In additon to addressing longstanding issues, the Second International Decade for People of African Descent (2025-2034) should examine new and emerging concerns of people of African descent, including climate and digital justice, and artificial intelligence, among other matters.

In Afghanistan, the United Nations has adopted an approach that balances urgent humanitarian interventions with the sustained delivery of basic human needs assistance. 

The contemporary food production system is not simply the result of individual preferences; it is also the outcome of policy frameworks, international trade regimes and agricultural subsidies structured by governments and multilateral institutions.

Technology and research have been key in accelerating sustainable development. Yet technological change has also, in some cases, deepened inequalities and created new divides and challenges.

The 2026 International Day of Zero Waste focuses on food waste, underscoring the scale of the challenge and the global momentum now coalescing behind solutions.

Predating its formal legal codification by decades, the right to truth has consistently been recognized across international lawmaking, court decisions and the lived experience of survivors.

Victims of terrorism must remain at the heart of prevention efforts. Their voices and experiences highlight both the profound human costs of terrorism and the obligations of States to protect those within their jurisdiction. 

On this first International Day of Peaceful Coexistence – 28 January 2026 – the global community is called not merely to reflect on a noble aspiration but to reaffirm its commitment to the demanding, transformative work of building peace through mutual understanding at every level of society.

To meet global climate goals and deliver energy for all, clean energy investment must more than triple by 2030, and much of it must go to emerging and developing economies.

Despite the near-universal commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the progress made on the destruction of declared stockpiles, the world is still not free from the threat of chemical weapons.