Women Who Count: Asma Akhter, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics
10 March 2026 - Asma Akhter, Deputy Director of the Demography and Health Wing of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), began her career at the BBS 13 years ago with an academic background in Sociology from Dhaka University and a passion for data-driven policymaking.
Commemorating International Women’s Day at the United Nations
9 March 2026 - Leaders, advocates and youth voices gathered at UN Headquarters in New York on 9 March 2026 to commemorate the International Day ahead of the opening of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the UN’s largest annual forum on gender equality.
Justice takes centre stage: UN welcomes world’s largest women’s rights event
9 March 2026 - Women have never been closer to equality and never closer to losing it, according to UN Women ahead of the start of the world’s largest gender equality gathering.
Women may run the numbers, but not the institutions
6 March 2026 - New global and regional data (forthcoming) reveal that women account for only 27 per cent of chief statisticians in national statistical offices (NSOs) worldwide, underscoring a persistent gender gap at the apex of official statistics.
Reliable and timely data is critical for inclusion, equity and leaving no one behind
5 March 2026 - “Across the world, expectations and demand for high-quality data and statistics have never been higher,” UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Mr. Li Junhua said as the 57th session of the UN Statistical Commission opened at UN Headquarters in New York on 3 March 2026.
Financial integrity - a precondition for addressing the defining challenges of our time
4 March 2026 - We spoke with Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, and Professor at Columbia University, who weighed in on why financial integrity matters and what stronger international cooperation could mean for building a more transparent and accountable global system.
Youth in the spotlight as UN DESA examines mental health and population trends in new reports
2 March 2026 - Last month, UN DESA launched the World Youth Report on Youth Mental Health and Well-being, highlighting the urgent need for inclusive, youth-informed mental health policies. Another report, World Population Highlights 2026: Youth, is now being released, homing in on the latest youth population trends around the world.
The invisible scars of war: The forgotten toll of conflict and crisis on youth mental health
27 February 2026 - The traces that conflict leaves on the mental well-being of global youth cut deep, often lingering for years after the guns go silent. Yet in global conversations about ceasefires, reconstruction and security, the topic of mental health often fails to make the agenda.
A world on the move for sustainable, inclusive and resilient transportation
17 February 2026 - Every morning around the world, billions of people step onto a bus, bike to work, wait for a train, or drive long distances to reach their jobs, schools, markets, and health care.
World Day of Social Justice: A call for coordinated action
16 February 2026 - World Day of Social Justice, observed every 20 February by the United Nations, stands as a global reminder of our shared demand for fairness, dignity, and equity.
Why we need a global economic reset
12 February 2026 - The SDGs give us a compelling framework for an economy that truly serves people and planet. We need an urgent reset of our economic fundamentals around growth, equity and human flourishing.
UN social policy commission closes with calls to turn pledges into action
11 February 2026 - Meeting at UN Headquarters, in New York, from 2 to 10 February, the Commission for Social Development marked its first session since the Second World Summit for Social Development, held in Doha last year.
Women and girls in science: Dismantling barriers, closing gender gaps
11 February 2026 - Across the world, a significant gender gap persists at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines due to lack of research funding, gender stereotypes, and discriminatory workplace practices.
World Youth Report highlights urgent need for inclusive, youth-informed mental health policies
10 February 2026 - Last week, UN DESA launched the World Youth Report on Youth Mental Health and Well-being, convening Member States, UN entities, civil society partners, and dozens of young people...
5 ways UN DESA makes a difference for people and planet
6 February 2026 - At a time when global cooperation and sustainable development are under pressure, UN DESA continues to deliver.