United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Afghanistan’s former diplomat Adela Raz to a newly formed Independent Expert Advisory Panel tasked with strengthening a global index that measures countries’ structural vulnerability to economic, environmental and social shocks.
Raz is one of 15 experts named to the panel overseeing the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) for the 2026–2030 term, the United Nations said. Members will serve in their personal capacities and advise on how the index can better guide development policy and access to international financing.
The MVI, established by the UN General Assembly, is designed to capture risks faced by developing countries that are not reflected in income measures alone, including exposure to climate shocks, economic volatility and limited resilience. The index is intended as a diagnostic tool to inform aid allocation and coordinated international action.
The advisory panel will conduct triennial reviews of the index, assess new data and concepts, and track progress by developing countries in reducing structural vulnerabilities, according to the UN.
Raz, who has represented Afghanistan at senior diplomatic levels, joins the panel alongside experts from academia, government and civil society across regions. The UN said the panel reflects geographic and gender balance.
Rabab Fatima, head of the UN Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, said the panel marked a “critical milestone” in recognising vulnerability as a central barrier to sustainable development, particularly for the world’s poorest and most exposed nations.
The panel will be supported by a secretariat responsible for maintaining and updating the index, while the UN Statistical Commission will review any future technical changes.
The group is expected to hold its first meeting in 2026 and begin preparations for the first formal review of the index, due in 2028, the UN said.
