As calls for accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals grow louder at the halfway point towards the 2030 deadline, acknowledging the challenges of a small island developing state like Jamaica have become even more pressing.
As the world marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, hear from the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Country Teams on where the world stands when it comes to poverty and how quality jobs and protections can help restore dignity for millions.
On the summit of a hill, where access roads often succumbed to heavy rains, Hambini Village in Papua New Guinea stands as a symbol of resilience and community spirit. Its 9,000 residents, spread across 1,500 cocoa farming households, faced formidable challenges. Yet, amidst these challenges, a steady transformation has been taking place, led by the villagers of Hambini.
The Girls Education Project, a collaboration between the Nigerian government, UNICEF, and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has increased girls' enrollment in school and improved learning outcomes.
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.
Eight years ago, Member States gathered in this Hall to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals. A promise to build a world of health, progress and opportunity for all. A promise to leave no one behind. And a promise to pay for it. It was — always — a promise to people.
The participation of women in politics is a priority for the United Nations and should be so for society as a whole. For the first time in its history, Costa Rica, in an effort to acknowledge it, will be holding gender-balanced elections in 2024, thereby ensuring an unprecedented space for women's political participation in the country. However, this significant achievement faces a massive and growing challenge: hate speech, discrimination, and digital violence against women.
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.
Since September 2021, the ban on girls' education has impacted 1.1 million girls and young women in the country. Somaya Faruqi, Global Champion for Education Cannot Wait- the UN's global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, reflects on the past two years.
