UN Secretary‑General urges bigger finance, governance reforms to help developing countries

United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres told the Group of 77 and China that 2025 must be “the year of keeping promises to developing countries,” urging richer nations and multilateral institutions to expand finance, reform debt and governance structures, and ensure developing countries share in the benefits of new technologies and the energy transition.

Guterres made the remarks while addressing the intergovernmental coalition on the margins of its annual gathering, commending Uganda’s stewardship of the Group of 77 and China over the previous year and congratulating Iraq as the group’s chair for 2025. He framed his appeal around the need to accelerate action so that countries can deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The secretary‑general said the world faces overlapping crises —…