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What the informal dialogues will not tell you about who actually becomes UN Secretary-General.

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Guest blog by  Lenni Montie l Senior UN Development Leader (Ret.) | Former UN Assistant Secretary-General |UNDP Resident Representative I Governance, Public Policy & Multilateral Diplomacy | Leadership Advisor & Trainer I Chevening Scholar What the informal dialogues will not tell you about who actually becomes UN Secretary-General. The public sees the dialogues. The decision happens elsewhere. Watch it carefully, and you begin to understand how the institution actually functions . As the informal dialogues with candidates begin, attention naturally focuses on visions, priorities, and leadership styles. Most public analysis focuses on those elements.\ But there is another way to read this process. 👉 It reveals the political architecture of the UN. 👉 It illustrates the difference between formal procedure and political reality. What the process reveals The Security Council is decisiv e The General Assembly appoints the Secretary-General, but only after recommendation...
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Norway’s Funding Cutoff Is a Wake-Up Call for the Plastics Treaty Negotiations

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Guest blog by  Craig Boljkovac -originally published on Inter Press Service Norway’s reported decision to review and place on hold aspects of its funding to the United Nations Environment Programme should be understood as more than a budgetary matter. It is a political signal. It is also a warning that the global plastics treaty negotiations may now be approaching the point at which governments must decide whether the present UNEP process can still deliver the treaty they promised, or whether a different pathway is required. There should be no misunderstanding. Norway has been one of the strongest supporters of an ambitious global plastics treaty. It co-leads, with Rwanda, the High Ambition Coalition. It has also been the largest listed contributor to the INC process, with UNEP’s donor table showing more than USD 7.2 million in contributions received from Norway as of 25 March 2026. Its apparent decision to pause or review funding therefore cannot be dismissed as marginal. It c...
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UN launches major Nairobi expansion as Guterres highlights Africa’s growing global role

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 UN- Press Release originally published here. UN Nairobi/Julius Mwelu   Secretary-General António Guterres (centre) with other officials at the inauguration of new office buildings at the UN Office in Nairobi and groundbreaking of the conference facility. The United Nations on Monday launched a major expansion of its Nairobi headquarters, with Secretary-General António Guterres and Kenyan President William Ruto marking what officials described as a significant milestone for the Organization’s presence in Africa. he ceremony included the inauguration of new office buildings and the groundbreaking of a new conference facility at the UN Office at Nairobi ( UNON ), which will substantially expand the Organization’s footprint in Africa. Approved by the UN General Assembly, the $340 million project is the largest investment undertaken by the UN Secretariat in Africa in its 80-year history, strengthening Nairobi’s role as a global centre for diplomacy and multilateral cooperation. “...
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Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 11 – 17 May 2026

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 Republishing   The Geneva Environment Network’s weekly newsletter includes the latest information on the global environmental agenda, main  events ,  job vacancies , as well as other useful resources and  updates .  The Geneva Environment Network is not responsible for the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site.  Stay tuned and follow us on  X (Twitter) ,  Facebook ,  LinkedIn ,  Instagram ,  Bluesky ,  YouTube , and  WhatsApp , or visit our website regularly for additional updates. Image of the week  |  High-Level Dialogue Toward a New Deal for Global Trade  f eaturing Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, co-organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The discussion examined how the multilateral trading system can evolve to address today’s urgent economic, soci...
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