Trump cuts to foreign aid looms large at UN development conference

Nations gathered in Seville for a UN-led conference to discuss international development on Monday – with the glaring exception of the US, which snubbed the event after making drastic cuts to its funding for foreign aid. The US withdrawal from international development initiatives has emboldened countries such as France, the UK, and Germany to cut their own foreign aid budgets in favour of defence spending, severely crippling those dependent on international development programs. “Financing is the engine of development, and right now, that engine is choking,” said UN head Antonio Guterres.