At AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, the UNAIDS Executive Director urged governments to protect decades of progress as declining international financing, unequal treatment access and rising infections in parts of the world threaten the global response. At the 26th International AIDS Conference, Winnie Byanyima delivered a message of guarded
Few positions within the United Nations are as scrutinized—or as consequential—as that of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. At a time when armed conflicts, democratic backsliding, mass displacement, and geopolitical rivalry are testing the international rules-based order, Volker Türk has emerged as one of the UN system’s most
The world has entered a new era of energy investment. Governments are committing hundreds of billions of dollars to modernize electricity grids, scale renewable energy, expand battery storage and strengthen critical infrastructure. Yet while the global energy transition is accelerating, hundreds of millions of people still live without something many
As development budgets tighten and climate-vulnerable countries face rising costs, Mafalda Duarte is pursuing reforms intended to put billions more to work without waiting for new donor commitments. At a moment of mounting pressure on global climate finance, Mafalda Duarte is trying to show that multilateral institutions can expand their
Why Alexander De Croo Could Help Redefine the Future of UNDP Few world leaders have made the transition from national office to the helm of global development as naturally as Alexander De Croo. After serving as Prime Minister of Belgium from 2020 to 2025, De Croo now leads the United
Wally Funk, the pioneering American aviator who broke barriers for women in flight and, six decades after being denied a path to NASA’s astronaut corps, finally reached space at age 82, has died at 87. Her life was one of the great American stories of perseverance: a woman who passed
As the global debate over artificial intelligence accelerates, Tomas Lamanauskas has become one of the most important multilateral figures working to ensure that AI is not only powerful, but useful — not only disruptive, but directed toward the public good. Tomas Lamanauskas, the Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union,
Some entrepreneurs build companies. Kyleigha Beckmann is working to build something much larger: an economic system where opportunity is more broadly shared, commerce is more transparent, and prosperity becomes a foundation for peace. As Founding Partner of Peace Through Trade (PTT), the Brazilian entrepreneur is advancing a bold vision for
At a time when the climate crisis is increasingly colliding with democratic instability, disinformation, and political fatigue, Luisa Neubauer has emerged as one of Europe’s most compelling voices for a livable future. A German climate justice activist, author, speaker, and leading organizer of Fridays for Future Germany, Luisa Neubauer represents
LONDON, United Kingdom — As thousands of leaders from government, business, finance, and civil society gather across the British capital for this week’s London Climate Action Week (LCAW), one of the signature convenings helping shape the global sustainability conversation is making its official debut on one of climate diplomacy’s biggest
