Press Release
UN announces new Expert Advisory Panel to advance efforts in quantifying countries’ multidimensional vulnerabilities
New York, 27 January 2026 — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed 15 leading experts to the Independent Expert Advisory Panel for the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) for the 2026–2030 term. The Panel will play a key role in strengthening the MVI as an evidence-based tool for assessing the structural vulnerabilities faced by developing countries.
The UN General Assembly’s establishment of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) signals the international community’s recognition that vulnerability poses a major obstacle to sustainable development, particularly as countries face increasing exposure to exogenous shocks and stressors. The MVI measures the structural vulnerability and limited structural resilience of all developing countries and serves as a diagnostic tool to guide coordinated action, improve development decision-making and resource allocation.
The Panel is mandated to help ensure the continued robustness, relevance, and credibility of the MVI. Its responsibilities include conducting triennial reviews of the index; monitoring progress by developing countries in reducing structural vulnerabilities; evaluating emerging concepts and data; and reviewing lessons learned from the use of the MVI across the UN system and beyond.
Serving in their personal capacity, the Panel’s members bring diverse expertise spanning economic development, social development, environmental protection, vulnerability measurement, and resilience-building. The Panel reflects broad geographical and gender balance and includes leaders from the public sector, academia, civil society, and the international community.
Congratulating the panel, Rabab Fatima, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS), said, “The establishment of the MVI Advisory Panel marks a critical milestone in advancing our collective understanding of structural vulnerability. For far too long, the most vulnerable countries —LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS — have faced exogenous shocks that undermine hard-won development gains and constrain sustainable progress. The MVI is a long-overdue evidence-based instrument to capture these realities. I am confident that the distinguished members of this Panel will help ensure that the Index continues to evolve as a robust instrument to inform policy, enhance access to finance, and support more equitable and resilient development outcomes.”
The MVI Advisory Panel will be supported by a dedicated Secretariat, responsible for maintaining the Index and conducting periodic updates. In addition, the Secretariat will carry out a range of functions aimed at strengthening and reporting on the index, including providing capacity-building support to Member States. As part of the governance framework, the UN Statistical Commission will conduct technical reviews of any future enhancements to the index.
“The establishment of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) signals a vital recognition that vulnerability to external shocks is a primary obstacle to sustainable development…. To capitalize on the momentum developing countries must advance transformative national development agendas that shockproof their vulnerable economies,” stated Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).
He added, “In parallel, the international community must deliver targeted financing at speed and scale. For this to work, consideration of multidimensional vulnerability and its impact cannot be an exception; it must be the norm in the financing policies of IFIs and development partners.”
Panel Membership
The Advisory Panel comprises 15 experts selected from across regions, sectors, and disciplines. Their CVs are available here.
Ms. Sabina Alkire — United States
Ms. Amatalalim (Amat Al Alim) Alsoswa — Yemen
Mr. Tumasie Blair — Antigua and Barbuda
Mr. George Carter — Samoa
Mr. Paul Cheung — Singapore
Mr. Jean‑Christophe Donnellier — France
Mr. ZENG Fei — China
Ms. Salmou Gourouza Magagi — Niger
Mr. Edgar Gutiérrez‑Espeleta — Costa Rica
Ms. Fahmida Khatun — Bangladesh
Mr. José Antonio Ocampo — Colombia
Ms. Adela Raz — Afghanistan
Ms. Therese Turner‑Jones — Bahamas
Ms. Dzodzi Tsikata — Ghana
Mr. Kerfalla Yansane — Guinea
Next Steps
The Panel will convene its first meeting in 2026 to adopt its work programme and initiate preparations for the first triennial review of the MVI due in 2028.
Additional information:
For more information and for interview requests, please contact:
- May Yaacoub| UN Office for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States | yaacoubm@un.org
- Sharon Birch | UN Department of Global Communications | birchs@un.org
- Helen Rosengren |UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs | rosengrenh@un.org
