DebtCon9 will convene amid rising sovereign debt distress, compounded by the rising food and fuel costs in the wake of the Iran war as well as shrinking foreign aid flows from many countries of the Global North. These pressures coincide with acute refinancing risks from elevated global interest rates and a wave if emerging market maturities through 2027. Additional challenges include geopolitical fragmentation, the intensifying climate crisis, fiscal rigidities from increasing defense and social spending, and political polarization – all demanding interdisciplinary solutions, as these dynamics echo historical crises yet require fresh policy innovations.[…]