NEW YORK, 24 September 2026 — On the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Partners in Population and Development (PPD) and the DMUN Foundation formalised a significant new institutional partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The agreement was signed by Professor Dr. Joseph Akinkugbe Adelegan, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of PPD, and Mr. Jaewon Choi, Executive Director of the DMUN Foundation, on behalf of their respective organisations.
The signing marks a meaningful step forward in PPD’s efforts to build a broader and more diverse ecosystem of partners around its mandate of advancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation in reproductive health, population, and sustainable development. For the DMUN Foundation, it represents a deepening of its commitment to bridging the gap between youth-led multilateral engagement and the intergovernmental processes that shape the global development agenda.
The MOU establishes a framework of cooperation across several areas of shared institutional interest. The two organisations have agreed to explore and, where separately agreed in writing, provide financial and in-kind support for PPD’s programmes, including support for the establishment and operation of PPD’s Permanent Observer Missions at the United Nations in New York, Geneva, and Vienna. They have further committed to promoting formal communication and institutional cooperation, facilitating appropriate representation and participation in meetings and activities of mutual interest, organising joint events, seminars, workshops, and side events at multilateral and intergovernmental forums, and advancing joint research, studies, and knowledge-sharing initiatives. Youth engagement is a particular area of focus for the partnership, reflecting the DMUN Foundation’s core institutional identity and PPD’s own commitment to realising the hopes and aspirations of young people across the Global South.
Separately, in connection with the Agreement on the Provision of Services between PPD and the DMUN Foundation concerning the establishment and operation of PPD’s Permanent Observer Mission in New York, PPD also formally accepted the nomination of Ms. Myelle Mariah Rodgers as the Permanent Observer-Designate of PPD to the United Nations in New York. PPD expressed full confidence that Ms. Rodgers will uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and diplomatic conduct in the discharge of her responsibilities, while faithfully advancing the mandate, policies, strategic priorities, and collective interests of PPD and its 28 Member Countries.
The signing of the MOU with the DMUN Foundation is part of a broader and accelerating effort by the PPD Secretariat under the leadership of Professor Adelegan to expand and deepen PPD’s network of institutional partnerships, strengthen the organisation’s multilateral engagement, and position PPD as a more dynamic, visible, and effective platform for South-South Cooperation at the United Nations and beyond.
The DMUN Foundation is an international charitable foundation and NGO dedicated to advancing the meaningful participation of young people in multilateral processes pertaining to sustainable development, and to supporting intergovernmental and non-governmental partners active in the field of peace, sustainable development, and youth. For more information, visit www.dmun.org.
