UN Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by adopting a declaration on Wednesday, July 16, 2026, that outlines reforms aimed at closing the $4 trillion financing gap for the SDGs.

The declaration, marking the conclusion of the UN’s High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) held in New York starting July 7 under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), calls for mobilizing public and private investment, expanding debt relief mechanisms for developing countries, and combating misconduct.

Despite these commitments, official development assistance (ODA) fell by 23.1% between 2024 and 2025, largely due to reduced aid from the US, UK, Germany, France, and Japan, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The declaration urges developed countries to scale up ODA to the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI). If all OECD Development Assistance Committee members had met this target in 2023, an additional $200 billion in aid would have been available.

The declaration also acknowledges the UN’s liquidity constraints, condemns attacks on critical infrastructure such as shipping routes, identifies eradicating poverty as the greatest global challenge, highlights the need for inclusive artificial intelligence governance, and criticizes unilateral trade measures amid current geopolitical tensions.

Economic and Social Council President Lok Bahadur Thapa stated, “Today’s outcome demonstrates that, through dialogue, mutual respect and compromise, multilateralism can deliver meaningful results.”

UN Committee for Development Policy Chair José Antonio Ocampo emphasized that reducing the high cost of borrowing and increasing the capacity of multilateral development banks will be key to accelerating SDG progress. Additionally, Mohammed noted that the UN is exploring multiple possibilities beyond the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the potential for a new set of goals.

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