Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
The Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane briefs the media on the developments and processes regarding the Prevention of Illegal Eviction and Unlawful Occupation of Land (PIE) Amendment Bill of 2026. This follows the Cabinet’s approval of the Amendment Bill to go for public comments.
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
The Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane briefs the media on the developments and processes regarding the Prevention of Illegal Eviction and Unlawful Occupation of Land (PIE) Amendment Bill of 2026. This follows the Cabinet’s approval of the Amendment Bill to go for public comments.
Source: European Central Bank (video statements)
📊 What are interest rates—and why do they matter?
In this video, we explain what interest rates are, how they are determined, and how they influence the economy—from your savings to your mortgage and business loans.
This video is part of our “Statistics Explained” series, based on the “Statistics explained” section of the ECB Data portal, which provides easy-to-understand background information on statistical concepts and methodologies.
🔎 Learn more about interest rates on the ECB Data portal: https://data.ecb.europa.eu/methodology/what-are-interest-rates
📊 Follow ECB Data on LinkedIn for more insights and videos: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/ecb-data
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa met with key industry leaders including José Luis Gascó of Indra Sistemas, Jaime Real de Asúa Arteche of Elecnor Group, José Manuel Entrecanales Domecq of Acciona, and Bernardo Velázquez Herreros of Columbus Stainless Steel during the Working Visit to Spain.
🤝 Engagements focused on strengthening bilateral relations and unlocking opportunities in technology, energy, infrastructure, and industrial development.
🌍 Advancing trade, investment, and sustainable economic growth between South Africa and Spain.
#SAinSpain #Investment #EconomicGrowth #GovZAUpdates
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the the South Africa – Spain Business Forum in Madrid.
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Remarks by Ambassador Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, on the situation in the Middle East.
Danon told reporters, “in one hour at 5 pm our time, a ten-day ceasefire will come into effect between Israel and Lebanon as Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed. We got to this point as a result of the IDF’s heroic actions in pushing back Hezbollah in many operations, including the pager attacks and the elimination of Nasrallah.”
Speaking to reporters today (16 Apr) in New York, Ambassador Danon criticized the UN Secretary-General’s “outrageous remarks” made earlier this week.
Ambassador Danon said, “in the very day Israel and Lebanon were engaged in historic negotiations. He went so far as to claim that Israel and Hezbollah have, and I quote ‘helped each other to destabilize Lebanon.’ That is simply false.”
The Israeli Ambassador continued, “at a historic moment, when the region is taking steps toward direct dialog between Israel and Lebanon, when others are choosing progress, the Secretary-General choose to do exactly the opposite. He chose to cast doubt. He chose to blur the truth. He chose to draw a comparison between a sovereign state and a terrorist organization. That is shameful.”
Ambassador Danon asked, “on what moral ground that the Secretary-General equate a democracy defending its citizens with an Iranian backed terrorist proxy?” adding that “there is no answer to that. To put them in the same category is a complete distortion of reality.”
“Secretary-General Guterres, this is shameful. Retract your comments. Correct the record. Do your job,” the Israeli Ambassador said.
On the Strait of Hormuz, Ambassador Danon said that it “should concern every country in the General Assembly,” adding that “Iran is trying to choke one of the world’s most important waterways and turn it into weapons. They block ships, they harass them. Then they name a price – pay and you pass, refuse and you are stopped. That is not trade. That is economic terrorism.”
He continued, “after weeks of negotiations, even a stripped-down Security Council resolution was vetoed. So we have to be clear about what comes next. We need a clear resolution, strong one, one that will deal with enrich uranium, with the ballistic missiles, with the proxies. That’s what we expect from the Security Council.”
Ambassador Danon also said, “there is one thing that is very troubling is that some countries choose to go behind closed doors and sign secret deals with the Iranian regime. No transparency, no accountability. It’s also shameful.”
Asked about the ceasefire between his country and Lebanon, the Israeli Ambassador said, “it is in our view, we will have to follow very carefully what’s happening on the ground. And if we feel threatened, we will react. We are not going anywhere. We are holding our positions. we agreed for ten days holding those positions. Having a ceasefire. and we all know that, the problem is not with the Lebanese government. The problem is with Hezbollah.”
He added, “we believe in direct negotiations with Lebanon, but we are aware of the complexity that you deal with the Lebanese government, but Hezbollah, they don’t take orders from the Lebanese government. They take orders from Iran. We know it’s complex, but we are willing to give it a try.”
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
After its fastest growth in a decade in 2025, sub-Saharan Africa faces a new test. The war in the Middle East is pushing up commodity and shipping costs, and growth is expected to slow to 4.3% in 2026. Many countries in the region will be the hardest hit. IMF African Department Director Abebe Aemro Selassie explains: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/reo/ssa/issues/2026/04/16/regional-economic-outlook-for-sub-saharan-africa-april-2026?cid=sm-com-yt-sm26-REOAFREA2026001
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
The global economy is navigating turbulence. Trade is shifting. Geopolitical risks are rising. And the war in the Middle East is once again testing resilience.
On April 16 at 12:00 PM ET, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva sits down with Thailand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ekniti Nitithanprapas; Banque de France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau; S&P Global President and CEO Martina Cheung; and Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy and Professor of Economics at Cornell University Eswar Prasad to debate how policymakers deliver stability and durably raise growth in a more shock-prone world.
Maria Bartiromo moderates.
Watch live: https://imf.org/GlobalDebate
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Europe is once again under pressure. A renewed escalation of the war in the Middle East is adding to an already uncertain global environment—driving energy price volatility, complicating the inflation outlook, and testing Europe’s economic resilience. This comes at a time when growth remains subdued, productivity gains are limited, and fiscal space is increasingly constrained. At the same time, Europe faces rising demands: strengthening energy security, financing defense, advancing the green and digital transitions, and maintaining social cohesion. The challenge is no longer how to respond to a single shock—but how to operate in a world of repeated and overlapping shocks. In this Governor’s Talk, Alfred Kammer and Eurogroup President Kyriakos Pierrakakis will discuss how Europe can secure both stronger growth and greater resilience—by deepening integration, strengthening policy frameworks, and making difficult but necessary choices. https://www.imfconnect.org/content/imf/en/annual-meetings/calendar/open/2026/04/16/207106.html
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Secretary-General/Travels
Secretary-General/Washington
Lebanon
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Ukraine
Sudan
Abyei
MONUSCO
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
This morning, the Secretary-General arrived in The Hague to participate in the commemoration of the eightieth anniversary of the International Court of Justice, which will take place tomorrow at the Peace Palace.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General met with the Mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen.
Afterward, the Secretary-General said that he couldn’t be in The Hague in a better moment, as we mark the 80th anniversary of the International Court of Justice that is the fundamental pillar of the international justice system.
He added that “this is a difficult moment, a moment in which international law has been putting into question by many.” He said that lawlessness brings chaos and destruction, and so it is very important to reaffirm the primacy of international law, and to reaffirm that the force of the law must prevail over the law of the force.
Tomorrow, apart from addressing a Solemn Sitting of the ICJ, the Secretary-General is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister and Minister for General Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten, and with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Tom Berendsen. He will also meet the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands and with Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/WASHINGTON
Yesterday afternoon in Washington, the Secretary-General joined World Bank President Ajay Banga at the closing of the Bank’s Water Forward Initiative. He told participants that the UN fully supports the Bank’s initiative and added that no strategy for development is sustainable if water is not an essential part of that strategy. It is totally unacceptable, he said, that access to water is not considered a basic human right.
Mr. Guterres called on governments to show the political will to engage in bilateral or multilateral dialogue to manage water crises, which can, all too often, be drivers of conflict.
The Secretary-General then helped launch the Borrowers’ Platform, which he called a historic breakthrough to address deep inequities in the global financial and debt architecture. He said borrower countries have long lacked a space comparable to creditor coordination forums.
The Platform will allow borrowing countries to sit together, share experience, build technical capacity and speak with a collective voice. The Secretary-General stressed that changing power relations is essential to achieving a fairer, more inclusive international financial system, noting the central role of UNCTAD as its secretariat.
While in Washington, the Secretary-General met with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, and also with the Finance Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Aurangzeb. The Secretary-General and the Finance Minister discussed the recently-launched platform. The Secretary-General took the opportunity to once again thank Pakistan for its effort in helping to resolve the current conflict in the Middle East.
Full Highlight: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-04-16
