UN DESA Highlights 2025 Cover
The UN DESA Annual Highlights report is a tool to communicate the contributions of the Department to the realization of internationally agreed development goals and shared social, economic, and environmental aspirations. It showcases the Department’s role in gauging trends, building capacities, and shaping solutions. UN DESA Highlights 2025 covers activities over the period of the 79th Session of the General Assembly (September 2024 – August 2025) and reflects the Department’s response to the set priorities and expressed needs of Member States. Seven (7) thematic chapters showcase how UN DESA put its expertise to the task of supporting Member State efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda amidst multiple, intertwined, compounding crises, building their capacities to respond effectively and shape a transformative recovery that builds their resilience for the future. The report also showcases four (4) cross-cutting approaches used by the Department to attain the expected results.

Driving change through multilateral action

Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs

With just five years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the work of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) has never been more critical. The period from 2024 to 2025 has been marked by unprecedented global challenges – converging crises and heightened geopoliti-cal tensions that have tested our collective resolve and threatened progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Yet, as this report demonstrates, it has also been a time of bold innovation, strengthened partnerships, and renewed momentum for multilateral cooperation. Through the landmark Pact for the Future, the historic Sevilla Commitment, and other groundbreaking initiatives detailed in the report, UN DESA has continued to serve as the heart of the UN system’s development pillar—delivering evidence-based solutions and cultivating the partnerships essential for transformative change. 

This report captures the breadth, depth, and strategic impact of UN DESA’s contributions across seven critical areas of sustainable development, each representing a cornerstone of our shared mission to build a more equitable, resilient, and prosperous world for all. It also reflects our commitment to deploying the UN 2.0 principles and the associated “Quintet of Change” to drive innovation and transformation across the Department.

 

Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs

Explore UN 2.0 Quintet of Change
Embracing UN 2.0 and the Quintet of Change
UN DESA is taking concrete steps to embed the principles of UN 2.0 and the Quintet of Change into its intergovernmental support, analysis, and capacity-development work. These efforts ensure that the Department is agile, data-driven, and people-centred to support sustainable development towards 2030 and beyond.

Chapters


 

Accelerating action for the SDGs

Interlinked crises and ongoing conflicts continue to threaten SDG progress. In 2023–2024, through the SDG Summit, High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and other intergovernmental processes, UN DESA continued to support Member States to deliver sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions to realize the 2030 Agenda and leave no one behind.


 

Reducing poverty and inequality

UN DESA’s initiatives to eliminate poverty, reduce inequalities, and address the structural weaknesses of countries in crisis highlight its dedication to creating a fairer and more equitable world for everyone. By empowering small and medium-sized businesses, promoting innovative solutions, supporting cooperatives, advocating for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and advancing disability inclusion, the Department is driving significant changes across the SDGs.

 

Ensuring sustainable financing

The world is facing a sustainable development crisis, with financing challenges at its heart imperiling the SDGs and climate action. To address these challenges, UN DESA’s support was centered around preparation for the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in 2025, which will be a last chance to correct course if the SDGs are to be achieved by their 2030 deadline.


 

Making data count

High-quality data serves as the bedrock of effective policymaking and strategic action to achieve the SDGs. To support countries in addressing the challenges, UN DESA has a critical role in setting standards, as well as data collection and reporting to monitor and assess progress.


 

Strengthening governance systems and capacities of public institutions

Effective governance is more crucial than ever for achieving the SDGs. By assisting Member States in advancing effective, accountable and inclusive public institutions, UN DESA has helped to promote people’s well-being, especially those at risk of being left behind.

 

Ending the war on nature

The world faces cascading and interlinked crises of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. UN DESA addresses the drivers of the war against nature, advocating for a holistic and comprehensive approach to global energy transitions and sustainable use and management of ecosystems such as the ocean, freshwater, and forests.


 

Framing the future of development

As the world navigates complex and interconnected challenges, UN DESA’s focus on forecasting, foresight, and long-term intergenerational thinking is critical for advancing sustainable development. In 2023–2024, UN DESA’s efforts aimed at strengthening the underlying capacities of countries and the multilateral system, as well as the future generations to address present and future challenges.

Cross-Cutting Areas

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