Coupled with other extreme weather events, the ongoing drought caused widespread hunger and pushed thousands into near famine-like conditions. In the south of the country, where the land is arid and households more dependent on rain-fed agriculture, the issue of malnutrition is particularly acute. Crops are not only suffering from a lack of water, but have also been damaged by high winds and tiomena – sandstorms - which blow away the fertile topsoil. In these conditions, communities are struggling to grow key staples, including corn.
Reforming the global financial system, moving beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of economic progress, and addressing technology challenges are crucial to achieving a more just and equitable future for all, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said this week.
“Every year, over 400 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide – one third of which is used just once”, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Aside from recurrent drought and climate induced emergencies, Somalia is facing other deep-rooted yet interlinked challenges, including violent conflict, corruption, poverty and rising numbers of internal displacement. For the Resident Coordinator and the UN country team, breaking these chronic cycles of crises and tackling the root causes of displacement, insecurity and climate induced emergencies and support Somalia’s development ambitions been a key overarching priority.
Our UN teams are on the ground in 162 countries and territories, coordinating joint programmes and tackling a range of priorities and initiatives — from climate action and food security to gender equality and safety of civilians.
“We need support and we need it now”: A new report by FAO and WFP expect conditions to worsen for a further 18 countries, bringing the total pushed to the brink by conflict, climate change and economic shocks to 22.
"When we started the reform process, no one foresaw that our country teams would be operating in such challenging conditions. Despite that, four years on, the reforms have succeeded."
The 2023 Report of the Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group on the Development Coordination Office (DCO) and the Resident Coordinator (RC) system dives deep into the real and tangible impacts of investing strategically in development coordination across country, regional and global levels. It is a testament to how far we can go when we work together as one UN.
Graduating from the category of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) is a milestone moment in a country’s development journey, but it is not always an easy one. Bangladesh, Lao PDR, and Nepal have learnt this the hard way, since the recommendation in 2021 for all three countries to leave this group currently comprising 46 of the world’s most vulnerable countries. Finalizing preparations for a smooth and just transition, which is now set for 2026, has its own set of challenges, particularly in the areas of trade, intellectual property rights, climate finance, debt relief and grant eligibility.
“I have never seen climate carnage on this scale.” This is what United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said when he arrived in Pakistan in September 2022, witnessing first-hand how devastating floods left large swathes of the country under water.
