DISD | The Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD) is part of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the United Nations Secretariat.

International Day of Older Persons, 1 October 2021

The United Nations International Day of Older Persons 2021 (UNIDOP) theme “Digital Equity for All Ages” predicates the need for access and meaningful participation in the digital world by older persons. The fourth industrial revolution characterized by rapid digital innovation, characterized by exponential growth has transformed all sectors of society including how we live, work […]

World leaders, BTS, join Guterres in call to get SDGs back on track

The world “is challenged like never before”, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, but the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) still offer a roadmap to get back on track. “It would be easy to lose hope. But we are not hopeless. Or helpless. We have a path to recovery. If we choose to take it,” he said. Mr. Guterres was speaking […]

Digitally enabled new forms of work and policy implications for labour regulation frameworks and social protection systems

Emergence of new forms of work ‘Standard employment’—understood as regular, full-time, and subject to labour law—remains the prevailing form of employment in high-income countries, however, new forms of employment have been rapidly gaining ground since the early 2000s. While new forms of work enabled by digital technologies have rapidly been expanding in more advanced economies, […]

Opening of 76th General Assembly

The General Assembly opens its seventy-sixth session in challenging times. President, H.E. Abdulla Shahid takes the leadership of the Assembly, committed to focus on “Building resilience through hope – to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainability, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations”. The current session also holds the […]

Harnessing longevity in the future of work

Ongoing and emerging global trends, such as globalization, new technologies, the rise in global inequality, demographic shifts, climate change and threats generated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, will dramatically impact societies and individuals of all ages, and will determine the nature and future of work. At a time of persistent inequalities, an inclusive future of […]

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2021

The theme this year is: “Building Forward Together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and our Planet”. The COVID-19 pandemic that gripped the world during the past year has resulted in over 3.7 million deaths and is reversing decades of progress in the fight against poverty and extreme poverty. According to the World Bank report […]

Tokyo Paralympics: leaping towards a more inclusive society

After losing her right leg in a car accident as a Japanese high school student, Kaede Maegawa was grateful when her friends offered her support. Yet, she sometimes felt that she wouldn’t be capable of doing anything on her own. In order to regain her confidence, she asked her friends and teachers to let her […]

End inequalities, recognize abuses, UN chief says on International Day of Indigenous Peoples

In his message marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the UN chief called for ending the “grievous inequalities” affecting these communities. ‘Profound disparities’ “Indigenous peoples around the world continue to face overwhelming marginalization, discrimination and exclusion,” he said. “Rooted in colonialism and patriarchy, these profound disparities are sustained by a deeply held resistance to recognizing and […]