Look to Myanmar for a terrifying vision of authoritarian rule
21/9/2025: The brutality and repression in Myanmar highlight the failings of a dysfunctional world order. Unless we do better, this is the future.
Source: The Guardian
Electing the next UN Secretary-General: a test for multilateralism
21/9/2025: The election of the UN’s 10th secretary-general, in 2026, for the 2027-2031 term, is one of the most consequential in its history. The choice is not only about who leads the UN. It is also about whether multilateralism is reinvented or fades, critical for the rules-based world order.
Source: PassBlue
Public backs global cooperation as trust in institutions falters
19/9/2025: A global survey of over 35,000 people by the Rockefeller Foundation shows overwhelming support for international cooperation on jobs, health, and climate, but declining trust in the institutions tasked with delivering it. Two thirds of respondents feel that international cooperation is in their own interest.
Source: Devex
World leaders should defend UN principles at General Assembly
17/9/2025: Human Rights Watch has called on world leaders gathering for the UN General Assembly to commit to protecting the UN from powerful governments seeking to defund and undermine the organization’s capacity to promote human rights and international justice.
Source: Human Rights Watch
China unveils vision for equitable global governance
2/9/2025: At the conclusion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, President Xi Jinping called for “an equal and orderly multipolar world." His proposed Global Governance Initiative would include full and comprehensive adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
Source: Third World Network
Retreat from US global leadership on trade?
2/9/2025: President Trump's so-called "pocket rescission" appears to signal a gradual withdrawal from various multilateral bodies, including the World Trade Organization. Some observers believe that US withdrawal from international organizations could pave the way for a more meaningful global governance.
Source: Third World Network
Progress on the road to a UN Tax Treaty
20/8/2025: Governments have started substantive negotiations for the first-ever UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. Proposed reforms, such as enabling governments to tax any company with a “significant economic presence” in their territory, could generate new revenues for developing countries.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Trump’s tariffs are gutting Africa — and America’s influence
7/8/2025: The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), enacted in 2000, was a rare US gesture of goodwill, granting 32 sub-Saharan nations duty-free access to American markets for textiles, cocoa, and automotives. Set to expire in September 2025, AGOA is likely dead, analysts say, with Trump favoring bilateral deals over multilateral pacts.
Source: Devex
UN talks could end tax dodging by international corporations
4/8/2025: New global tax rules in an UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation are being negotiated, from now until 2027. The UN process could end creative accounting practices that deprive poorer countries of vital tax revenues needed for development.
Source: Greenpeace International
UN releases proposals for streamlining of mandates
1/8/2025: The UN is guided by more than 40,000 active mandates, serviced by around 400 intergovernmental bodies. The Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative is tackling the duplication, fragmentation and outdated tasks that stretch resources and undermine delivery.
Source: UN News