Fact Check: UN Warns Global Development is Going Backward Amid Debt Crisis
What We Know
The claim that the United Nations (UN) has warned that global development is regressing due to a debt crisis is supported by several recent reports. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024 indicates that development is facing significant challenges, particularly in low-income countries where debt service payments are surging. This report highlights that current progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is falling short, with only 17% of the goals being met as of 2024 (Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024).
Moreover, a recent article from the UN states that a decade after the adoption of the SDGs, development is encountering serious obstacles, which UN officials have described as a “silent crisis” of increasing debt burdens (New UN report charts path out of debt crisis threatening global development). The Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, Amina Mohammed, emphasized that the debt crisis is a critical factor undermining global development efforts (New UN report charts path out of debt crisis threatening global development).
Analysis
The evidence from the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024 and other UN communications strongly supports the claim that global development is regressing due to the debt crisis. The report outlines that the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating conflicts, and climate change have severely hindered progress towards achieving the SDGs. It notes that without significant investment and action, the goals of eradicating poverty and ensuring sustainable development will remain unattainable (Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024, New UN report charts path out of debt crisis threatening global development).
The reliability of these sources is high, as they are official UN documents prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and other credible UN bodies. The Sustainable Development Goals Report is an annual publication that provides a comprehensive assessment of global progress towards the SDGs, relying on data from over 200 countries and territories (Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024).
Additionally, the statements made by UN officials, including Secretary-General António Guterres and Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, lend further credibility to the claim. Their roles within the UN and their public statements are based on extensive research and data analysis conducted by the organization (New UN report charts path out of debt crisis threatening global development).
Conclusion
The claim that the UN warns global development is going backward amid a debt crisis is True. The evidence from multiple UN reports and statements clearly indicates that the rising debt burdens in low-income countries are significantly impeding progress towards achieving sustainable development goals. The ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and climate change further exacerbate this situation, confirming the validity of the claim.
Sources
- The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024 - UNSD
- New UN report charts path out of debt crisis threatening ...
- SDG Indicators
- New UN report charts path out of debt crisis threatening global ...
- System of National Accounts
- 50 percent of world’s poorest need debt relief now to avert
- Con menos de una quinta parte de los objetivos cumplidos, el ...
- Nations are meeting to drum up trillions to combat poverty
