60 is the new 50: Rethinking ageing in the SDGs era

Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions in Observance of the International Day of Older Persons
Blowing out the birthday candles, a newly minted sexagenarian will often think: “But I don’t feel 60.” And demographers back that sentiment with data that documents the remarkable revolution in longevity, which is redefining the meaning of turning 60. In a very real, demographic sense, 60 is the new 50.

According to statistics from UN DESA’s World Population Prospects, new 60-year-olds in high-income countries can expect to live at least another 25 years.

General Assembly officially adopts roadmap for migrants to improve safety, ease suffering

image1170x530cropped
The United Nations General Assembly officially endorsed the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration on Wednesday, a non-binding agreement adopted in Marrakech on 10 December by 164 Member States, and described by UN chief António Guterres as a “roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos”.

The UN Secretary-General explained in a statement released after the vote that the document “reaffirms the foundational prin

Governments adopt global migration pact to help ‘prevent suffering and chaos’

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Louise Arbour, UN Special Representative for International Migration, hold a stakeout after the opening of Global Compact for Migration Conference in Marrakech, Morocco.  10 December 2018.
The Global Compact for Migration was adopted on Monday by leading representatives from 164 Governments at an international conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, in an historic move described by UN Chief António Guterres as the creation of a “roadmap to prevent suffering and chaos”.

Their own goals – migration driving sustainable development

Migrants-noButton
Close to 190 countries are set to adopt the groundbreaking UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Among its many features, the Compact recognizes the contributions of migrants to the development of their host and origin countries. Migrant workers fill gaps in the labour market in host countries. The money that they send back home helps their families to achieve their own sustainable development goals.

Greg Balmes Jr. was punching the steering wheel and wiping off his tears on the way to the airport.

Majority of the world’s cities highly exposed to disasters, UN DESA warns on World Cities Day

Close to three in five cities worldwide with at least 500,000 inhabitants are at high risk of a natural disaster, cautions UN DESA in its latest data booklet, The World’s Cities in 2018.

Governments urged to ‘do the hard work’ to better manage global migration

Global Compact for Migration|Explainer-What-is-the-Global-Compact-for-Safe-Orderly-and-regular-Migration
As world leaders met at the United Nations on Wednesday to discuss the first global agreement designed to better manage international migration, a leading voice on migrants’ rights urged them to “do the hard work” of turning words into action.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, set to be formally adopted in December in Marrakech, Morocco, comprises 23 objectives covering all aspects of migration, including enhancing availability of legal pathways, promoting ethical labour standards, com

‘Historic moment’ for people on the move, as UN agrees first-ever Global Compact on Migration

CompactforMigration
The text of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, was finalized today.

World Population Day: ‘A matter of human rights’ says UN

image1170x530cropped (1)
Family planning was affirmed to be a human right 50 years ago, leading to what would become the annual observation of World Population Day, which focuses attention on the impact the number of children born, has on the world.

In her message for the Day, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Natalia Kanem took that a step further, saying: “Family planning is not only a matter of human right

Much more than a ‘lifeline’ for millions of households, remittances can spur global growth, says UN agency

idfr1|180618Family Remittance
Not only are remittances a “critical lifeline” for millions globally, the direct benefits of money sent home by migrant workers touch the lives of one in every seven persons on the planet – over one billion people, the United Nations rural development agency has said.

Remittances are vital for millions of families, helping them to address their own development goals, but we can help them do more and build their longer-term future,” said Gilbert Houngbo, the President of the International Fund for Ag

New international day celebrates migrants’ contributions to sustainable development

FamilyRemittances_Story13June
The UN General Assembly on Tuesday unanimously proclaimed 16 June as the International Day of Family Remittances. The new observance will celebrate the vital contributions of migrants and their families to sustainable development.

In 2017, migrant workers sent an estimated $613 billion to their families back home of which $466 billion went to developing countries. Family remittances are a vital source of income for millions of migrant families across the world.