The World Bank World Development Report 2022: Finance for an Equitable Recovery, examines the central role of finance in the economic recovery from the pandemic.

Safety and security are at the base of the ‘hierarchy of needs’ pyramid, second in importance only to life’s absolute necessities—air, water, food and shelter. In the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, people were on average living healthier, more prosperous and better lives than ever. Yet still a growing sense of unease had taken root and is flourishing. A new UNDP report, New Threats to Human Security in the Anthropocene, says six out of seven people all over the world—including in the wealthiest countries— were experiencing high levels of insecurity even before the pandemic.

UNDP’s new Strategic Plan recognizes the complexity of the development landscape and the challenges we face as a global community. It sets out our vision for a future-smart UNDP, working with partners to create a world where people and planet thrive together.

The pandemic has proven the intrinsic value of the cultural and creative sector at generating social cohesion, education, or personal well-being in times of crisis. It has also undermined the sector’s potential to generate economic growth, something which is too often underestimated. This global crisis has also demonstrated the significant challenges that need to be met to ensure that a diversity of cultural expressions around the world is preserved. A new UNESCO report, Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity, calls on governments to ensure economic and social protection for artists and cultural professionals.

WHO and ILO have called for measures to be put in place to protect workers’ health while teleworking. A new technical brief to healthy and safe teleworking, published by the two UN agencies, outlines the health benefits and risks of teleworking and the changes needed to accommodate the shift towards different forms of remote work arrangements brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the digital transformation of work. Teleworking can improve the physical and mental health and social wellbeing of workers, while leading to higher productivity and lower operational costs for many companies.

Only three per cent of Latin America’s e-waste is reported as collected through formal channels and treated in an environmentally sound manner, according to the Regional E-Waste Monitor for Latin-America.

Growth slows as economies grapple with supply disruptions, higher inflation, record debt and persistent uncertainty, according to the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook.

Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows showed a strong rebound in 2021, up 77%, according to UNCTAD’s Investment Trends Monitor.

The pandemic has already shaken the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as it continues, FAO reports that progress towards the achievement of the SDGs is still to be determined.

ILO has downgraded its forecast for labour market recovery in 2022, projecting a deficit in hours worked globally equivalent to 52 million full-time jobs, relative to the fourth quarter of 2019. The previous full-year estimate in May 2021 projected a deficit of 26 million full-time equivalent jobs. While this latest projection is an improvement on the situation in 2021, it remains almost two per cent below the number of global hours worked pre-pandemic, according ILO’s WESO Trends 2022. Global unemployment is expected to remain above pre-COVID-19 levels until at least 2023.

Has the global economy recovered from COVID-19? Will prices continue to rise? When will the jobs come back? Find out at the launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2022 report on 13 January (12 pm EST). It provides an overview of recent global economic performance and short-term prospects. After a strong recovery in 2021, global growth momentum seems to be losing steam and higher levels of inequality could emerge as a longer-term scar of the pandemic. The report calls for better targeted policy and financial measures.

This latest edition of ITU News Magazine presents ITU’s Youth Strategy to drive inclusive empowerment, engage young leaders and help them participate alongside today’s digital leaders​.

We are living through an era of rapid and far-reaching transformation. As the world has changed — becoming more digital, more globalized, and more diverse — childhood is changing with it. The Changing Childhood Project — a collaboration of UNICEF and Gallup — was created to explore these shifts, and to better understand what it means to be a child in the 21st century. UNICEF asked young and older people in 21 countries what is it like to grow up in today’s world? And how do generations view the world differently? Dive in and discover the changing nature of childhood.

In spite of the human and economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments and enterprises in many parts of the world have increased their investments in innovation, according to the 2021 Global Innovation Index.

A new Asia-Pacific free trade agreement set to enter into force on 1 January 2022 will create the world’s largest trading bloc by economic size, according to an UNCTAD study.