

Speaking to reporters later, Mr. Guterres emphasized that the conference reflects a new era of cooperation taking shape across Central Asia – one grounded in mutual trust, shared priorities, and growing regional solidarity.
 
“At a time when multilateral cooperation is being tested, this spirit of partnership is more essential than ever,” he said.

Regional challenges, global solidarity

The session opened with a welcome from Turkmenistan’s President, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who highlighted national initiatives to strengthen international cooperation in healthcare, climate action, and environmental protection.

He also drew attention to regional challenges such as the drying of the Aral Sea and falling water levels in the Caspian Sea, which is the world’s largest enclosed body of water and the setting for the Third UN LLDC Conference.

In his remarks, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang noted the “rapidly approaching deadline for the 2030 Agenda” and called for decisive action and a renewed commitment to multilateralism and foundational values.

He emphasized that the three pillars of the UN Charter – peace, development, and human dignity – must remain at the heart of all efforts, and that actions must reflect the promise to leave no one behind.

Noting LLDCs’ vulnerability to climate change and structural challenges, Mr. Yang said these countries “must never lack access to opportunity, prosperity, or hope,” and called for international solidarity, infrastructure investment, and the practical realization of freedom of transit.

He also announced that the General Assembly had proclaimed 6 August as the International Day of Awareness on Landlocked Developing Countries, to be observed annually.

“The General Assembly will continue to serve as a global platform in support of these countries,” he said, emphasizing the importance of monitoring the Awaza Programme of Action and preparing for its high-level review in 2029.

Turning vulnerability into opportunity

Also addressing the opening session, Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the UN Economic and Social Council, said LLDC3 is “a pivotal moment” for the 32 landlocked nations striving to overcome structural barriers to development.

Hailing from Nepal, which is both landlocked and least developed, he emphasized that the Awaza Programme of Action must serve as a “bold, ambitious, actionable, and future-oriented blueprint” to turn vulnerability into opportunity for over 570 million people.

Mr. Thapa underscored the urgency of addressing the “growing complexity, scale and urgency” of challenges facing LLDCs, including debt distress, climate impacts, and infrastructure gaps. Mr. Thapa urged the creation of an infrastructure investment facility for LLDCs, along with scaled-up climate finance, increased concessional resources, and accelerated technology transfer.

He also stressed the importance of regional cooperation and sustainable transport, praised Turkmenistan’s leadership, and reaffirmed ECOSOC’s commitment to advancing the Awaza Programme of Action – pledging to integrate LLDC priorities such as food security, youth empowerment, and climate resilience across all ECOSOC discussions and processes.

LLDC3 continues tomorrow, Wednesday 6 August, with roundtables and events on a range of topics, including connectivity and transport, South-South cooperation, youth engagement and more. Find all our coverage here.

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Security Council, in unanimous vote, presses nations to resolve disputes peacefully

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The text, sponsored by Pakistan and adopted unanimously, reiterated that all States “shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means through dialogue, diplomatic engagement and cooperation in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.”

It also reiterated that nations must “refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”

Highlighting the need to prevent disputes from arising and escalating, the resolution further called on Member States to take “necessary measures for the effective implementation of Security Council resolutions for peaceful settlement of disputes.”

Mediation and preventive diplomacy

The text encouraged the Secretary‑General to ensure that the United Nations can “lead and support mediation and preventive diplomacy efforts,” while continuing to deploy his good offices.

It also took note “with appreciation” of the work of the UN’s Mediation Support Unit (MSU) and urged the Secretariat to ensure the availability of “well-trained, experienced, independent, impartial, and geographically and linguistically diverse mediation experts at all levels.”

The MSU is the UN system-wide focal point on mediation expertise and support, providing tailored operational support to peace and dialogue processes globally.

Participation of women and youth

The resolution also underscored the importance of integrating inclusive approaches to peaceful settlement of disputes; ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, and meaningful participation of youth in conflict prevention and dispute resolution efforts.

It also highlighted the role of regional and subregional organizations in complementing UN efforts, calling for enhanced information-sharing and cooperation.

The Council further requested that the Secretary‑General present “concrete recommendations for further strengthening the mechanisms for peaceful settlement of disputes” within one year, alongside plans for an open debate to review progress.

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UN’s Guterres declares fossil fuel era fading; presses nations for new climate plans before COP30 summit

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In a special address at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Guterres cited surging clean energy investment and plunging solar and wind costs that now outcompete fossil fuels.

“The energy transition is unstoppable, but the transition is not yet fast enough or fair enough,” he said.

The speech, A Moment of Opportunity: Supercharging the Clean Energy Age – a follow‑up to last year’s Moment of Truth – was delivered alongside a new UN technical report drawing on global energy and finance bodies.

“Just follow the money,” Mr. Guterres said, noting that $2 trillion flowed into clean energy last year, $800 billion more than fossil fuels and up almost 70 per cent in a decade.

Key points from the address

  • Point of no return – The world has irreversibly shifted towards renewables, with fossil fuels entering their decline
  • Clean energy surge – $2 trillion invested in clean energy last year, $800 billion more than fossil fuels
  • Cost revolution – Solar now 41 per cent cheaper and offshore wind 53 per cent cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives.
  • Global challenge – Calls on G20 nations to align new national climate plans with the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement
  • Energy security – Renewables ensure “real energy sovereignty”
  • Six opportunity areas – Climate plan ambition, modern grids, sustainable demand, just transition, trade reform, and finance for emerging markets.

A shift in possibility

He noted new data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) showing solar, once four times costlier, is now 41 per cent cheaper than fossil fuels.

Similarly, offshore wind is 53 per cent cheaper, with more than 90 per cent of new renewables worldwide beating the cheapest new fossil alternative.

“This is not just a shift in power. It is a shift in possibility,” he said.

Renewables nearly match fossil fuels in global installed power capacity, and “almost all the new power capacity built” last year came from renewables, he said, noting that every continent added more clean power than fossil fuels.

Clean energy is unstoppable

Mr. Guterres underscored that a clean energy future “is no longer a promise, it is a fact”. No government, no industry and no special interest can stop it.

“Of course, the fossil fuel lobby will try, and we know the lengths to which they will go. But, I have never been more confident that they will fail because we have passed the point of no return.”

He urged countries to lock ambition into the next round of national climate plans, or NDCs, due within months. Mr. Guterres called on the G20 countries, which are responsible for 80 per cent of emissions, to submit new plans aligned with the 1.5°C limit and present them at a high‑level event in September.

Targets, he added, must “double energy efficiency and triple renewables capacity by 2030” while accelerating “the transition away from fossil fuels”.

Real energy sovereignty

The Secretary-General also highlighted the geopolitical risks of fossil fuel dependence.

“The greatest threat to energy security today is fossil fuels,” he said, citing price shocks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“There are no price spikes for sunlight, no embargoes on wind. Renewables mean real energy security, real energy sovereignty and real freedom from fossil-fuel volatility.”

Six opportunity areas

Mr. Guterres mapped six “opportunity areas” to speed the transition: ambitious NDCs, modern grids and storage, meeting soaring demand sustainably, a just transition for workers and communities, trade reforms to broaden clean‑tech supply chains, and mobilising finance to emerging markets.

Financing, however, is the choke point. Africa, home to 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources, received just 2 per cent of global clean energy investment last year, he said.

Only one in five clean energy dollars over the past decade went to emerging and developing economies outside China. Flows must rise more than five-fold by 2030 to keep the 1.5-degree limit alive and deliver universal access.

Mr. Guterres urged reform of global finance, stronger multilateral development banks and debt relief, including debt‑for‑climate swaps.

“The fossil fuel age is flailing and failing. We are in the dawn of a new energy era,” he said in closing.

“That world is within reach, but it won’t happen on its own. Not fast enough. Not fair enough. It is up to us. This is our moment of opportunity.”

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Nations adopt historic pledge to guard against future pandemics

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The effects of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic are still being felt. Around seven million people died, health systems were overwhelmed, and the global economy was practically driven to a standstill.

The global turmoil prompted a stunned international community to pursue an agreement aimed at preventing such a catastrophic event from happening again – and ensuring the world is far better prepared in the future.

The landmark decision was made at the World Health Assembly, the annual meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Although the formal adoption was on Tuesday, the WHO’s Member States overwhelmingly approved the agrement on Monday (124 votes in favour, 0 objections, 11 abstentions).

This meant that, rather than a nail-biting vote with last-minute surprises (ahead of the conference, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, only felt able to express “cautious optimism”), the adoption by consensus had a celebratory feel.

“The agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action,” declared Tedros. “It will ensure we, collectively, can better protect the world from future pandemic threats.

“It is also a recognition by the international community that our citizens, societies and economies must not be left vulnerable to again suffer losses like those endured during COVID-19.”  

WHO Member States approved the first-ever Pandemic Agreement on 19 May 2025

‘Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’

The pandemic laid bare gross inequities between and within countries, when it came to diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines, and a core aim of the agreement is to plug gaps and treat any future pandemics in a fairer and more efficient way.

“Now that the Agreement has been brought to life, we must all act with the same urgency to implement its critical elements, including systems to ensure equitable access to life-saving pandemic-related health products,” announced Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, Secretary of the Philippines Department of Health, and President of this year’s World Health Assembly, who presided over the Agreement’s adoption.

“As COVID was a once-in-a-lifetime emergency, the WHO Pandemic Agreement offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on lessons learned from that crisis and ensure people worldwide are better protected if a future pandemic emerges.”

The issue of national sovereignty has been raised several times during the process of negotiating the accord, a reflection of false online claims that WHO is somehow attempting to wrest control away from individual countries.

The accord is at pains to point out that this is not the case, stating that nothing contained within it gives WHO any authority to change or interfere with national laws, or force nations to take measures such as banning travellers, impose vaccinations or implement lockdowns.

WHO Member States approved the first-ever Pandemic Agreement on 19 May 2025

 

Next steps

The adoption has been hailed as a groundbreaking step, but this is just the beginning of the process.

The next step is putting the agreement into practice, by launching a launching a process to draft and negotiate a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS) through an Intergovernmental Working Group.

The result of this process will be considered at next year’s World Health Assembly.

Once the Assembly adopts the PABS annex, the agreement will then be open for signature and consideration of ratification, including by national legislative bodies. After 60 ratifications, it will enter into force.

Other provisions include a new financial mechanism for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and the creation of a Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network to “enhance, facilitate, and work to remove barriers and ensure equitable, timely, rapid, safe, and affordable access to pandemic-related health products for countries in need during public health emergencies of international concern, including pandemic emergencies, and for prevention of such emergencies.”

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Stuck in the middle? Indebted nations plot path to growth amid global trade upheaval

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The High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries (MICs), held on 28 and 29 April, was attended by senior representatives from 24 MICs, many of which are highly indebted, leaving them little room for spending on developing their economies.

Since 2000, only 27 countries transitioned from middle income to high-income status, and many have experienced reversals back to middle-income level: 11 nations switched back and forth at least once before reaching their current high-income status.

“The transition of middle-income countries to high-income status while meeting sustainable development ambitions calls for the bolstering of financing for development,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) at the opening of the event. “This calls for domestic policy reforms aimed at expanding fiscal space, maintaining debt sustainability and channeling resources towards productive investments.”

The Makati Declaration on Middle-Income Countries calls for the UN to support MICs in accessing development financing, including via innovative financing mechanisms, and to provide support in a number of areas, ranging from programs and initiatives to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis to digital transformation and making countries more resilient to global shocks (see full list of measures below).

Delegates at the High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries (April 2025)

“We recognize that middle-income countries experience frequent growth slowdowns, and if left unaddressed, this loss of economic dynamism can cause countries to get stuck in what is referred to as the “middle-income trap,” the Declaration states. “We stress that middle-income countries continue to face specific challenges related to, inter alia, high levels of inequalities, low growth, persistent poverty, unemployment, loss of biodiversity, the adverse effects of disaster risks and climate change, reliance on primary commodity exports, high levels of external debt and the volatility of exchange rates and capital flows, and digital divide.”

MICs will strengthen cooperation among themselves and offer increasing resources under technical cooperation between countries in the global South, which could become particularly important given the recent reduction in development support from traditional donors of the global North.

“We are re-moulding traditional development partnerships as more MICs, including the Philippines, increase resources for South-South and technical cooperation,” said Enrique Manalo, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines at the event. “This is a trend that, if scaled up, could potentially result in game-changing dividends for the global development system.”

The Like-Minded Group of MICs are “as champions of multilateralism,” he added. “Carving a steady path for all middle-income countries behooves us to support strongly an international rules-based order underpinned by equity and justice.”

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