Amid major geoeconomic and geopolitical shifts, compounded by rapid technological advancements, the need for agile, collaborative and cross-disciplinary thinking has never been more urgent.
What steps are required to foster constructive, iterative dialogue in an era of rapid change and uncertainty?
Speakers:
Robert M. Lee, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Dragos
Sylvia Earle, Creator, Mission Blue Foundation, National Geographic Society
Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Office of the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates
Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum
This is the full audio from the opening plenary session of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meetings of the Global Future Councils and Cybersecurity on 15 October, 2025.
You can watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meetings-of-the-global-future-councils-and-cybersecurity-2025/sessions/opening-plenary-0b0af6edda/
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The Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the European Central Bank (ECB) are organising their 2025 conference WE_ARE_IN Macroeconomics and Finance. The aim of the conference is to bring together women in economics who will present and discuss new research on macroeconomics and finance which is of particular interest to central banks.
WE_ARE_IN stands for Women in Economics: Advancing Research in Economics Internationally. It complements the WE_ARE initiative, a CEPR seminar series in which junior women present their work and receive constructive feedback from their peers and from senior economists.
Secretary-General António Guterres today (17 Oct) stressed his “determination” for the United Nations to become more efficient and cost-effective, but said, “success also depends on Member States fulfilling their commitments.”
Presenting his proposed programme budget for 2026 to the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, Guterres said, “ultimately, effective delivery in 2026 will depend on the timely and full payment of assessed contributions,” and lamenting that “despite earlier hopes, the downward trend of collections has continued.”
The budget proposal brings resource requirements for 2026 down to 3.238 billion US dollars, a reduction of 577 million dollars, or 15.1 percent, compared with 2025, while staffing has been revised to 11,594 posts, a reduction of 2,681 posts, or 18.8 per cent, compared with 2025.
The Secretary-General said, “today – in the last quarter of 2025 – we still have significant uncertainty about the collections for the year. And given the present level of uncertainty about the income, we could end 2025 with a deficit of more than 450 million dollars, even after reducing the spending by nearly 600 million dollars.”
He said, “this will wipe out nearly all our liquidity reserves and leave us highly vulnerable to any delays in collections next year,” and stressed that the Organization is also required to return 300 million in credits to Member States at the beginning of 2026.
Guterres noted that the UN “will again spend less than the budget in 2026 because we did not collect enough.”
This, he said, “will probably lead to a collapse of the regular functioning of our organization. And then potentially face the prospect of returning 600 million dollars in 2027 or potentially 20 percent of the budget.”
The Secretary-General said, “that means a race to bankruptcy” adding that “unless arrears are substantially reduced or the return of credits is suspended, this will constrain the implementation of the programme budget before you.”
He pointed out that his report on Improving the Financial Situation of the United Nations had proposed a mechanism to suspend credit returns whenever liquidity shortfalls threaten full budget implementation of the following year.
Noting that the Member States had not yet reached a decision on the report, Guterres said, “failure to reach an agreement on addressing the deteriorating liquidity situation could jeopardize critical elements of our programme of work” and urged them “to consider these proposals carefully and to meet their financial obligations – in full and on time.”
0:14 – Accident inspires man to aid migrants: When Ashif Shaikh was 17, three migrant workers were killed in an explosion at a firecracker factory near his home in India. Having grown up in an excluded community in India, Shaikh had faced his own experiences with insecurity, discrimination and a lack of protection for workers. While still a teen, he founded the non-profit Jan Sahas, and he is now CEO of People’s Courage International, which works to support internal migrants, strengthen grassroots organizations, and prevent sexual violence against women and children.
03:30 – Dairy protein grown without cows: Lactoferrin supports immunity, boosts gut health and improves digestion – but right now, 90% of the global supply goes into expensive baby formula, primarily in one market. Producing lactoferrin requires vast quantities of milk – a problem where Fengru Lin, CEO of Turtle Tree, has spotted an opportunity. TurtleTree uses precision fermentation to create pure lactoferrin in a cow-free process – by getting microbes to do the growing instead.
06:06 – Afrobeat song teaches cybersecurity: Cybersecurity is crucial, but experts often miss out on one key aspect: making it fun. That’s why the Cybersafe Foundation has tapped into Africa’s vibrant musical heritage to bring you something you thought you’d never hear – an Afrobeat track that riffs on two-factor authentication. Here, CyberSafe’s founder Confidence Staveley explains how the song came about.
08:12 – Does money talk make you anxious?: Having open conversations about money can be the first step on the journey to long-term financial stability, says Lin Shi, an academic, actuary and World Economic Forum Global Shaper. That’s why she founded the Money Health Collective – a free-to-access online space that facilitates open conversations about money in a supportive community, with the aim of helping users build a brighter financial future.
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Luke Irving, Head of UNMAS in the occupied Palestinian territory, warns that extensive explosive contamination in Gaza is endangering civilians and aid workers and obstructing life-saving assistance. As a ceasefire takes effect and more people move around, he stresses that surveying and marking hazards, clearing routes for humanitarian access, delivering risk education, and training partners are urgent.
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlight:
– Budget
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Lebanon/Israel
– South Sudan/Abyei
– Central African Republic
– Nigeria
– Türkiye
– Climate/Poverty
– Eradication of Poverty
BUDGET
The Secretary-General spoke to the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee this morning to introduce the proposed programme budget for 2026.
He said the proposed budget demonstrates an enhanced focus on mandate delivery. Over 70 percent of planned quantitative targets now aim for a 10 per cent or greater increase in performance, he said.
The Secretary-General said that the proposed programme budget for 2026 of 3.715 billion US dollars is slightly below the 2025 approved budget, and it provides for 14,275 posts.
Ultimately, the Secretary-General said, effective delivery in 2026 will depend on the timely and full payment of assessed contributions. Despite earlier hopes, the downward trend of collections has continued.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to Gaza, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, entered the Strip a few hours ago. He crossed from Egypt through the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom crossing.
He then drove to Deir al Balah, where he visited the Castle Bakery, which is one of nine bakeries that the World Food Programme supports with fuel and ingredients across southern and central Gaza. This bakery used to be the largest bakery in Khan Younis, where it served thousands of families until it had to relocate following a displacement order by Israel. The ceasefire has meant that the bakery can access fuel and four, allowing it to produce up to 300,000 loaves of pita bread per day.
Also in Deir al Balah, Mr. Fletcher met with those leading the Gaza offices of UN agencies there.
He is set to meet more humanitarian workers later this evening and spend the night in Gaza.
In a post, Mr. Fletcher said humanitarian teams are delivering on our 60-day plan to massively scale up life-saving work. He noted that the challenges ahead are immense, but said we are determined to deliver on the humanitarian possibilities created by President Trump’s peace deal.
Before heading to Gaza, Mr. Fletcher was in Egypt. While in Rafah yesterday, he witnessed trucks full of aid heading to Kerem Shalom. He thanked humanitarian teams, the Egyptian Red Crescent, the authorities and everyone involved in getting the peace deal in place.
Mr. Fletcher also visited Al Arish Hospital in Egypt yesterday, which has treated hundreds of Palestinians evacuated from Gaza for medical care.
Yesterday, the UN and partners continued to collect medical supplies, food, fuel and other cargo from the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings.
This includes 20 trucks carrying tents, diapers and hygiene kits, as well as three others loaded with personal hygiene kits, eight tankers loaded with diesel, and two trucks carrying animal fodder, which will be distributed to herders in Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis.
OCHA reports that much more can be done once more crossings are opened, basic infrastructure is restored, NGO access is facilitated, and looting further reduces.
Meanwhile, families in Gaza continue to move towards newly accessible areas. Our partners monitoring the flow of people across the Strip report that on Wednesday, more than 17,600 movements were recorded from south to north, and 12,900 movements from western to eastern Khan Younis.
LEBANON/ISRAEL
A quick update from the peacekeepers in southern Lebanon who are actively monitoring and reporting violations of resolution 1701 in its area of operations.
The peacekeepers continue to discover unauthorized weapon caches in the area of operations. On Thursday, mortar shells were found in Sector West, while on Tuesday, a joint patrol with the Lebanese Army discovered damaged rockets and their launchers in Sector East.
UNIFIL also continues to observe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military activities in the area of operations, including on Wednesday, where mortar fire from south of the Blue Line was detected, impacting near Yaroun in Sector West. Also on Wednesday, in Sarda in Sector East, IDF soldiers pointed infra-red lasers at UNIFIL patrol vehicles.
We once again stress these acts of interference must stop.
Meanwhile, UNIFIL’s Maritime Task Force conducted training this week with Lebanese Navy personnel aboard a Maritime Task Force vessel. Separately, peacekeepers in Sector East trained with Lebanese Army personnel to address threats posed by explosive remnants of war.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2025-10-17
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
Deputy President Mr Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile delivers his remarks at the Closing Ceremony of the Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum at the Istanbul International Conference Centre, Türkiye.
The 2025 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index from UNDP and OPHI reveals how hundreds of millions of people face a double burden of poverty and climate change. Nearly 80% of poor people already live in areas exposed to heatwaves, floods, droughts or air pollution and the risks are intensifying. The new report shows how climate hazards are deepening inequality and hitting poor communities hardest.
