SDGs

Backed by space technology, Asia-Pacific countries power sustainable development

Asian and Pacific nations are leveraging space technology and geospatial information to respond to challenges on the ground, including in their efforts to contain the spread and mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new United Nations report. 

UN builds momentum for restoring forests as world enters key decade for ecosystems 

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is leading a push for the world to scale up efforts to restore landscapes and forests over the next decade, with eyes on a target to salvage 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands, an area bigger than India in total. 

Africa climate change report reveals heat rising north and south, Sahel getting wetter

Africa needs to prepare better for climate change by responding to a wide range of potential risks, a multi-agency report led by the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday, the first in a series of continent-by-continent assessments.

Climate action: UN chief encouraged by Japan’s 2050 net zero pledge 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed Japan’s announcement on Monday that it would reduce carbon emissions to zero, by 2050, as part of the global effort to slow the worldwide rise in temperatures, and prevent the most damaging effects of human-made climate change. 

Classroom crisis: Avert a ‘generational catastrophe’, urges UN chief

The world is at risk of suffering “a generational catastrophe” as COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the education of students globally, the UN chief said on Thursday. 

Stand in solidarity with world’s poor, UN chief says in message for International Day

The UN Secretary-General has called for solidarity with all people living in poverty, during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. 

‘Staggering’ rise in climate emergencies in last 20 years, new disaster research shows

The first 20 years of this century have seen a “staggering” rise in climate disasters, UN researchers said on Monday, while also maintaining that “almost all nations” have failed to prevent a “wave of death and illness” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Universal Health Coverage ‘more urgent than ever’ – UN chief

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that “our health systems are inadequate”, the UN chief told a ministerial meeting on Thursday, citing weak structures and unequal access to healthcare as “major reasons” why the coronavirus has killed one million people and infected more than 30 times that, globally.

UN Special Adviser helps align UN and Africa on sustainable development path

Helping to reshape the UN's approach to better serve the continent and merge the UN-led Sustainable Development Goals with Africa's own 2063 Agenda, are top priorities for the newly minted UN Special Adviser on Africa.

Corruption and tax-dodging ‘rampant’, urgent reforms needed: UN panel

Tax abuse, money laundering and corruption, plague the global financial system, a high-level UN panel reported on Thursday, launching an interim report that underscores the need for urgent reforms to achieve the 2030 Global Goals (SDGs).