HLPF Snapshots, Beyond GDP, UNSG Race and more
No. 17 | Addressing power imbalances & inequality
No.17 | July 2026
Global Policy Forum (GPF) distributes Global Policy UN Watch (GPUNW) to alert CSOs and other actors of recent and potentially useful developments at United Nations headquarters. The GPUNW provides a snapshot of on-going and upcoming policy deliberations and diverse governmental and official UN positions, and complements GPF’s monitoring, research and outreach work.
UNSG: “A transfer of power that has no parallel in history”
At “We the Peoples, Shaping the Future of the UN” a Special Event of the 2026 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) with civil society, UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the wider geopolitical challenges and an alarming transfer of power:
“We are witnessing a transfer of power that has no parallel in history. This time is not power from one state to another, from one government to another, or from governments to other sectors of society. It is a power that has been moving from governments – governments of the inclusive, the most powerful countries in the world – but [that] power is being moved to a very small number of companies that tend to concentrate all the information and all the capacity to influence things.
We absolutely need to preserve institutions that guarantee that democratic values can prevail and at the same time, that human agency is never put aside in decisions that are essential for our future. I had the occasion a few days ago to condemn the robo-killers, but beyond what we see in the battlefields, I think that we need to be aware that we are becoming more and more controlled by a small number of companies and we need to fight in order to make sure that human agency prevails and that things are not done against humanity but for the future of humanity.”
MVI & Beyond GDP at Town Hall with Secretary-General Candidates
The UN held a town hall with the six S-G candidates on 23 July. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana highlighted working on the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) and going beyond GDP in her priorities for the first 100 days as S-G:
”As I mentioned before, even small steps that are systemic that can bring relief to countries, especially when it comes to concessional financing[, which] would make a huge difference, even as we work for greater reforms. But I want to do that in partnership, not from a pedestal speaking to the IFIs, but working in partnership and of course with member states. We have the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and work has already started on going beyond GDP, but how do we use the MVI, for example, to work on concessional financing for the most vulnerable countries?”
Watch the Webcast of the UN Town Hall: The next Secretary-General
The President of the General Assembly, with the support of a media partner, convened a town hall with six candidates for the position of UN Secretary-General on 23 July. The town hall comprised of dialogues with individual candidates, with civil society and Member State questions to the candidates. Watch on UN Web TV.
Information about the candidates, the selection and appointment processes is available on the dedicated UN website: https://www.un.org/en/sg-selection-and-appointment.
MICs advocate for UN strategic plan of action, including the need to “go beyond GDP”
The Like-Minded Group of Middle-Income Countries (LMG-MICs) stressed the need for measures of development going beyond GDP as central to overcome structural barriers holding them back at the HLPF’s 3rd meeting. LMG-MICs is composed of Armenia, Belarus, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco (Chair), Namibia, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, and Uruguay. See more on proposals for strengthening Development cooperation with middle-income countries (Resolution 80/149).
Morocco (2:14:49):
“First, the international financial architecture must better reflect the vulnerabilities of MICs, including through metrics that go beyond GDP…. [T]ailored support from the UN development system and stronger coordination with international financial institutions, regional economic commissions, and the private sector will be essential to maximize the impact of the strategic plan and identify a stronger follow-up mechanism of implementation.”
Peru (2:29:36):
“GDP is an insufficient measure of development. Vulnerabilities of a structural nature, such as debt burden, climate change, and so on, continue to put the brakes on our development. [T]he strategic action plan should be action-oriented. It should give rise to concrete actions that bring differentiated support from the international community, adequate conditions, better participation in technology transfer, strengthening capacity, and better integration into regional and global value chains. Finally, we welcome the ongoing work around measures of progress that go beyond GDP as part of that process. We need metrics, but also they need to turn into better policies, fairer access for countries facing development challenges which are not only measured by GDP.”
Jamaica (2:39:20):
“Despite best efforts, the structural challenges facing many middle-income countries limit their ability to advance economies and societies so that no one is left behind. Jamaica has identified its structural vulnerabilities related to high debt, energy dependence, and weak economic diversification and has programmed strategies to reduce these vulnerabilities….. These initiatives have all been supported by international development partners and highlight the importance of the multilateral system to national development. Over the last decade, different shocks to the economy have affected progress; however, responsive and adaptive instruments have allowed the country to remain on track for achievement of key targets. Embedding adaptability in development cooperation is therefore key to reducing the inequality among states. Rigid programs cannot address the perennial challenges like hazards and geopolitical events to which some MICS are increasingly vulnerable.”
Philippines (1:36:34):
“Despite significant development gains, many middle-income countries continue to face persistent structural challenges from financing gaps and growing debt burdens to climate vulnerabilities, technological divides, as well as limited access to concessional resources…. [W]e have examined the specific challenges facing middle income countries as well as explored possible solutions to address the middle income trap…. highlighting the circumstances and interests of middle income countries with respect to the UN’s development agenda….
[T]he Makati Declaration, adopted at the High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries[,] identified strategic priorities in charting our transition pathways. [W]e uphold the interlinkages of the SDGs and pay particular importance to financing for development, going beyond GDP, debt sustainability, climate action and finance, digital transformation and STI, gender equality, decent work and social protection…. These strategic priorities must be advanced on all fronts through a UN system-wide response plan, through reforms of the IFIs that consider MICs beyond their GDPs and through a strategic plan of action for concrete and wider international support and cooperation…. Finally, MICs require global support in charting long-term solutions to their unique and specific challenges.”
UN-OHRLLS head appointed to UNAMA
16 July 2026 | Secretary-General appointed Rabab Fatima of Bangladesh as Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). She succeeds Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan; Georgette Gagnon of Canada, Deputy Special Representative of UNAMA currently serves as Officer-in-Charge of the Mission.
She has been Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) since 2022.
Call for Input: Impact of IFI conditionalities on Human Rights (OHCHR)
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is calling for input for a report on the impact of conditionalities by international financial institutions (IFIs) on human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, considering challenges, best practices and actionable solutions (A/HRC/RES/59/19).
The call for input has guiding questions for national human rights institutions, civil society organisations and academic researchers: OHCHR | Call for Inputs for OHCHR Report on the Impact of International Financial Institution Conditionalities on Human Rights (HRC Resolution 59/19).
Written submissions should be sent to ohchr-sdgs@un.org, no later than Monday, 31 August 2026.
Webinar: Discussion of Global Justice Report with Thomas Piketty
At the Special Event, Secretary-General Guterres also pointed to another power imbalance that begets inequality in multilateral institutions:
“To show how inequality is embedded in the present system of multilateralism, and [why] we need the reform of that multilateralism, is to look [at] the way the so-called Special Drawing Rights are distributed. When there is a crisis like COVID, Special Drawing Rights were distributed by the IMF proportionally to the quotas, and the quotas are such that the most rich countries have the biggest quotas; even the emerging economies’ quotas are much smaller than their present weight in the global economy…. This shows how embedded is injustice in our system. The fight for inequality is a central aspect to give credibility to multilateral institutions.”
Inequalities are the theme of the recently released Global Justice Report, presented by Thomas Piketty (Paris School of Economics) at UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)’s webinar on 22 July. He emphasized the imbalance in the voting structure of the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs) as one of the major institutional reforms needed to address global inequality and inequality in global (financial) governance. Voting rights, determined by quota allocation, influence the Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) allocation to IMF Member States:
“So you know today we live in a world of global plutocracy – not at the level of UN General Assembly but at the level of of IMF and World Bank voting rights. Every citizen of Europe and North America today has in effect four times more voting rights than their population share in the world. And every citizen in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia has four times less votes than their population there.”
eCourse: Mainstreaming the Right to Development in SDG Reporting & Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs)
The UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015 resulted in the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 targets.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the University for Peace are offering an online workshop for stakeholders on Mainstreaming the Right to Development in Voluntary National Review (VNR) Reporting for realizing the Sustainable Development Goals.
The free workshop is intended for staff members of governmental, intergovernmental, and nongovernmental organizations, development practitioners, human rights practitioners and defenders, academics, students, and others engaged in the preparation of VNRs.
Round Seven: 12-13 Aug 2026 (1400 to 1700 GMT, 8-11 am Costa Rica time)
Round Eight: 18-19 Nov 2026 (1400 to 1700 GMT, 8-11 am Costa Rica time)
Application Deadline: 8 August 2026
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