Wage losses, job insecurity, and a rising cost of living crisis have been a common thread in the past few years, across the world, directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, decent jobs that deliver a fair, secure income for all are critical to tackling inequality and poverty. Social protection systems help vulnerable people find such jobs and improve their ability to cope with crises through increased access to education, health, and other social security nets, helping absorb the impacts of shocks without major social or economic setbacks.
The world needs to focus on the transformative entry points that can have catalytic impact for achieving the Goals: food systems; energy access and affordability; digital connectivity; education; jobs and social protection; and climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. This action has already begun. At the country level, Resident Coordinators and UN country teams have been on the ground working with host Governments to boost SDG progress and engagement in the areas it matters the most.
In a world grappling with increasingly complex crises ranging from poverty and inequality to the climate emergency, the United Nations remains at the forefront of the global response, determined to set humanity on a path to peace and prosperity, Secretary-General António Guterres has said.
A joint UN programme run in Nampula and Zambezia provinces of Mozambique is mentoring young people on issues related to sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as violence against women and girls.
Issues like climate change, jobs and income, inclusion and diversity carry the highest stakes for young people. UN Resident Coordinators, leading UN country teams on the ground, are at the forefront of efforts to engage youth voices for the SDGs.
UN Resident Coordinator Christine Umutoni reflects on Liberia's socio-economic development journey. Liberians have demonstrated tremendous resilience, battling the devastating impacts of Ebola and COVID-19, contending with growing inflation, mobilizing grassroots leadership and making slow but sure dents in tackling infant mortality.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday that he deeply regrets Russia’s decision to terminate the Black Sea Initiative, in effect ending a “lifeline” for hundreds of millions worldwide facing hunger and spiralling food costs.
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the HLPF, takes place at the mid-point in pursuit of the 2030 Agenda and focuses on ways to accelerate the global recovery.
A snapshot from 5 countries - Cambodia, Comoros, Mexico, Uzbekistan, Yemen - and how they're moving the needle on the five SDGs under review at the UN High-Level Political Forum this week.
The district of Tarim – in Hadhramout governorate, eastern Yemen - looks like a green oasis with palm trees, yet it is exposed to seasonal floods and extreme heat waves that impact farmlands and damage crops. Through a joint project funded by the European Union, UNDP worked with local authorities to respond to economic and agricultural needs across the country by engaging community members, the private sector, and civil society in decision making and planning.
