SDGs

Mongolia initially received over 25,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the COVAX Facility.
© UNICEF/Khasar Sandag

Pandemic showcases need for partnerships: ECOSOC President

3 May 2021
Global

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how all countries are connected, underscoring that global cooperation and solidarity are the only way out of the crisis, senior UN officials said on Monday during the annual Partnership Forum, organized by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). 

Online retail or e-commerce sales have increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unsplash/rupixen

Global e-commerce jumps to $26.7 trillion, fuelled by COVID-19

3 May 2021
Global

Parts of the online economy have boomed since COVID-19 began, while some pre-pandemic big-hitters have seen a reversal of their fortunes in the last year, amid widespread movement restrictions, UN economists have found.

Sunlight streams through a forest in Germany.
Unsplash/Sebastian Unrau

‘Make-or-break moment’ for forests

26 April 2021
Global

Forests are at the core of our efforts to restore our relationship with the natural world, the deputy UN chief said on Monday at the UN Forum on Forests. 

NASA astronaut and UN Champion for Space Scott Kelly conducts a spacewalk in December 2015 with fellow astronaut Tim Kopra at the International Space Station.
NASA/Johnson

First ever human space flight signalled 'new era for humanity'

12 April 2021
Global

The United Nations is marking the International Day of Human Space Flight on Monday, celebrating the achievements of astronauts who are “stretching the boundaries” of where civilization can go, beyond the stratosphere. 

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced the earning power of the Singh family from Madhya Pradesh, India.
UNDP India/Dhiraj Singh

UN chief welcomes IMF and World Bank measures to address COVID-related debt crisis

9 April 2021
Global

The UN Secretary-General on Friday welcomed steps announced by the International Monetary and Finance Committee (IMFC) and the World Bank Group Development Committee, to address debt crises and other financial distress to economies arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, “as a sign of hope and renewed multilateralism.”

Football for reconciliation, an event held between people involved the Colombian peace process.
UNVMC/Jennifer Moreno

Guterres highlights power of sport for inclusive, sustainable future

6 April 2021
Global

The United Nations Secretary-General on Tuesday urged everyone involved in the sport sector to help advance climate action, combat discrimination and prejudice, and ensure that global sporting events leave a positive legacy. 

An interconnected network of greenery across Medellín city in Colombia has significantly improved the lives of its citizens.
Unsplash/Mike Swigunski

UN-Habitat report calls for cities post-pandemic to lead the way to a fairer, greener, healthier future

30 March 2021
Global

A new report on pandemics and cities from UN-Habitat, points the way to how hard-hit urban centres can reduce the impact of future outbreaks and become more equitable, healthy and environmentally friendly.

Food systems in Africa have been adversely impacted by climate-induced shocks, conflicts and most-recently, COVID-19.
© FAO/Petterik Wiggers

Pandemic threatens lost decade for development, UN report reveals

25 March 2021
Global

The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed development gains for millions in poor countries, creating an even more sharply unequal world, according to a new UN report released on Thursday.  

A train snakes its way through Seoul in the Republic of Korea.
UN Photo/Kibae Park

‘Seize the moment’ to recover and rebuild better, UN deputy chief urges Asia-Pacific nations

23 March 2021
Asia Pacific

Confronting major setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic, countries in Asia and the Pacific “must now seize the moment” to rebuild and recover better together, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General said on Tuesday. 

More mass-market consumer applications are expected with the development of what is known as 'assistive technologies'.
Unsplash/Possessed Photography

Inventions boom in ‘assistive tech’ offers wider benefits for all

23 March 2021

Rapid growth in innovations that are designed to help people overcome their disabilities could soon offer a fix to all manner of mobility, sight and other difficulties, UN patent experts WIPO said on Tuesday.