As Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, I am deeply troubled over recent decisions and proposals to markedly cut Official Development Assistance (ODA) to service the impacts of the war in Ukraine on refugees.
Remarks delivered by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting today on Operational Activities for Development. In her speech, Ms. Mohammed, who chairs the UN Sustainable Development Group on behalf of the UN Secretary-General, presented the Report of the Chair of the UNSDG on the Development Coordination Office.
From the economic repercussions of the COVID pandemic to food insecurity exacerbated by the Ukraine war, Secretary-General António Guterres painted a picture of accumulating crises that have put the drive towards the global goals into reverse.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, the United Nations Country Team in the UAE quickly rose to the challenge, working together with the International Humanitarian City (IHC) in Dubai to provide immediate support and emergency relief to communities affected by the crisis all over the world.
The Ukraine crisis may pose a threat to food security and living standards in Africa, but it could also provide incentives to boost intra-African trade. Those were the key messages from Hanan Morsy, Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), during a recent online presentation to over 100 UN officials from all over the continent. Many UN Resident Coordinators chimed in with observations from the field.
Our UN teams are on the ground, working with governments and key stakeholders to bolster countries’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping ensure a smooth recovery. They tackle a range of multi-faceted priorities and key initiatives on a daily basis—from climate action to gender equality and food security—and utilize innovative approaches to problem-solving to better serve communities. Below are some highlights of their work this month.
The virtual platform Mujeres Emplea connects women with job offers and entrepreneurial opportunities in the public and private sectors. It also provides free training tools and promotes a listing of current offerings of child and adult care services.