How Dylan Welch Guides Organizations Through the UN System

Dylan Welch is the founder and CEO of Welch International, an international relations and strategic advisory firm based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and he works as a private contractor for the United Nations. This feature in our leadership series looks at the United Nations side of his work and at how Welch International helps organizations engage the UN and the wider multilateral system.

Why is engaging the UN system harder to navigate right now?

The institution is changing as it is approached. The UN80 Initiative was proposed by Secretary-General António Guterres in March 2025. It aims to improve the effectiveness of the UN Secretariat, review the status of UN mandates and realign certain programs and structures. According to the Better World Campaign, the General Assembly approved a $3.45 billion regular budget for 2026, which is $270 million below the previous year and eliminates 2,900 posts.

Structural change is following. In September, UN News reported that the General Assembly approved the merger of two UN learning and training bodies into a new institution. The report said the merger would create a single platform that makes it easier for Member States, UN entities and partners to access expertise and support. These developments come from the UN and its member states. Neither Dylan Welch nor Welch International is described as involved in them.

For a company, a government or a foundation, consolidation of this kind means the map of who decides what keeps shifting. Our own coverage of the end of the UN mission in Somalia shows how quickly mandates and structures can change. This is the environment in which Welch International advises.

What does Welch International do?

Welch International specializes in business development, strategic partnerships and operations across the public sector, the private sector and the multilateral system. It serves governments, corporations, multilateral institutions, including UN entities, and nonprofits and foundations. Its stated principles are trusted access, cross-sector fluency, discretion, execution and senior attention. Dylan Welch is directly involved in every mandate.

The firm organizes its work into three services, which we examined in Dylan Welch’s Three Verbs:

• Develop: business development, including mapping markets and stakeholders, securing decision-maker introductions and shaping pipelines.
• Partner: designing public-private alliances, building coalitions and guiding engagement with the UN system.
• Operate: standing up programs, cross-border operating models and high-level convenings.

For a client approaching the UN, the Partner service is the most direct fit. Welch International’s focus areas also include public-private partnerships, United Nations and multilateral engagement, government relations, sustainable development, market entry and expansion, and convenings and delegations.

How does Dylan Welch work with the United Nations?

Dylan Welch’s UN work is practical. Alongside his role as a private contractor for the United Nations, he is an expert in business development, strategic partnerships and communication strategy. Earlier in his career he worked in broadcast production and in UN-adjacent foundation operations. He also co-founded and exited a green media company. He spent about a decade as an international expedition guide, leading expeditions across Europe, South America and Asia, and he has organized philanthropic expeditions internationally.

His convening work is the clearest public example of the model. The Secretary-General has invited Member States, UN entities and partners to help shape the UN’s new learning entity. That kind of invitation to partners is where a convener adds value. Dylan Welch is the founder and host of the Global Leadership Forum. Its 2026 edition, the New York Innovation Forum for Sustainable Development, was held September 21 and 22, 2026, at 777 UN Plaza in New York. It was timed to Climate Week NYC and the 81st UN General Assembly. It was co-hosted by Peace Boat US, which holds ECOSOC Special Consultative Status, and Welch International.

The partners and sponsors included Siemens, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, RMI, the Roosevelt Alliance, Blue Planet Alliance, HNO International and the Global Leadership Network. The programming included a Business and Innovation Forum, a Nature Conservation Forum for a Renewable Energy Future and a Climate Week Family Office Forum.

Dylan Welch’s other roles connect to the same network. He is co-founder of the Global Leadership Network and Chief Development Officer of the Roosevelt Alliance, a land and nature conservation policy organization. He is also the founder of Intelligence Report, the publication you are reading. Our earlier piece, Dylan Welch and Intelligence Report: A Platform for World Affairs, covers that part of his work.

Work with Welch International

Organizations that want to engage the UN and multilateral institutions, or that are weighing partnerships, market entry or a delegation, can speak directly with Dylan Welch. Book a confidential 30 minute consultation with Welch International to discuss your objectives.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Welch International
• The United States and United Nations Reform: In Brief
• UN Reform, Explained – Better World Campaign
• General Assembly backs creation of new UN learning institute under UN80 reforms
• Welch International

Intelligence Report is published by Welch International. This article is part of our series on the leadership behind the publication.

This article was produced by the Intelligence Report Desk. Sources are linked below.