Protecting our ocean and boosting its economic benefits demands a global trade, investment and innovation "Blue Deal" to create a sustainable and resilient ocean economy that benefits all.

The persistent humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is unparalleled, with more than 24.4 million people requiring humanitarian assistance to survive. As the consequences of inaction will be swift and severe to reverse, frontline international and Afghan partners continue to deliver humanitarian aid under some of the most challenging circumstances. On Thursday, 31 March 2022, a High-level Pledging Event will be convened online at the ministerial level by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, joined by Member State co-hosts including the Governments of Qatar, the United Kingdom and Germany.

A significant amount of the world’s population has not yet received a single vaccine, while other parts of the world believe the pandemic is almost over. To gain support from Member States, civil society and UN agencies, the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid has convened a high-level event, ‘Galvanizing Momentum for Universal Vaccination’, where over 100 speakers are scheduled to participate. In parallel, round table discussions are being held on existing challenges in vaccine production and distribution, innovations, and solutions to overcome current challenges.

The ILO hosts the Global Forum for a Human-centred Recovery from 22-24 February. It brings together heads of State and Government, heads of international organizations and multilateral development banks, and employers’ and workers’ leaders from around the world to propose concrete actions and strengthen the international community’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. The Forum will examine in particular the actions and investments needed to meet the ambition of the ILO Global Call to Action  and the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection.

The total estimated 281 million people living in a country other than their countries of birth in 2020 was 128 million more than in 1990 and over three times the estimated number in 1970. In the run-up to the first International Migration Review Forum, the UN Network on Migration hosts a Migration Week on 14-18 February. Migration Week is the opportunity to showcase good practices in the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, while encouraging strong engagement ahead of the Forum. Check out the programme to see the events organized worldwide.

The forum (7-15 March), offers a platform for the global community to gather and gauge the way it has been responding to fragility, conflict, and violence over the past decade and how to move forward.

The General Assembly will meet on 10 February for the first in a series of five open, inclusive, informal thematic consultations on the Secretary-General’s report Our Common Agenda. Our Common Agenda looks ahead to the next 25 years and represents the Secretary-General’s vision on the future of global cooperation and reinvigorating inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism. It builds on many of the ideas that emerged during the year-long global listening exercise conducted in the context of the UN's 75th anniversary.

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the number of people falling into extreme poverty and food insecurity, setting the world off track to reach these SDG goals by 2030. On 7 to 16 February 2022,  the Commission for Social Development - UN advisory body and advocate for the most vulnerable groups - will focus its 60th session on national policies and measures to combat hunger and poverty. The meeting will encourage sharing good practices and creating opportunities for international cooperation. In this upcoming session we have the chance to strengthen global solidarity and achieve concrete results.

While COVID-19 remains an emergency, other global challenges require our action, as well. UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, flags the following priorities: continuing the fight against the pandemic, reform of the global financial system for a better recovery; bold action on the climate crisis; using technology to our advantage and addressing the digital divide; and securing sustainable peace across the world. Our response to these emergencies will determine the course for human beings on this planet for decades to come. Watch the briefing on UN Web TV.

The Security Council is holding an open debate to address violence that targets women in peace and security processes. The meeting is part of its agenda on Women, peace and security, which recognizes the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and girls and stresses the importance of women’s leadership and meaningful participation in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. The implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda is a political commitment in the Secretary General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are our global blueprint for a better world, and a statement of our collective ambition for dignified and equal opportunities for all. Expo 2020 is an unparalleled opportunity to mobilise citizens around the SDGs. Events during the week of 15-22 January will take stock of how far we have come and explore how we can act together to deliver on this international roadmap. Best practices in last-mile delivery, livelihood and enterprise development, and the rights of women and girls will be highlighted.

Inscription on the lists promotes the safeguarding of knowledge and skills necessary for traditional craftsmanship and cultural practices transmitted from generation to generation, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, and knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe. At this session of the intergovernmental committee four elements were inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and 39 elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The ninth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption takes place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from 13 to 17 December 2021. Every two years the States Parties to the Convention meet to review the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument, to discuss ways to improve cooperation to achieve the Convention’s objectives. The focus of the conference includes recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic with integrity while strengthening international cooperation.

The General Conference, the highest policymaking organ of UNIDO, is being held as a hybrid event in Vienna on 29 November to 3 December 2021. Follow the agenda and visit the virtual exhibit.

Even as climate change takes hold, IFAD believes it’s possible to transform rural economies and food systems to make them more resilient, sustainable and inclusive, while also making them more productive and investment in small-scale farmers is key.