The third edition of the LDC Future Forum, which opened on Monday, focusses on how these 44 nations can better withstand systemic shocks, including the adverse effects of climate change and other global crises. The objective is to develop actionable solutions that will contribute to sustainable development and resilience building...
2025 marks a milestone: the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and the deadline for countries to submit their updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), designed to keep the global goal alive of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Addressing the 16th Petersberg Climate Dialogue (PCD) in Berlin – the...
“Our thinking should be grounded by the fact that we have more conflicts today than at any time since World War Two and by the evolving nature of conflict,” said Catherine Pollard, UN Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, in her opening remarks to the two-day meeting held 4...
“There was a strong call for peace, putting an end to violence and conflict and calls for diversity and fighting against discrimination,” said the UN Alliance’s High Representative Miguel Ángel Moratinos at the closing session. The three-day forum drew participants from more than 150 countries, Mr. Moratinos said, also announcing...
Ahead of the closing ceremony, UN-Habitat Executive Director, Anaclaudia Rossbach, emphasised the Forum’s timely emphasis on local action. “Over half of the world’s population now resides in urban areas,” she said, as she highlighted the pivotal role of local governments in shaping cities and human settlements. WUF12 was “a turning...
What is the World Urban Forum? The World Urban Forum (WUF), a major UN conference on sustainable urban development, was set up in 2001 to address global urbanisation, one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. Since then, a forum has been held every two years and this...
Speaking at the closing of the Global Refugee Forum, the Secretary-General said that protection and help for these most vulnerable of people, was “an obligation shared by all of humanity”. He was speaking after three days of intensive activity geared to finding solutions and building partnerships, which saw pledges from multiple...
The world’s largest gathering dedicated to refugee issues, the Forum is co-hosted by UNHCR and Switzerland and convened by Colombia, France, Japan, Jordan and Uganda. It brings together Member States, civil society, financial institutions, private companies and more than 300 refugee advocates. Shattered dreams, disrupted lives Setting the tone for...
Echoing his remarks with French President Emmanuel Macron looking on, the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, stressed the “heart-breaking” plight of children in the territory, whom he saw last week “pleading for a piece of bread and a sip of water”. Mass displacement has...
Cities and towns have become the drivers of economic growth and now account for more than 80 per cent of global GDP. Yet, in 2020, over one billion inhabitants of urban areas were still living in slums or informal settlements, predominantly in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. As urban populations grow,...
Their call was answered by top UN officials. “Our world needs you more than ever,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, in a video message for the event. Organized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the three day forum and its dozens of side events will elaborate...
From 25 to 27 April, thousands of youth leaders from around the world are poised to gather at the 2023 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum. In person and online, they are bringing their solutions, recommendations, and initiatives, sharing their ideas for ensuring a sustainable future is possible for...