UN climate chief warns political division is undermining fight against 'economic security emergency'
11 September 2026 - The head of the UN's climate body has warned that treating global warming as a partisan issue is dangerously out of step with reality, as he set out a stark account of the economic toll climate change is already inflicting on Europe.
Transformation through technology: Young people bring new ideas to decision-making
11 September 2026 - On 13 August, UN DESA brought together young leaders, practitioners and policymakers for the 10th Youth Forum on SDG Implementation. Taking place online after the International Youth Day on 12 August, the Forum was organized under the theme “Advancing Youth Engagement in the Public Decision-Making Process through Digital Transformation and Innovative Governance”.
Making the invisible visible: Why the world needs national inclusion accounts
10 September 2026 - As populations around the world grow older, understanding who benefits from economic growth and public policies across the lifecycle is becoming increasingly important. Nicole Mun Sim Lai of the UN DESA Population Division explains how National Inclusion Accounts (NTA-I) can reveal inequalities that conventional statistics often overlook, why this new framework matters for policymaking and how it can help countries build more inclusive and age-ready societies.
‘This is not 1945’: General Assembly president gavels open new session aimed at restoring global trust
9 September 2026 - The UN General Assembly gavelled open its 81st session on Tuesday at UN Headquarters as the incoming president pledged to restore public trust in the institution during a time of war, humanitarian crises and intensifying climate change.
Coordinated action on clean air and climate change can net $15 for every dollar spent
9 September 2026 - Tackling air pollution and climate change together can save millions of lives, reduce global warming and generate roughly $15 in economic benefits for every $1 spent, a new UN-backed report has revealed.
3 reasons everyone should care about the upcoming UN Water Conference
8 September 2026 - Later this year, water will take center stage at the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi. World leaders will then come together to tackle the global water crisis. Ahead of this major Conference on 8-10 December, here are 3 reasons everyone should care.
The SDGs need more than financing. They need structural transformation.
3 September 2026 - The SDGs remain the world’s best shared vision for peace, justice, and sustainable prosperity. But achieving that vision requires more than accelerating implementation of existing policies. It requires asking whether the international economic rules themselves are fit for purpose in the twenty-first century.
'Fight for humanity': Avoiding a climate catastrophe means acting now
2 September 2026 - Record heat waves, deadly flooding and extreme weather reflect an ever-warming planet poised to soon breach safe temperature limits, according to a UN report released on Tuesday, but doubling down on climate action now could avoid a climate catastrophe.
From global challenges to collective action: What to watch at UNGA 2026
1 September 2026 - This month, world leaders will convene at United Nations Headquarters in New York for the largest annual gathering in global diplomacy—the high-level week of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), happening 21-25 September. Amid mounting global challenges, UN Member States will participate in the UNGA’s 81st session, debating a broad agenda and seeking solutions to keep the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in reach by 2030. Here are some of the key moments to look out for this month and beyond.
Rising seas, rising stakes: What increasing sea-levels mean to humanity
31 August 2026 - The ocean is rising faster now than at any point in recorded history. The impacts are already being felt and the threats are growing. Land is being inundated, homes are flooding, livelihoods are being lost, driving significant hardships on people in search of a more secure future.
UN DESA Development Policy Seminar Series examines productivity convergence, technology diffusion and AI
27 August 2026 - Leading researchers came together for UN DESA’s three-part Development Policy Seminar series hosted by the Economic Analysis and Policy Division in July to discuss productivity convergence — the process through which lower-income economies narrow productivity gaps with more advanced economies.
Land degradation is costing far more than restoring: UN deputy chief
25 August 2026 - Globally, up to 40 per cent of land is degraded, weakening food production and livelihoods, while droughts have increased in frequency and duration by 29 per cent since 2000. By 2050, as many as three in four people could be affected. Speaking at the high-level opening of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Ms. Mohammed called on governments to move beyond individual restoration projects and put national plans into action, backed by predictable financing and greater decision-making power for the people who depend on the land.
Can restoring land create jobs? These young entrepreneurs are proving it
25 August 2026 - From Ecuador to Bangladesh, a new generation of entrepreneurs is turning land restoration into economic opportunity. Whether repurposing agricultrual waste, building greenhouses or deploying AI-powered sensors, they are showing, with support from a United Nations-backed initiative, that restoring land can also generate income and improve livelihoods.
Protecting our 'most vital infrastructure': Pushing back on desertification
18 August 2026 - As heatwaves are turning deadlier, fires and disasters are razing cities — and rising seas are erasing territories — one environmental crisis remains dangerously overlooked: the degradation of the land beneath our feet. Desertification, the phenomenon whereby fertile land becomes unproductive and desert-like, is spreading at alarming rates across the globe due to rising temperatures, droughts and deforestation.
Indigenous midwives - safeguarding life and well-being
14 August 2026 - Indigenous midwives are much more than healthcare workers. They are caregivers, educators, and knowledge holders who play a crucial role in ensuring the continuity of Indigenous Peoples’ ways of life for future generations. On 9 August 2026, the vital role of Indigenous midwives took center stage as the United Nations observed the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. To mark the occasion, UN DESA convened a virtual commemoration on 10 August, under the theme “Honoring Indigenous Midwives: Safeguarding Life and Well-being”, which brought together Indigenous midwives, knowledge holders, policy and human rights experts.