Marcella Favretto, acting chief of the Development, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Branch of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), warned at the 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance in Beijing on Thursday that global aid has hit a record annual slump.
The drastic fall in development assistance comes as global military spending keeps climbing.
She said that in this context, the United Nations welcomes the Global Governance Initiative which was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus Meeting in September 2025, the year marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.
"Military expenditure reached nearly three trillion U.S. dollars in 2025, the 11th consecutive year of growth. At the same time, official development assistance declined by six percent in 2024 and fell by a further 23 percent in 2025. In this context, we welcome the Global Governance Initiative commitment to multilateralism, to the principles of UN Charter and to the application of international law," she said.
In her speech, Favretto also called on UN member states to renew their commitments to multilateralism and international human rights law, to strengthen international cooperation, and to ensure the global economic governance serves people and the globe.
Under the theme of "Joint Development, Shared Human Rights: The 40th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development and a New Vision for Global Human Rights Governance," the forum running till Friday has gathered over 400 participants from over 100 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations.
UN official deplores record slump in aid, surging military spending
