The United States, United Kingdom, and a handful of allied powers have blocked agreement on a draft declaration that advocates the need to accelerate progress on a set of critical development goals at a major summit at the United Nations headquarters next month, according to several diplomatic sources.
The Biden administration objected to a series of key provisions in the draft, including calls to reform the international financial system and establish a multibillion-dollar development stimulus plan, insisting that such matters be addressed within financial institutions and multilateral banks, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, according to those sources. The U.S. has maintained that it is committed to reform of the international financial system, but that it has concerns with how it is handled in the draft.
The move has thrown a spanner into high-level diplomatic talks over the fate of the U.N.’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which will mark their midpoint in September amid growing doubts they will be achieved. The negotiations, which are led by Qatar and Ireland, have largely been placed on pause and will not resume until later this month or early next, when delegates gather in New York for a marathon session aimed at reaching a deal before world leaders gather in New York for the Sept. 18-19 summit.
About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
