The future of international development cooperation amid growing geopolitical and socio-economic challenges was at the center of the panel discussion “International Development Cooperation: Challenges and Prospects,” held within the framework of the Yerevan Dialogue 2026. The session brought together high-level officials and experts to assess the changing dynamics of global development cooperation and the obstacles facing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The discussion was moderated by Latika Bourke, Writer-at-Large of The Nightly, and featured Robert Abisoghomonyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Pedro Manuel Moreno, Acting Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development, Ivana Živković, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, Kaveh Zahedi, Assistant Director-General and Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment of the Food and Agriculture Organization, Khisrav Sohibzoda, Ambassador-at-Large and Special Envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, and David Fernandez Puyana, Ambassador and Permanent Observer of the University for Peace to the United Nations in Geneva and Vienna.
Participants examined the increasing pressures affecting international development cooperation, including armed conflicts, geopolitical fragmentation, environmental crises, and widening inequalities, all of which continue to hinder progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The discussion also addressed ongoing efforts to reform the United Nations development system and adapt global financial mechanisms to emerging international challenges.
Particular attention was devoted to the need to revitalize international development cooperation through stronger multilateral frameworks, enhanced financing mechanisms, and closer coordination among international stakeholders. Participants also explored the implications of shifting global priorities, including the growing allocation of resources toward security-related expenditures.
The discussion underscored that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will require renewed commitment to inclusive international cooperation, institutional reform, and practical policy solutions aimed at addressing the needs of the world’s most vulnerable countries and communities.
