Economic issues

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today said that world food commodity prices dipped for a fifth month in a row. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 138 points in August, down 1.9 per cent from July although remaining 7.9 per cent above its value a year before.

​​​​​​​United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Li Junhua of China as the next Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.  He will succeed Liu Zhenmin of China, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his commitment and dedicated service to the Organization.

The Special Representative for the Secretary-General in Colombia told the Security Council that, in a mostly peaceful election, Colombians elected their new President, Gustavo Petro. The electoral outcomes also included the largest ever share of women, close to 30 per cent of lawmakers.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers on strengthening multilateralism, in Bali, Indonesia, today:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today released new data showing that while reported numbers of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe are fewer than in 2015, journeys are becoming more fatal.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Navid Hanif of Pakistan as Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The World Investment Report 2022 was released today by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).  It shows that flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2021.  But, the report warns that the prospects for 2022 are grimmer.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to the United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit, today:

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) round table on Partnerships for Peace II in Paris today:

Jayathma Wickramanayake, the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, and The Body Shop, launched a campaign today that seeks to get young voices into the halls of power.  The campaign, “Be Seen, Be Heard”, seeks to create long-term structural changes that will make decision-making more inclusive of young people and ensure their participation in political life.