Amar Bendjama, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the United Nations, was elected on Thursday, July 23rd, 2026, as the next president of the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In his speech to Member States, Bendjama identified his three main priorities as inclusivity, accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and renewing trust in multilateralism by focusing on “substance over procedural routine” in the council’s work.
ECOSOC serves as the UN's central platform for coordinating economic, social, and environmental policy and reviewing progress on the SDGs. Bendjama highlighted that only 36 percent of the goals with trend data are currently on track, emphasizing the urgent need to accelerate efforts towards the 2030 agenda. He stated, “It is time for complete and tangible results that advance our common agenda and leave no one and no country behind.”
Outgoing ECOSOC President Lok Bahadur Thapa, Permanent Representative of Nepal, underscored the council’s indispensable role in addressing poverty, health, and education. He acknowledged the lack of progress on the SDGs but noted that consensus remains possible, referencing the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development’s Ministerial Declaration, the Sevilla Commitment, and the Financing for Development Forum outcomes.
Meanwhile, the six candidates vying to succeed António Guterres as UN Secretary-General next year are scheduled to participate in a debate before the General Assembly on the evening of July 23rd. The UN faces criticism over the effectiveness of the Security Council and an admitted “existential liquidity crisis,” placing the next Secretary-General with the task of restoring and strengthening Member States’ confidence in the 81-year-old organization.
Additional global concerns include reports of armed militants allegedly firing on Malian soldiers after surrendering, which would constitute a war crime under international law, and the World Health Organization’s warning that nearly 300,000 people die from drowning each year worldwide, with drowning among the top ten causes of death for children aged 5 to 14 years.
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