BERLIN, Germany – At the World Forum 2025, global leaders, policymakers and development experts from around the globe gathered to address some of the most urgent humanitarian and development challenges of our time. Among the speakers was Clint Borgen, founder and president of The Borgen Project, who participated in two key panels: “How to End Extreme Poverty by 2030” and “Africa’s Governance and Development: The Role of Foreign Aid and China’s Influence.” The Forum, organised as a multi-day conference, addressed critical issues from conflict resolution, the future of tech and AI, climate resilience and the fight against poverty and urged collaboration on global solutions.
A Call for Urgency and Realism
Borgen’s contributions, at the forum and in a follow-up interview, underscored the realism, urgency, and feasibility of ending extreme poverty. “Helping people who have absolutely nothing is not that complicated,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting the resources from the places that do have the resources, to people on the ground.” He pointed to global progress in reducing poverty, such as the halving of global extreme poverty between 1990 and 2015 and outlined policy solutions, including clean water access, education, support for farmers and mobile technologies that connect remote communities to economic opportunities.
The Role of U.S. Foreign Policy
During the discussion, Clint Borgen referenced the World Food Programme’s (WFP’s) estimate that an additional $40 billion per year could end world hunger by 2030. He pointed to the annual United States (U.S.) defence budget of more than $800 billion as a source of potential reallocation. He noted, “It’s just really hard to keep [politicians]focus on something that they don’t have a huge base of support for, or they don’t have financial interest like they do with the defense industry… But big picture, these issues are addressable. It’s just getting that political will to do so. We can address this problem.”
Reevaluating the 2030 Goal
When moderator Udo Jude Ilo, CEO of the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law, asked whether the 2030 target was still attainable, Borgen and the other panelists discussed the missed opportunity of the 2030 target, highlighting the need for renewed urgency and political will. Given current trends in U.S. politics, including cuts to USAID and unstable trade policies and with unknown long-term consequences, he sees the target slipping further out of reach. Borgen called for reinvestment in USAID, smarter trade frameworks and greater alignment between foreign policy and humanitarian goals. He also reinforced the necessity and importance of political will: “If the U.S. were even remotely politically engaged, I’d say maybe 2035 or 2040 is possible.”
Aid and Africa’s Development
In the second panel, Clint Borgen joined Ambassador David Shinn, former U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso; Grace Reinhardt of ForAfrika; and Dr. Walter Mzembi, former Zimbabwean Minister of Tourism. The group explored the evolving dynamics of foreign aid and the increasing influence of China in Africa’s development landscape.
As the U.S. retracts its aid commitments, Borgen sees a geopolitical opportunity for others to assume a stronger role in Africa. He suggested that countries offering direct humanitarian support, rather than profit-driven investments, could win long-term influence and goodwill. “You’re talking about a voting bloc, about 50 African countries at the United Nations (U.N.),” he pointed out. “Just by going in and doing basic goodwill efforts, any country can have an opportunity to kind of pick up where the U.S. left off… and it’s very much in your country’s interest to be doing that.”
The Power of Advocacy and Public Engagement
When asked what Western aid actors should change, he urged a renewed focus on advocacy, education and bottom-up accountability. “There hasn’t traditionally been a strong advocacy around humanitarian issues,” Borgen said. “That’s the void we’ve tried to fill.”
Through The Borgen Project, he encourages U.S. citizens to contact their representatives and support foreign aid legislation. “We’ve had success with targeted policy shifts,” he said, citing legislative victories related to clean water access, girls’ education and support for rural farmers. “But we need more people speaking up. It doesn’t take a lot of people to move Congress, but just enough emailing and calling to tip the balance.”
Policy reform was a key theme throughout his contributions. Borgen pushed for increased support and funding for grassroots advocacy organisations, greater political education and public campaigns that make aid tangible to everyday citizens. “We need to communicate that helping others abroad helps us at home, in terms of stability, economic growth and global security,” he said.
The Borgen Project’s Next Chapter
Clint Borgen said The Borgen Project’s mission is more urgent than ever. With foreign aid programmes under threat and democratic backsliding in donor countries, organisations that focus on global poverty serve as a critical bridge between public interest and political power. “The aid landscape is changing fast and if we don’t keep pushing, progress will stall.”
Reflecting on the Forum experience, Borgen described it as “a powerful moment to see people from so many different sectors come together with shared goals.” He ended his Forum reflections on a personal note. Having once volunteered in refugee camps during the Kosovo War, Borgen described hearing the President of Kosovo speak as a full-circle moment. “To see someone who was a refugee during that conflict now leading their country, that’s the kind of transformation we work for. It shows that progress is possible.”
A Shared Responsibility
As humanitarian needs rise and global tensions mount, Borgen’s message remains clear: ending extreme poverty requires political will, public advocacy and sustained commitment. Indeed, through education and action, citizens and leaders alike have a role to play.
– Isobel Hurst
Isobel is based in Berlin, Germany and focuses on Good News, Politics for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Flickr