Rebeca Grynspan at UNGA80 event The Power of Purpose calls for debt and trade reforms to advance development
5 September 2025 — Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), spoke at The Power of Purpose at Rockefeller Center during UNGA80. The event, hosted by Foreign Policy, explored how mission-driven models—rooted in ethics, community leadership, and faith traditions—are reshaping debates on development institutions, local ownership, and the moral foundations of international aid. In her intervention, Grynspan stressed that today, 3.4 billion people live in countries spending more on debt service than on health or education, calling this not just a debt crisis but a development crisis. She urged reforms in the international financial architecture and global trade system to unlock opportunities for developing countries, particularly in Africa, and emphasized optimism, agency, and collective action as key to shaping a fairer future. Photo credit: Jonathan Heisler
