Interactive dialogue with Mr. Macky Sall. Mr. Sall was nominated on 2 March 2026 by Burundi.
The process for the selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General has been formally initiated by the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council through a joint letter dated 25 November 2025. The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock, has committed to guiding this process in a transparent and inclusive manner.
General Assembly resolution 79/327 on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly sets out the process for the selection and appointment in line with Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Article 97: "The Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary-General and such staff as the Organization may require. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. He shall be the chief administrative officer of the Organization.".
Interactive dialogue with Ms. Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis. Ms. Grynspan was nominated on 3 March 2026 by Costa Rica.
The process for the selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General has been formally initiated by the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council through a joint letter dated 25 November 2025. The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock, has committed to guiding this process in a transparent and inclusive manner.
General Assembly resolution 79/327 on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly sets out the process for the selection and appointment in line with Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Article 97: "The Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary-General and such staff as the Organization may require. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. He shall be the chief administrative officer of the Organization.".
Informal comments to the media by Michelle Bachelet Jeria, Candidate for UN Secretary-General, following her Interactive dialogue for the position of the next Secretary-General.
Comments to the media by Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, President of the Security Council for the month of April 2026 and Permanent Representative of the Mission of Bahrain to the United Nations, on Lebanon.
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Petersberg Climate Dialogue
Senior Personnel Appointment – ESCWA
Lebanon/Israel
Lebanon/Humanitarian
Middle East
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Yemen
Sudan
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Afghanistan
Security Council/Colombia
Security Council/Ukraine
Migrants
UNESCO Sites/Report
Trust Fund in Support of Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
Haiti
PETERSBERG CLIMATE DIALOGUE
This morning, the Secretary-General addressed via a video message the 17th Petersberg Climate Dialogue, which is taking place in Berlin, in Germany. He noted that the conflict in the Middle East has triggered the most severe energy crisis in a generation, and it makes one fact crystal clear: fossil fuels are not just wrecking our planet, they are holding economies hostage.
The Secretary-General underscored that there is another way. Last year, he noted, clean energy investment surged to 2.2 trillion dollars worldwide – double fossil fuel investment.
The Secretary-General pointed out that renewables deliver what fossil fuels never can: real and lasting energy security. But, he said, that requires action on three fronts. First, we must respond to the energy crisis without deepening the climate crisis.
Second, we must build the infrastructure that can deliver this transition, and third, it is time to mobilize finance at scale.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT – ESCWA
Personnel appointment that I want to read into the record. Yesterday evening, the Secretary-General appointed Rania A. Al-Mashat of Egypt as the next Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, otherwise known as ESCWA.
She succeeds Rola Dashti of Kuwait, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedicated service to the United Nations. The Secretary-General also extends his appreciation to Mourad Wahba who will continue to serve as Acting Executive Secretary until Ms. Al-Mashat assumes her position.
She comes to us as an international expert in economic diplomacy, with over 25 years of experience in macroeconomic policy; central banking and monetary policy frameworks.
For eight consecutive years (2018-2026), she was a Minister in Egypt on three portfolios: Tourism, International Cooperation and Planning, as well as Economic Development and International Cooperation.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-04-21
Informal comments to the media by Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly, ahead of the interactive dialogues for the position of the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Interactive dialogue with Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi. Mr. Grossi was nominated on 26 November 2025 by Argentina.
The process for the selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General has been formally initiated by the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council through a joint letter dated 25 November 2025. The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock, has committed to guiding this process in a transparent and inclusive manner.
General Assembly resolution 79/327 on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly sets out the process for the selection and appointment in line with Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Article 97: "The Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary-General and such staff as the Organization may require. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. He shall be the chief administrative officer of the Organization."
Interactive dialogue with Ms. Michelle Bachelet Jeria. Ms. Bachelet was nominated on 2 February 2026 by Chile, Brazil, and Mexico.
The process for the selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General has been formally initiated by the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council through a joint letter dated 25 November 2025. The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock, has committed to guiding this process in a transparent and inclusive manner.
General Assembly resolution 79/327 on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly sets out the process for the selection and appointment in line with Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Article 97: "The Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary-General and such staff as the Organization may require. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. He shall be the chief administrative officer of the Organization."
A new UN report warned that the Asia-Pacific region’s economic outlook is under pressure from rising tensions and prices.
Today (20 Apr), at the launch of the report, Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, Hamza Malik, Director of the Macroeconomic Policy and Financing for Development Division at ESCAP, said, “Asia Pacific remains the engine of global economic growth, so more than half, or about 53.4 percent of growth is expected to come from Asia Pacific region. So, whatever happens in Asia Pacific matters for the rest of the world.”
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is adding fresh pressure to the economic outlook of Asia and the Pacific, disrupting energy and commodity markets and trade and connectivity routes at a time of already high global economic uncertainty, according to a new United Nations report.
The 2026 edition of the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific, published by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), highlights that rising energy and food prices, along with weaker global demand, are dimming economic growth prospects and increasing the cost of living across the region.
Low-skilled workers and low-income households are particularly vulnerable, as they are more exposed to rising living costs and have limited access to social protection.
High public debt vulnerabilities and a likely increase in interest rates due to higher inflation expectations may constrain the ability of Governments to respond to the latest economic shocks.
ESCAP is projecting, although with considerable uncertainty, that developing economies in the region will grow by an average of 4 percent in 2026, down from 4.6 percent in 2025, and inflation will rise to an average of 4.6 percent in 2026, up from 3.5 percent in 2025, reversing recent gains in inflation stability.
Despite this moderation, the region is expected to remain the fastest-growing developing region globally.
However, sustaining this performance will require a gradual shift from a primarily export-driven growth approach towards stronger domestic and regional sources of demand.
Key priorities in this regard include boosting productivity, expanding social protection, improving access to finance, and strengthening digital and physical connectivity across the region. Deeper regional cooperation will be critical to offset the effects of global economic fragmentation.
The ongoing global energy crisis is yet another wake-up call for Asia and the Pacific to strengthen energy resilience, including through homegrown renewable energy.
An energy transition could help reverse years of regression in Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate action.
However, in the report, ESCAP cautions that transition policies must be carefully designed to avoid unintended socioeconomic consequences.
Measures to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, expand renewable energy and improve energy efficiency could increase inflation, weaken fiscal positions, increase poverty and widen income inequality if not implemented in a calibrated and consultative manner.
In the report, ESCAP also finds that economic policy issues are still only weakly integrated into most national transition strategies. Policy choices need to reflect country-specific conditions.
A gradual fossil fuel subsidy cut would help cushion people’s purchasing power, especially where fiscal support to mitigate higher energy prices is constrained.
Meanwhile, countries with deeper financial markets can mobilize private capital for green investment.
Many least developed countries and small island developing States will require stronger international support to ensure access to affordable and reliable energy.
According to the report, political economic insights can further support these efforts.
For example, Governments can time energy transitions when political popularity is high, while creating new beneficiaries in renewable energy sectors to help to sustain the reform momentum.
Furthermore, the report highlights how behavioural insights can boost policy uptake, such as increasing the adoption of low-carbon technologies through peer comparisons or improving public acceptance of carbon pricing when revenues are used transparently and equitably.
