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Soundcloud AUDIO: Secretary-General Guterres' address to the Security Council.

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Category: English Media

Published: Friday, 24 October 2025 15:20

Written by Eager

UN Photo/Marco Dormino A UN peacekeeper rescues a child after parts of the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince were flooded during a tropical storm in 2007.

By Vibhu Mishra

Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday warned that the “fragile” legitimacy of the Security Council could endanger global peace if it remains gridlocked and fails to fulfil its primary purpose.

Mr. Guterres was addressing ambassadors in the iconic chamber in New York on United Nations Day, marking 80 years since its founding. He spoke via video link from the capital of Viet Nam, Hanoi, during a robust open debate on how the UN navigates an uncertain future.

 

As the UN’s primary body for maintaining international peace and security, the council wields significant power, including the authority to impose sanctions and authorize military action.

Five of its 15 members have a permanent seat and were granted veto power under the UN Charter.

While the Council has played a central role in peacekeeping, conflict resolution and upholding international law, its veto system has often stalled action and sparked criticism.

The body’s structure is viewed by many countries and top officials as unrepresentative, leaving regions like Africa and Latin America without a permanent voice.

Invoking those who have looked to the council over 80 years to end wars, Mr. Guterres said that “the privilege to sit at this table carries a duty – above all – to honour the faith of those people,” he said. “Without a Security Council fit for purpose, the world is in grave danger.”

Debate over fundamentals

Presiding over the council for October, Russia praised the UN’s achievements but criticised the actions of Western governments, while elected (non-permanent) member Guyana, said the body was unrepresentative, advocating for greater and meaningful global representation.

The United States focused on operational reform, accountability, and called for a merit-based selection of the next Secretary-General – who takes the helm in January 2027 – emphasising the primacy of national sovereignty and transparency in the selection process.

The US representative called for an end to a selection process based on regions taking it in turns, arguing it was time to choose from a global roster of candidates.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

 

Secretary-General António Guterres (on screen) addresses Security Council members.

 

A UN for the weak, not the powerful

The UN chief painted a vivid picture of how Council decisions can impact citizens worldwide:

“The Security Council is not about hegemons and empires. It is about parents who have lost their children, refugees flung far from their homes, soldiers who have sacrificed their limbs.

“In every shadow of this Chamber, you are surrounded by the ghosts of the dead. But beside them stands something else – the hopes of the living.”

He urged Council members to listen to those hopes.

“Listen closely and you will hear the cries of your citizens who rally for peace; the whispers of families who long for safety...The United Nations emblem does not bear the laurel wreath of a victor, but the olive crown of a peacemaker.”

But its legitimacy is fragile

Mr. Guterres highlighted the Council’s successes over eight decades, from helping Cambodia emerge from genocide to supporting South Africa’s transition from apartheid and deploying missions in Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, and Liberia.

Yet its legitimacy remains fragile, he stressed, noting that violations of the UN Charter by some Member States erode trust and risk global stability.

He called for and expanded membership to better reflect the world’s demographics, including permanent representation for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mr. Guterres also encouraged discussions on proposals to limit the use of the veto.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías A wide view of the Security Council as Secretary-General António Guterres (on screen) addresses members.

 

Russia: Divisive Western powers

Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia praised the UN’s achievements but cautioned against the actions of Western powers.

“In an effort to maintain its waning influence, the West divided the world into ‘us’ and ‘them’ – ‘democracies’ and ‘autocracies’ – a group of those who are chosen, and those who are violating their imposed order,” he said.

As a result, many of the UN Charter’s principles remain concepts, not a reality. “Adventures” – from the Iraq invasion and Colour Revolutions to the recent invasion of Iran – have only led to tragedy, he said.

Guyana: Reform now

Guyana’s Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett echoed calls for reform, describing the current configuration of the Council as unrepresentative.

“The Security Council must be reformed. Notwithstanding the expansive breadth of the work of the UN, the reality is that this success or failure of the United Nations as a whole is judged in large measure through the action, or lack thereof, of the Security Council,” she said.

She called for permanent seats for Africa and Latin America and a rotating seat for small island developing States, emphasising that national interest and international cooperation are complementary.

US: UN ‘has lost its way’

The United States, represented by Ambassador Dorothy Shea, focused on accountability. She said the UN had become a “bloated bureaucracy” that has lost its way, calling for mandates with clear political objectives and measurable benchmarks.

“The UN should serve Member States rather than have Member States beholden to an unaccountable bureaucracy,” she said.

On the next Secretary-General, Ambassador Shea said the US seeks a leader who will restore the UN to its founding purpose, respecting state sovereignty and prioritising accountability and transparency.

She added that the selection process should be merit-based, drawing candidates from all regional groupings, and that the next Secretary-General should “bring the UN back to basics and by so doing, help achieve the bold vision of peace and prosperity to which we all committed.”

A humble ballot box

UN Photo A photograph of a UN Security Council meeting on atomic energy in 1947.

At the start of the meeting, the UN chief recalled a remarkable moment from the UN’s early days: the first Security Council ballot box in 1946. To everyone’s surprise, a slip of paper was already inside – a note from Paul Antonio, a local New York mechanic who had made the box.

“May I, who have had the privilege of fabricating this ballot box, cast the first vote? May God be with every member of the United Nations Organization, and through your noble efforts bring lasting peace to us all – all over the world,” Mr. Antonio wrote.

“Paul Antonio – the mechanic never sat at this table He never gave a speech or signed a treaty,” Mr. Guterres told ambassadors.

“But he believed in everyone here. He believed in you. I urge you: honour that trust. Make this chamber worthy of the hopes of every man, woman and child.”

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Prebid Summit 2025 in New York Focuses on AI and Internet Evolution, Opens at the McGraw Hill Building in Manhattan

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Category: English Media

Published: Friday, 17 October 2025 09:14

Written by Eager

Celebrity Media Commentator: On October 14, 2025, the annual ad tech event Prebid Summit 2025 grandly opened at Quorum by Convene in Manhattan, New York. Organized by the open advertising technology community Prebid.org, the summit gathered publishers, ad tech companies, platform developers, strategy experts, and industry leaders from around the world to discuss the transformation of the advertising ecosystem and the future of open technology amid the “AI Evolution and Internet Evolution.”

The Future of AI and Publishers: Collaboration or Conflict? The opening day’s first keynote panel—“AI Implications on Publishers”—became a major highlight. Guests from major media groups and technology platforms discussed how AI is reshaping ad delivery, content recommendation, and revenue models.
At a time when data privacy and algorithmic transparency are global focal points, AI is not only a tool for efficiency but also a key force in rebuilding trust mechanisms. Attendees generally agreed that publishers must find a new balance between automation and human editing to ensure the dual sustainability of content and advertising value.

Beyond Google: Building a Healthy Supply-Side Ecosystem Another breakout session titled “Google and Beyond: Building a Healthy Supply-Side Strategy for the Future” sparked deep reflection on the concept of a decentralized advertising ecosystem.
With third-party cookies gradually fading into history, how publishers can build more independent supply-side systems through first-party data, open-source ad technologies, and transparent bidding mechanisms became a shared consensus. Experts noted that promoting open standards and continuously evolving the Prebid framework will play a crucial role in ensuring fairness and competition within the ad market.

2025 New York Prebid Summit Focuses on AI Evolution and Internet Evolution

The Dual Challenge of Open Web and Privacy Transformation: Privacy protection and user identification were another major focus of this year’s summit. Several roundtables centered on the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and new U.S. privacy regulations, discussing ID alternatives, the transparency of Real-Time Data (RTD) modules, and how to maintain accuracy and ad revenue under privacy constraints.
Prebid community experts emphasized that 2025 will be a critical year for “open web evolution”—as technology standards, policy frameworks, and business logic are being reshaped in parallel. The industry must work together to create a sustainable identity ecosystem.

From Technology to Philosophy: The Next Phase of the Internet Beyond technology topics, the summit also focused on “the evolution of the Internet.” AI-driven ad optimization, cross-screen integration (CTV / OTT / DOOH), invalid traffic (IVT) control, and sustainable ad quality development became central themes.
Many speakers noted that the Internet is transitioning from a “user-centered” era to a new era “centered on trust.” The fusion of AI and open code is driving the advertising industry toward a more transparent, fair, and human-centric future.

Shared Vision for an Open Ecosystem: The Prebid Summit was not merely an industry gathering but also a yearly audit of the open Internet.
Attendees widely agreed that in an era of full AI penetration, privacy restructuring, and redefined global data flows, the power of open standards has become more vital than ever.
A Prebid.org representative concluded, “AI will not replace human judgment but will expand human creativity. The future of the open web depends on how we maintain balance between transparency and innovation.”

In conclusion, the 2025 Prebid Summit, centered on AI and Internet evolution, offered new perspectives for the global advertising and publishing industries. Technological innovation, data ethics, and open collaboration are jointly defining the next phase of the digital ecosystem. The Manhattan summit not only marked a pivotal moment in the AI revolution but also set the tone of openness and trust for the next decade of the ad-driven Internet.

UNHQ ECOSOC 2025 Theme for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

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Category: English Media

Published: Saturday, 18 October 2025 13:30

Written by Eager

Celebrity Media United Nations Headquarters Report: On October 17, 2025, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held a commemorative forum at the UN Headquarters in New York under the theme “Ensuring Respect and Effective Support for Families”, celebrating the 38th International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The event emphasized that family policy must be an integral part of national development strategies and is a key pathway to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in eliminating poverty, promoting educational equity, gender equality, and social inclusion. 

The forum highlighted that families are active contributors to social development. Effective family policies should shift from control to support, from monitoring to empowerment, and from one-way management to collaborative participation. Only through respecting families and listening to their experiences and insights can society provide genuinely effective support, helping people escape poverty, break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage, and build a fair and inclusive society.

The Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations stated that poverty does not deprive people of dignity, but it hinders their right to live a fulfilling life. he noted that France’s progress in poverty reduction policies stems from the awakening and solidarity of civil society, which have pushed the government to take greater social responsibility. She called on governments worldwide to make anti-poverty strategies a central part of the public agenda, providing families with stable support through education, health, housing, and social protection policies, and to achieve fairer resource distribution in the globalization process.

Participants unanimously agreed that poverty is not merely an economic issue but also a matter of social justice and human rights. The forum reaffirmed that the voices of the poor themselves should be the starting point for policymaking, and their experiences are the most valuable resources.

The origin of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty can be traced back to October 17, 1987, when Joseph Wresinski, founder of the International Movement ATD Fourth World, gathered 100,000 people at the Human Rights Plaza in Paris to honor those living in extreme poverty. In 1992, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 47/196, officially designating this day as an international observance, calling on the world to unite to “eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere.”

The forum concluded by emphasizing that with only five years left until the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the world must redouble its efforts. The eradication of poverty is not only about economic growth but also about human dignity and social justice. Only by ensuring families receive the respect and support they deserve can the world move toward a more peaceful, fair, and sustainable future.

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Deputy UN chief pays tribute to Beijing’s key role in advancing women’s rights

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Category: English Media

Published: Tuesday, 14 October 2025 18:23

Written by Eager

UN Womenm DSG Amina J. Mohammed speaking at a UN-Women event on the sidelines of CSW69 and the Beijing +30 commemorations in New York, USA.