Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Thailand is preparing to host world leaders and policymakers in Bangkok for the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings, a milestone that comes 35 years after the country last hosted the gathering.
Bank of Thailand Assistant Governor Chayawadee Chai-anant explains how Thailand’s New Horizons vision puts people and resilience at the heart of economic progress. She also shares the ambition to develop a “Bangkok Blueprint,” a practical framework that countries can use to strengthen digital finance safeguards.
Learn more about the Annual Meetings: https://www.imf.org/en/news/seminars/campaigns/2026/10/thailand-2026
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
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Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa holds a bilateral meeting with The Right Honourable Mr Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho, on the margins of the 46th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Durban.
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa holds a bilateral meeting with His Excellency Colonel Michael Randrianirina, President of the Refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar, on the margins of the 46th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in Durban, South Africa.
Stories have the power to bear witness, build understanding and inspire action. In this Goals Lounge conversation, Yazidi survivor Mediha and documentary filmmaker Hasan Oswald join Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, for a deeply personal conversation about survival, resilience, storytelling and the pursuit of justice.
At the heart of the discussion is Mediha, the documentary that follows Mediha’s journey after surviving ISIS captivity, as she continues her search for missing family members and works to rebuild her life. The conversation explores the enduring impact of violence and displacement, the strength of Yazidi identity and community, and the importance of ensuring that survivors’ voices are heard.
Mediha and Hasan also reflect on the process of bringing her story to the screen and the role storytelling can play in fostering greater understanding, dignity and accountability.
Informal comments to the media by Lewis Garseedah Brown II, Permanent Representative of Liberia to the United Nations, joined by Austria, Bahrain, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Pakistan, Panama, Portugal, Somalia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe, on on Subsidiary Bodies by the Elected Members (E-10) and Incoming Members of the UN Security Council.
Stories have the power to bear witness, build understanding and inspire action. In this Goals Lounge conversation, Yazidi survivor Mediha and documentary filmmaker Hasan Oswald join Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, for a deeply personal conversation about survival, resilience, storytelling and the pursuit of justice.
At the heart of the discussion is Mediha, the documentary that follows Mediha’s journey after surviving ISIS captivity, as she continues her search for missing family members and works to rebuild her life. The conversation explores the enduring impact of violence and displacement, the strength of Yazidi identity and community, and the importance of ensuring that survivors’ voices are heard.
Mediha and Hasan also reflect on the process of bringing her story to the screen and the role storytelling can play in fostering greater understanding, dignity and accountability.
UN Special Representative for Libya Hanna Serwaa Tetteh said that critical infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to pressures that the country cannot ignore due to its impact on people across all three regions of the country.
Addressing the Security Council, Tetteh said, “The need to move Libya’s political process forward remains crucial. The recent widespread electricity outages and public discontent, exacerbated by a prolonged heatwave, have exposed the consequences of institutional fragmentation, large-scale diversion of public resources, underinvestment and uncoordinated decision-making, all of which are essentially failures of governance.”
She said, “The crisis highlights a striking paradox. According to National Oil Corporation (NOC) data, approximately USD 1 billion is spent monthly on fuel imports, yet electricity systems remain vulnerable to fuel shortages. Evidence of large-scale diversion of subsidised fuel in the electricity and security sectors, as I have highlighted in previous briefings and has also been reported by the panel of experts, underscores the need for stronger oversight, accountability and coordination to ensure public resources are used to deliver the essential services Libyans depend on. The diversion of subsidised fuel is an unacceptable abuse of public resources and those responsible must be investigated and held accountable.”
She reported, “On 9 August the Governor of the Central Bank of Libya submitted a letter to the two chambers requesting to be relieved of his position. The move is an indication of the mounting pressure on the Central Bank – precisely the pressure the Unified Development Programme spending framework was intended to contain. The concerns raised by the Governor should be treated with seriousness and a sense of urgency. We encourage the Central Bank to resume publication of its monthly revenue and expenditure bulletins as previously announced in an effort to promote greater transparency and accountability.”
She also noted that Benghazi experienced a violent incident with the assassination of Major General Fawzi Mansuri, Director of the Military Intelligence Department for the LNA, on 10 August, in a reported car bombing.
She condemned “such acts of targeted violence and urge the authorities to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.”
She said, “Regrettably, the fragmentation of the judiciary persists. The conflicting outcomes of judicial challenges filed in relation to the dismissal and appointment of the intelligence chief demonstrate why this situation also needs to be addressed urgently.
She also said, “ Women in Libya continue to call for their full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in public life. I am concerned by the increase in hate speech, intimidation and misinformation targeting women and seeking to silence or marginalise their voices.”
She highlighted, “The UNSMIL-facilitated roadmap has made important progress. The Structured Dialogue concluded and the first two milestones of the roadmap have advanced, including on some of the most sensitive issues. However, it is important to note that progress does not solely require the efforts of UNSMIL but a sustained willingness of the Libyan political actors to engage constructively.”
Interactive dialogue with Mr. Olara Otunnu. Mr. Otunnu was nominated on 24 July 2026 by Uganda.
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."
More info: https://www.un.org/en/sg-selection-and-appointment
