The UN Security Council addressed Thursday the deepening crisis in Haiti, centered on the Secretary-General’s latest report which highlights a security landscape of both intensified enforcement and rising civilian risk. The UN Special Representative told ambassadors elections are the ‘only legitimate path’ back to political stability, while his counterpart with the GSF said its success depends on ‘effective coordination’.
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers keynote address during the official opening ceremony of the Senqu Bridge in Mokhotlong, Kingdom of Lesotho.
The inauguration of the bridge represents a landmark achievement under Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) and stands as a testament to the enduring partnership and close cooperation between the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa.
The project signifies bilateral cooperation, contributing significantly to regional water security and economic development.
Vanessa Frazier, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, advocated for the release of children held for their or their family members’ alleged association with Da’esh.
She said, “Many remain in detention across northeastern Syria. These children should be treated primarily as victims, released from detention and handed over to child protection actors for the purpose of family reunification and reintegration. I am extremely concerned that over 150 children as well as an undetermined number of children who have turned 18 while in detention, were transferred to Iraq from Syria among adult detainees between January and February 2026.”
Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)
135,000 households including almost 176,000 children are living in temporary accommodation, too often in conditions unfit for human habitation.
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee is calling for urgent UK government action to strengthen protections, phase out unsuitable accommodation, and plan for long-term supply of good quality housing.
Special Representative for Libya Hanna Serwaa Tetteh said Libya faces a “critical” political, economic, and security juncture, with divided State institutions and stalled elections. She reiterated the UNSMIL roadmap can lead to institutional reunification, restoring legitimacy through elections and preserving the country’s unity.
Briefing the Security Council on the situation in Libya via video link, Tetteh thanked the Council’s support of UNSMIL and the implementation of the roadmap, as reaffirmed in its 3 March Press Statement. However, she said that we are not where we would like to be in terms of progress on the roadmap.
She noted that some Libyan actors continue to disregard the expectations of the public regarding their participation in political processes, or towards exercising political leadership based on democratic legitimacy. Parallel structures have been established outside of the framework of existing agreements, which can limit the effectiveness of the UNSMIL process aimed at institutional reunification and establishing democratic legitimacy for political leadership.
The Special Representative also highlighted, “Libya’s national wealth is being absorbed into a distorted political economy that fuels unaccountable spending and weaponises oil revenues.”
She said, “this diversion of resources without a consensus on agreed national priorities weakens fiscal discipline and undermines the State’s ability to function as a steward for implementing projects, programs and initiatives that respond to critical public priorities and social spending commitments.”
Tetteh cautioned that the country is facing a “significant but potentially short-lived” oil revenue windfall. “This creates a narrow window of opportunity to reinforce macroeconomic stability and restore integrity in public finance,” she added.
In this context, the UNSMIL chief welcomed the signing on 11 April of Annex No. 1 to the Unified Development Program by members of the House of Representatives and the High Council of State under the auspices of the Central Bank and supported by the United States, “as an important step towards greater fiscal coherence.”
The Special Representative also stated that the Sudan Regional Response Plan, which covers Libya, is intended to support approximately 597,000 Sudanese refugees and host communities in health, protection, and food security, with an estimated financial requirement of $115.5 million for 2026.
She urged Member States to support this effort, adding that in parallel, “efforts continue to advance the return or reintegration of internally displaced populations, primarily those linked to conflict, as part of the broader durable solutions agenda”
Industrial policy – government intervention in the economy – is on the rise around the world. Is this a new era for global trade, and what will be the impact on economies and international relations?
Speakers:
Erik Peterson, Partner and Managing Director, Global Business Policy Council, Kearney
Lizhi Liu, Assistant Professor, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University
Links:
Forum Stories:
Governments are now economic super actors. What does this mean for business?: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/governments-economic-actors-the-challenge-for-business/
Four trends to watch as China’s industrial policy evolves: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/02/china-industrial-policy-four-trends-to-watch/
Resources:
New Industrial Policy Observatory (NIPO): https://globaltradealert.org/reports/new-industrial-policy-observatory-nipo
Further reading:
Kearney: From Globalization to Islandization: https://www.kearney.com/service/global-business-policy-council/article/-/insights/from-globalization-to-islandization
OpenAI: Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age: Ideas to Keep People First: https://cdn.openai.com/pdf/561e7512-253e-424b-9734-ef4098440601/Industrial%20Policy%20for%20the%20Intelligence%20Age.pdf
Chokepoints, American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, by Edward Fishman: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726149/chokepoints-by-edward-fishman/
IMF: Industrial Policy Since the Great Financial Crisis: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2025/10/31/industrial-policy-since-the-great-financial-crisis-570816
NBER: Decoding China’s Industrial Policies: https://www.nber.org/papers/w33814
Exporting Automation, Not Just Goods: Evidence from China’s Industrial Robot Exports by Zhengrui Cheng, Shiliang Cui, Lizhi Liu: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6399698
Related podcasts:
Superpower rivalry and geopolitics in Trump 2.0: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/geopolitics-lynn-kuok-the-national/
"New era, new mood, new challenges" – historian Adam Tooze on why things will never be the same again: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/adam-tooze-cnbc-china-us-history/
Tariffs, globalization, and democracy, with Harvard economist Dani Rodrik: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/dani-rodrik-economics-globalization-tariffs/
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Meet the Leader – subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560
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