In a significant advancement for the sustainable development of Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) has made remarkable strides in bolstering the statistical capacities of these nations. Through a series of collaborative efforts, its Statistics Division (UNSD), jointly with ESCAP, the Pacific Community (SPC), and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), have significantly enhanced how Pacific SIDS collect, analyze, and utilize data, aligning them with global standards and the Sustainable Development Goals (…

The 9th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) convened, gathering over 600 stakeholders and representatives from more than 100 Member States and large online audience via UN WebTV. This year's Forum highlighted many practical examples, proposed recommendations for action, and focused on leveraging advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and addressing climate change to propel sustainable development across the globe. 

In the pristine archipelago of Seychelles, a transformative initiative is taking place, reshaping the future of sustainable development. The UN DESA, through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) and its Financing for Sustainable Development Office (FFSDO), in collaboration with the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), has embarked on an ambitious capacity-building project titled "Foresight and Systems Thinking for Strategic Planning and Financing for Sustainable Development Goals." 

In recent years, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) has played a crucial role in enhancing inclusivity and sustainability for some of the most disadvantaged communities in Uganda and Namibia. Through the "Inclusive Development of Indigenous Peoples in Africa" project, UN DESA has been supporting in bolstering the capabilities of government officials to better recognize and address the needs of Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized groups.  

UN DESA’s Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) enhanced its expertise by adopting an agile and growth mindset, leveraging digital technologies, and hiring new staff with data analytics skills. It empowered youth and fostered their leadership skills; attracted talent with cutting-edge skills, adopted a nimbler structure and emphasized co-creation.

In January 2024, Ethiopia made a significant leap towards enhancing its data governance capabilities through a workshop co-organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and Ethiopia's Ministry of Innovation and Technology. This initiative aimed to fortify the foundation for Ethiopia's e-government services and contribute to the SDGs.

UN DESA initiated a groundbreaking project titled "Frontier Technology Policy Experimentation and Digital Sandboxes for Sustainable Development" in Bangladesh. This initiative, supported through the UN Development Account, aimed to empower these businesses by facilitating access to finance through innovative digital solutions and regulatory sandboxes.

In a significant stride towards sustainable development, Sri Lanka, with the pivotal support of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) through its Statistics Division (SD), has made remarkable progress in enhancing its statistical systems. 

Enhancing effective governance is a key challenge in Mongolia's pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UN DESA through its Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) of the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Governance (DPIDG) organized a national workshop on “Effective Governance for Sustainable Development in Mongolia."

As countries worldwide work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, financing becomes increasingly vital. In 2015, UN Member States adopted the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and agreed to use Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) to support nationally owned sustainable development strategies.

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) collaborated with the African Peer Review Mechanism to hold a workshop on Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) and Domestication of Agenda 2063 in Durban, South Africa from 15-17 March 2023.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are on the front line of the triple planetary crisis, which includes climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. These challenges are not new for the SIDS, who have been dealing with the devastating effects of climate change for decades.

Every year, on the 21st of March, people around the world come together to celebrate International Forest Day. This year’s theme is “Forests and Health” – an apt reminder of the vital role forests play in sustaining human health and wellbeing. 

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), recently hosted a training workshop on “Youth Engagement in Institution Building and Public Services Delivery for Sustainable Development” in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Capacity development plays a key role in UN DESA’s efforts to support countries as they strive to achieve global goals. As part of this work, e-learning is an important enabler for accessible and agile learning. We spoke with Nina Brandt in UN DESA’s Capacity Development Programme Management Office to learn more about the benefits of digital learning and how technology can help us all to be more connected.

UN DESA has developed an e-learning program on the Economic and Social Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This engaging series of courses can provide government officials, policymakers, and other stakeholders with additional insights to better navigate the challenges posed by the pandemic and support them to develop more effective mitigation policies. 

The internationally agreed Declaration of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Accelerated Modalities of Action, the so-called S.A.M.O.A Pathway, recognizes that SIDS remain a special case for sustainable development in view of their unique and particular vulnerabilities. Due to their specific common development challenges, SIDS are on the frontline of the multiple climate and nature crises which are now being amplified by the global COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic shutdown. All the ingredients for a “perfect storm” had been in play in SIDS in 2020 and most still remain…

While the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a high level of ambition from the international community, they also devote attention to ensuring the Agenda is grounded and realistic, through adequate “means of implementation”. The Agenda in para. 63 states that “cohesive nationally owned sustainable development strategies, supported by integrated national financing frameworks, will be at the heart of our efforts”.

As the COVID-19 pandemic carves its dark entry into the history of humankind, causing serious illness and death, and upending daily life as we know it, UN DESA is supporting the world to contain the calamity and emerge from it more resilient and united.“UN DESA stands in solidarity with the World Health Organization and other global, national and regional bodies to stop the spread of this virus and usher in a rapid and sustainable recovery,” said UN DESA Head, Liu Zhenmin in a …

The fourteenth annual meeting of the IGF was hosted by the Government of Germany in Berlin from 25 to 29 November 2019, to discuss the overarching theme of ‘’One World. One Net. One Vision.’’ 5000 onsite and online participants from different stakeholder groups, including some of the most prominent authorities on global Internet governance, attended the Forum. The event was opened by Secretary-General António Guterres and…

Workshop: SDGs in the Caribbean Small Island Developing States/ Integrated policies and policy coherence hosted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, from 13-15 November 2019 in Port of...

Integrating population and development strategies into planning and decision-making is a key objective of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). It is also an important area of work of the United Nations Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in support of Member States.

Gradjet, a new online platform developed by the UN DESA-hosted Committee for Development Policy (CDP) Secretariat, will help officials in LDCs understand what it means to leave the LDC category and to plan a course for the future. As many as 14 of the world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs) may leave this category in the coming years thanks to their rapid economic and human development. While certainly a cause for celebration, graduation also…

With almost 200 million people aged between 15 and 24, Africa has the youngest population in the world. And it keeps growing rapidly. Over the next 13 years, from 2017 to 2030, the youth population in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow to almost 300 million youth. As economies in Africa face challenges in offering jobs for young people, youth migration is becoming alarmingly high.

Today, 1.1 billion people lack access to electricity, while water stress affects more than 2 billion people. By 2030, the world will need 40 per cent more water and 50 per cent more energy. Climate change will exacerbate this stress even further. The strong linkages between water and energy demand coherent integrated policies and innovative approaches.

UN DESA and UNDP conducted a training workshop on the Climate, Land, Energy and Water Systems (CLEWs) integrated analysis in La Paz, Bolivia from 16 to 20 April 2018. The Global CLEWS model provides useful insights about the relationships among water, energy, climate, and land and material use at the global scale. It was developed to inform Rio+20 discussions and will soon be upgraded to provide useful insights about the interlinkages among climate, land, materials, energy and water underlying the relationships among many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Progressing towards the…

Propelled by better health and education, lower vulnerability and an economic boom, Bangladesh, the largest least developed country (LDC) in terms of population and economic size, looks likely to leave the LDC category by 2024. For the first time, the country met the three criteria for graduation at the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) triennial review in March 2018. “Bangladesh has seen broad-based gains in health, education, infant mortality and life expectancy,” said Daniel Gay, Inter-Regional…