Bangladesh has nominated Moin Uddin Ahmed as a candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The election will take place at IMO Headquarters on July 18, according to the IMO. Following the election in July 2023, the decision of the Council will be submitted to the 33rd session of the Assembly of IMO in late 2023. The Assembly will be invited to approve the appointment, and the elected Secretary-General will take office on January 1, 2024.   Seven IMO Member States have each nominated a candidate for the post of Secretary-General of IMO. The term of the incumbent Secretary-General, Kitack Lim of the Republic of Korea, expires on December 31, 2023.  The nominations received by the deadline set for receipt of nominations – March 31, 2023 – are listed below in alphabetical order by candidates’ names:   Moin Uddin Ahmed (Bangladesh), Suat Hayri Aka (Türkiye), Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco (Panama), Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry (Dominica), Nancy Karigithu (Kenya), Minna Kivimäki (Finland) and Zhang Xiaojie (China). The IMO Council at its 128th session (December 2022) approved the procedures for holding the election of the Secretary-General in July 2023 session of the Council. Meanwhile, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam is scheduled to brief diplomats on Thursday seeking support in favour of Bangladesh's candidature, says a Foreign Ministry source. Diplomats from two dozen countries have been invited to attend the briefing. Moin Uddin Ahmed was elected as the Director-General of International Maritime Satellite Organization (IMSO) in their 25th assembly session. He was first elected as the Director General in November of 2014 and commenced his position in April 2015. He was a Senior Technical Officer in IMO Maritime Safety Division, before his nomination as the Director general of IMSO in 2014.  

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said they recognise the invaluable contributions of postal workers to societies and economies noting that these essential workers are an inspiration. "As we continue to confront the Covid-19 pandemic, the resilience and commitment of these essential workers are an inspiration. We owe them our gratitude," he said in a message marking World Post Day that falls on October 9. READ: MoU on UN's operational engagement in Bhasan Char Saturday The theme for this year's World Post Day – "Innovate to recover" – highlights how the postal sector is adapting to new realities and redefining itself, taking on new roles founded on digitalisation, e-commerce and financial services, he said. "Innovate to recover" invites everyone in the international postal sector to embrace creative change and leverage technology as they together look to build forward better from the pandemic, the UN chief added. He said the vast postal network – involving millions of workers moving billions of pieces of mail through hundreds of thousands of post offices – is woven into societies, connecting communities the world over. "I congratulate the Universal Postal Union and the international postal sector for your tireless efforts delivering mail, providing essential services, enabling trade, and promoting literacy," Guterres said. READ: PM releases postal stamp on Bangabandhu’s birth centenary "The United Nations looks forward to advancing our partnership in the service of sustainable development and a better world for all," he mentioned.

Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica will be the new Secretary-General of Unctad, the trade and development body of the United Nations.  Her nomination to the post by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was approved by the UN General Assembly on Sunday. Grynspan, the first woman and Central American to be appointed as Secretary-General of Unctad, is an economist and current Ibero-American Secretary-General. “I’m grateful and honoured for the trust the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has placed in me with this appointment as Secretary-General of Unctad,” Grynspan said.  READ: Investment decline in productive assets spells trouble for poorer nations: UNCTAD “I look forward to bringing my experience and commitment to development to this unique organization, whose history, mandate and recognized world-class expertise make it a key partner for all countries facing the challenges of post-pandemic recovery.” She added: “I believe that, at this critical time, Unctad can make an essential contribution to a more just, sustainable and inclusive recovery for all.” Grynspan has had a career spanning many years and has held several high-level positions, including, among others, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). She has also served as the UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, a member of the High-level Panel on Financing for Development, and Vice President of Costa Rica (1994 to 1998). Unctad Acting Secretary-General Isabelle Durant welcomed the appointment and said: “This is great news for Unctad. The timely coming on board of Ms. Grynspan as our Secretary-General will be key to leading us in the implementation of a new chapter and mandate that will be decided by our 15th ministerial conference, UNCTAD15, in October this year.” READ: FDI down 42pc globally in 2020; UNCTAD expects further weakness in 2021