Newsletter

Never Miss an Update.

Explore Recent Editions

Reversing the Vicious Cycle of Debt, Underdevelopment and Environmental Change

June 19, 2025

As the Jubilee Year 2025 progresses, ambitions to resolve the debt crisis and reform the international financial architecture are being thwarted—both by unforeseen geopolitical developments and by creditor nation’s insistence on preserving the status quo. […]

Momentum for reform, however, continues to build beyond the negotiating rooms. On Friday, 20 June, the Jubilee Commission chaired by Joseph E. Stiglitz will release in the Vatican its long-anticipated Jubilee Report on Addressing the Debt and Development Crises, making a powerful moral and political case for a new approach to sovereign debt. The Commission will also host a strategic planning roundtable bringing together leaders of several high level commissions and other experts. Debt Relief for a Green and Inclusive Recovery (DRGR) Project Co-Chair Jörg Haas will represent the initiative at this event.

That same week, during London Climate Action Week, SOAS and the DRGR Project will host a timely event titled “Reversing the Vicious Cycle of Debt, Underdevelopment, and Environmental Change.” Register here for the event.

Rice Terrace in Cusco, Peru
Washington D.C.

Navigating Uncertainty: Debt Relief and Reform at the 2025 WBG/IMF Spring Meetings

April 30, 2025

The 2025 IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings took place against a backdrop of deepening financial instability, with emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) facing mounting debt, shrinking fiscal space, and rising trade tensions. Despite urgent calls for comprehensive debt relief, IMF policy advice continues to emphasize fiscal tightening – overlooking the reality that many countries cannot stabilize their finances without meaningful debt restructuring and more affordable borrowing costs.

Read our full assessment of the outcomes of the 2025 IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings here.

2025 World Bank Group and IMF Spring Meetings: Sovereign Debt, Global Shocks & the Path Forward

April 17, 2025


On April 23, the DRGR Project will host a side event exploring what this means for countries with high debt burdens. Join Indermit Gill, Penelope Hakwins, HE Yemi Osinbajo and others for a timely discussion here.

Meanwhile, bilateral aid cuts are straining essential services and deepening vulnerabilities across the Global South. Yet, amid these compounding crises, momentum for meaningful reform is building.

Country Road at Dusk