World Down Syndrome Day: Together against loneliness
20 March 2026 - For many people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, loneliness can be persistent and deeply isolating. Families may also experience social isolation, reduced support networks, and barriers to community participation.
Nearly 5 million children are still dying annually before their fifth birthday: Here’s why
19 March 2026 - An estimated 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, according to new United Nations estimates released on Tuesday – highlighting a worrying slowdown in global progress on child survival.
World Water Day 2026: Where water flows, equality grows
19 March 2026 - World Water Day 2026, marked on 22 March, focuses on safe water and sanitation as human rights and critical enablers of gender equality.
How unequal is the world? It depends on the data
18 March 2026 - Which countries suffer from high levels of inequality? Has global inequality declined over the past three decades, or remained persistently high? Surprisingly, the answers depend on where you look.
5 ways forests drive inclusive and resilient economies
18 March 2026 - In 2026, the theme for the International Day of Forests, Forests and Economies, draws attention to the essential role forests play in sustaining global and national economies.
UN appoints Joseph Gordon-Levitt as first Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance
17 March 2026 - The United Nations today announced the appointment of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the UN’s first Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance, a newly established role designed to strengthen public understanding of how digital technologies shape everyday life, rights and opportunities.
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.