Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
Public Service Commission releases the pulse bulletin covering the period 01 April to 30 June 2025
President Cyril Ramaphosa conducts oversight visit to Steve Biko Hospital
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
President Cyril Ramaphosa conducts oversight visit to Steve Biko Hospital
Where Is Belt and Road Heading?
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
Where Is Belt and Road Heading?
Since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched over 10 years ago, China has established collaboration with over 150 countries and 30 international organizations and facilitated over $380 billion in cumulative two-way investment with countries along the road.
Amid geoeconomic shifts, how have these projects measured up to their objectives and what new directions might this initiative take?
Trade: Trends and Endgames
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
Trade: Trends and Endgames
With heightened uncertainty on increased tariffs, the risk of geoeconomic fragmentation is growing.
How has the trade landscape shifted compared to recent years and how can leaders look beyond the current volatility?
Climate change, firms and aggregate productivity
Source: European Central Bank (video statements)
ECB Research Bulletin by Andrea Caggese, Andrea Chiavari, Sampreet Goraya and Carolina Villegas Sanchez.
Read more: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/research-publications/resbull/2025/html/ecb.rb250429~6f9636652d.en.html
The Research Bulletin features a selection of recent work on policy-relevant topics by ECB economists. Published on a monthly basis, the articles in the Research Bulletin are intended for a general audience.
The views expressed in each article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the European Central Bank and the Eurosystem.
Honest Conversation on Climate
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
Honest Conversation on Climate
A decade after the Paris Agreement, policies and politics have evolved but the associated risks from climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss remain. Although the narrative is shifting towards energy security, national and regional actors are still looking towards innovative solutions to climate challenges.
How are government and business commitments shifting and what could change mean for industries that have been preparing for future green growth?
Reading the US Economy
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
Reading the US Economy
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the US economy has outperformed most other developed economies, benefiting from continued investment in innovation and a strong workforce.
As a new policy direction comes into view, what is the outlook for the world’s largest economy?
A Conversation with Sir Tony Blair
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
A Conversation with Sir Tony Blair
A Conversation with Sir Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1997-2007); Executive Chairman, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, United Kingdom
Foresight on China Start-ups
Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)
Foresight on China Start-ups
China is one of the world’s largest innovation ecosystems, accounting for over half of all AI patents and leading in autonomous vehicle deployment. However, its entrepreneurial landscape is facing increasing headwinds.
How does this shifting trajectory compare with other global ecosystems – and what will be the next chapter?
Afghanistan: “unacceptable situation of women”, UNAMA’s mandate – Security Council Briefing | UN
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Briefing by Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The UN’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, told the Security Council that Afghans believe the country “would be in a far worse place” without international assistance. “At the very least, the international presence provides an element of protection and prevention,” Otunbayeva said.
Briefing the Security Council today (23 Jun) Otunbayeva also said the delivery of UNAMA’s mandate is also complex and sometimes dangerous. She said, “This May, dozens of our female national staff were subjected to explicit death threats from unidentified individuals in relation to their work with UNAMA and other United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, requiring us to implement interim measures to protect their safety. In our subsequent engagements with the de facto authorities, they said they were not responsible, but it was also clear these armed individuals were operating with impunity in a coordinated manner in the capital. This is a strong rebuke to the de facto authorities’ claim that they have established security and secured the safety and dignity of Afghan women.”
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"We cannot forget the unacceptable situation of Afghan women and girls, even if their continued marginalization under increased enforcement of more and more decrees no longer generates headlines. As one Afghan woman interlocutor said to us, the current struggle is not about dramatic acts of defiance but the quiet and relentless pursuit of daily life, of resilience. She urged the international community to look beyond sensational headlines and recognize that what is happening is an invisible war of attrition where, I quote, “survival itself is an act of rebellion.”
The ongoing ban on girls’ education beyond the primary level is the clearest sign of the Taliban’s discrimination against women and continues to set Afghanistan apart from the world. We call again for this ban to be lifted and for girls and women to be allowed once again the right to education".