the international community has implemented a series of measures to address unsustainable debt burdens in low-income countries (LICs). While milestone achievements in debt relief have been made, the ongoing impact of unsustainable debt burdens on LICs’ development still demands redress. Debt relief and cancellation are necessary but not sufficient. There are serious implications that a lack of transparency, accountability, and respect for democratic processes and information sharing has in loan contractions and international financing. Holistic reflections on the interplay of political, economic, and institutional factors (domestic and external) that contributed to the creation of the debt crisis must be reanalyzed in order to develop long-lasting solutions to the root causes of structural and chronic poverty.