Exclusive: US balked at advancing UN $500B development stimulus

For much of the past year, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres promoted a plan for the world’s highest-income countries to establish a $500 billion-a-year stimulus plan to accelerate the global quest to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The Biden administration has its reservations.

In closed-door negotiations in New York this month, the United States — alongside Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom — sought to water down a provision that would commit world leaders to “advance” Guterres’ proposal in a “timely manner.” Instead, the U.S.-led group suggested they merely “continue to discuss” the U.N. chief’s stimulus plan.

This article is free to read - just register or sign in

Access news, newsletters, events and more.

Join us