Richard Kozul-Wright, Professor of Sustainable Structural Transformation at SOAS and former Director of UNCTAD’s Globalization and Development Strategies Division discusses the recent failure of the Philippines to retain its seat on the UN Security Council, and the election of a new President of the General Assembly from Bangladesh. He suggests that this reflects changing diplomatic priorities among developing countries, who are becoming more aware of the need to take international agenda into their own hands and move away from the dominance of more advanced economies.