Ivonne A-Baki’s last-minute entry adds some drama to the UN leadership race, bringing Tonga’s backing, a claimed friendship with Donald Trump and fresh questions about Washington’s influence and the transparency of the selection process. Three days before the Security Council’s next straw poll, a candidate calling herself Donald Trump’s friend crashed the race to lead…
Rival candidacies and ideological battles are turning what could have been a moment of regional unity into a test of Latin America’s deepest fractures. After more than 30 years, Latin America long awaited its chance to once again lead the UN. The last to hold the position of secretary-general of the organization, the Peruvian Javier…
Envoy magazine announces the first in a series of events launching its special issue, Who Will Lead the World Next?, beginning September 8, co-organized with the United Nations Association of New York, the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, the Campaign for a Woman Secretary-General, and the Permanent Mission of Estonia to the United Nations….
Uganda’s Olara Otunnu will be included in the first Security Council straw poll despite not yet presenting his vision to the General Assembly. As the Security Council prepares to hold its first round of informal voting to decide who will be the next secretary-general, UN watchers warn that the process is off to a less-than-transparent…
Dear readers, In its 80 years of existence, the United Nations has had nine secretaries-general. This year, the Security Council and, ultimately, the General Assembly will decide who becomes the tenth. The UN’s first secretary-general, Trygve Lie, understood the burden of the office early. When he handed the job to Dag Hammarskjöld, he famously told…
As FIFA’s 2026 World Cup came to a close, human rights advocates say visa restrictions, immigration enforcement, and political interference undermined its promise to be the most inclusive tournament ever. Weeks before the tournament’s opening whistle, FIFA President Gianni Infantino boasted that the 2026 World Cup would be “the most inclusive ever.” But as Spain…
After nearly a decade leading UN peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix is looking back at a period in which peacekeeping has become smaller, more dangerous, and more politically constrained. Over the course of his term, the number of uniformed personnel in the field was cut in half, falling from more than 100,000 in 2017 to…
A UNITAR-backed platform is bringing surgical training to frontline health workers around the world. An online training platform developed with UNITAR is seeking to widen access to surgical education for health workers around the world. Launched in 2023, SURGhub now has more than 30,000 users and offers courses ranging from speaking up in the…
The latest report from the World Meteorological Organization paints a clear picture: the Earth’s climate system is increasingly out of equilibrium. As it explains, “the amount of incoming radiation exceeds the amount of outgoing radiation… [and] heat is accumulating in the Earth’s climate.” This imbalance is intensifying. “In 2025, the observed Earth energy imbalance (EEI)…
At United Nations Headquarters this week, the UNITAR–FICFF 2026 Women’s Forum brought together an unlikely mix of voices from global media executives to livestream commerce pioneers to explore how women are reshaping the global economy in real time. Held alongside the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), the forum —…
The United Nations has appointed Joseph Gordon-Levitt as its first Global Advocate for Human-Centric Digital Governance, signaling a shift toward making digital policy more accessible, inclusive, and grounded in everyday experience. Designated through the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and supported by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the role aims to bridge the gap between complex global tech debates…
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with Trendyol, has opened the fifth Digital Community Centre under the Villages of Tomorrow initiative in İnceler village in Denizli province, Türkiye. The programme aims to support rural development by expanding digital skills, opportunities, and market access for local communities. The opening ceremony brought together…
New York, NY — Envoy Magazine today announced that Stéphanie Fillion has been named Editor-in-Chief, bringing nearly a decade of reporting from United Nations Headquarters and a track record of award-winning global-affairs journalism across major international outlets. Fillion is a Canadian reporter specializing in foreign affairs and human rights and a United Nations…
From the African elephant to the snow leopard, pressure on wildlife has become overwhelming. One million plant and animal species are now at risk of disappearing — many within our lifetimes. That warning comes from a major UN-backed scientific review showing that human activity is driving nature’s collapse faster than at any other point in…
How to engage children on the issue with hope and positivity Climate change is happening, and nearly every child in the world will be affected.Talking about climate change with our own children can feel difficult for many parents. It’s natural to want to protect kids from harm and worry. But if your child is a…
From sacred landscapes to sites of remembrance, UNESCO’s 2025 additions reflect a global commitment to cultural resilience, ecological unity, and the power of local voices. In a world often marked by division, the enduring legacy of shared history took center stage once again in Paris, where the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee…
