SDGs

A disabled man operates a mobile phone repair business in Sri Lanka.
ILO

Turn toxic e-waste into a source of ‘decent work’, UN labour agency urges 

17 April 2019
Global


A “toxic flood of electric and electronic waste” that is growing by the day across the world, should be urgently converted into a source of decent work, that can also protect populations from its harmful effects, the United Nations labour agency said on Wednesday. 

Student riding to school on rainy day in southwest China.
World Bank/Steve Harris

‘Critical moment’ for sustainable development, UN chief tells major financing forum

15 April 2019
Global

“Uneven growth, rising debt levels, possible upticks in financial volatility, and heightened global trade tensions” are hampering progress on reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN chief António Guterres told the Forum on Financing for Development on Monday, during what he called “a critical moment” to “accelerate action for sustainable development”. 

A woman walks through a flooded market in Port au Prince, Haiti, after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the Caribbean island in 2012.
UN Photo/Logan Abassi

Impact of high debt levels on least developed countries ‘cannot be overstated’, says UN 

13 April 2019
Global

The impact of high levels of debt on development efforts “cannot be overstated”, the head of the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) told a Ministerial Breakfast Meeting on least developed countries (LDCs) on Saturday.

A family left homeless by cyclone Aila wait for assistance in Koira, Khulna District, Bangladesh.
UNICEF/Uddin

‘The clock is ticking’ on meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, says UN deputy chief

11 April 2019
Global

Pointing to climate change, inequalities and other serious challenges, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a forum on Thursday Development that “the clock is ticking” down, to making the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

WHO China Special Envoy for Health Yiyang Qianxi attends 2019 ECOSOC Youth Forum.
UN Social Media Team

‘Once-in-a-generation opportunity’ will be squandered, warns Guterres, unless social, economic, environmental challenges are met

9 April 2019
Global

Unless the world faces its “social, economic and environmental challenges head-on”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), will not be met.

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum provides a platform for young leaders globally to share ideas for, among things, advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, April 2019.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Urgently address ‘defining challenges of our time’, to empower youth worldwide, top UN official tells forum 

8 April 2019
Global

Young people require “skills, values, jobs and livelihoods that empower them” so they can help forge a more sustainable world, the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) said on Monday, kicking off its eighth Annual Youth Forum. 

Crops at the periurban agriculture cooperative Vivero Alamar, Cuba.
FAO photo

To meet development goals, UN agriculture agency ‘cannot only focus on tackling hunger anymore’

8 April 2019
Global

Innovating agriculture and promoting nutrition-sensitive food systems top the Food and Agriculture Agency’s (FAO) to-do list, its chief told the United Nations agriculture agency’s governing council on Monday, saying "we cannot only focus on tackling hunger anymore". 

Residents living in a slum in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
World Bank/ Dominic Chavez

Fight against climate change and poverty will fail without overhaul of global financial system, says major UN report

4 April 2019
Global

A major new UN-led report, involving more than 60 international organizations, warns that a comprehensive overhaul of the world’s financial system is necessary, if governments are to honour commitments to tackle critical issues, such as combatting climate change and eradicating poverty by 2030.

Football players celebrate the first prize at the closing ceremony of the community football competition in Zam Zam camp for internally displaced persons in North Darfur.
UN Photo/Albert González Farran

'Score a goal’ for humanity, says Mohammed, celebrating winning link between sport and development

3 April 2019
Global

Celebrating the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told an event in New York on Wednesday - headquarters of team UN - that “sport helps find common ground” during times of division.

Forced labour often means unpaid wages, excessively long work hours without rest days, confiscation of ID documents, little freedom of movement, deception, intimidation and physical or sexual violence. ILO/A. Khemka
ILO/A. Khemka

New UN data tool shows 'mismatch' between government aid and places modern slavery exists

2 April 2019
Global

A new interactive data tool created by the UN University Centre for Policy Research, which shows a mismatch between where modern slavery occurs, and where governments are spending resources to address it, could help make a positive impact on policy debates surrounding the issue.