Humans and AI complement each other, opening new opportunities for economic growth, production, health care, education, communication, and transportation. recognizes AI’s potential as well as its risks and are optimizing its use to advance the SDGs. is an accelerator for sustainable development and already is affecting so many aspects of our lives. It is important to ensure fairness and transparency in the design and use of AI, clarify legal responsibility and liability in cases of harm caused by AI, as well as address the intellectual property implications.
UNDP
Forests are one of the solutions to the climate crisis but are also under pressure from climate change itself. What are the strategies to face this complex reality?
of the , 2023 Oscar-winning actress and Goodwill Ambassador is joined by Professor Almut Arneth, Coordinating Lead Author of the , to explore the unique relationship between forests and climate change.
An episode by the .
Image Credit: ©UNECE and UNDP
Hello Future - Season 2, Episode 1: Nexus. The overlapping crises we face today signal that our traditional responses are not enough. We must deliver humanitarian assistance with a keen eye towards preventing the next catastrophe. This episode features Achim Steiner, Iryna Haiduchyk, and Abdallah Al Dardari.
is a video series exploring the trends shaping our world. From digitalization to inequality, to the climate emergency, to crisis response, the series examines critical issues facing humans and the place we call home, and what we must do if we’re to get out of this century alive.
Smallholder farming has become increasingly unpredictable. Extreme climate-induced disasters – from floods and droughts to more powerful storms – are on the rise, with corresponding devastation. With accurate, location-specific climate and weather data, farmers can make more informed decisions about which crops to plant, or livestock to rear, or which livelihood options to pursue for a better income. ‘Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture’ is part of ’s strategy to bring actionable data and affordable digital technologies to those who need them.
Everyone stands to gain from ensuring freedom for women. Social norms that impair women’s rights are also detrimental to society more broadly, dampening the expansion of human development, reports.
According to a launched by and , no country has achieved full gender parity and fewer than 1 percent of women and girls live in a country with high women’s empowerment and a small gender gap. Analysis of 114 countries has found that women’s power and freedom to make choices and seize opportunities remain largely restricted. Globally, women achieve, on average, 72 percent of what men achieve across key human development dimensions, as measured by the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI), reflecting a 28 percent of gender gap.
According to the latest ’s global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report, 1.1 billion out of 6.1 billion people (just over 18%) live in acute multidimensional poverty across 110 countries. However the report demonstrates that poverty reduction is achievable. Analysis of trends from 2000 to 2022, reveals that 25 countries successfully halved their global MPI values showing that rapid progress is attainable. The global MPI both monitors poverty reduction and informs policy, showing how people experience poverty in different aspects of their daily lives.
Digital technology has become a fundamental force for change in this century. It is reshaping economies, government, and the very fabric of our communities – touching nearly every facet of our lives. And since 2015, countries have harnessed digital technology to accelerate progress towards achieving of the by 2030. The 17 SDGs are all getting a boost from the latest in digital strategies. shows how in the last seven years, digitalization has emerged as a veritable keystone, showing enormous potential to unlock the many complex, interwoven challenges addressed in the SDGs.
Gender bias is alive and well in the 21st century, and it casts a shadow over our beliefs and how we act on them. No matter where women live, they are paid less, shoulder more unpaid housework and childcare, and are wildly under-represented in civic and business leadership. Men make the laws, lead the vast majority of governments, and run the biggest companies. undertakes regular assessment of the attitudes people have towards men’s and women’s societal roles. Its latest report on the , shows that biases remain persistent.
Moored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast, the FSO Safer is a supertanker in advanced state of decay that will soon break apart or explode if the world does not act, warns. A massive spill from the Safer would destroy pristine reefs, coastal mangroves and other sea life across the Red Sea, expose millions of people to highly polluted air, and cut off food, fuel and other life-saving supplies to Yemen, where 17 million people already need food aid.
We know that the world is facing a planetary emergency of nature loss and climate change. It is made worse by the impacts of inequality, conflict, insecurity and health crises. aims to put nature at the heart of a shared global understanding of sustainable development. Where nature is being protected and restored as a planetary safety net for humanity, safeguarding our food, our water and our livelihoods and jobs, our climate, our health, our security – and our economies. And where nature enables people to rise out of poverty and inequality to live in a more just and sustainable future.
The overlapping food, health, energy and economic shocks of the past few years have pushed many into poverty and developing countries to the verge of default on their crushing debt burdens. Halfway to the 2030 deadline, financial and industrial transformation to meet the and close the widening gaps between rich and poor is critical. For , a reformed financial system that delivers sustainable transformation must include domestic and international tax norms that meet the needs of developing countries. It also requires policies that link private sector profitability to sustainability.
Despite being plunged into war, Ukraine is forging ahead with a comprehensive re-think of how business is conducted, and how Ukrainian people interact with each other and with their government. From getting married to registering a business, the ambitious and forward thinking project has proved even more critical during war as Ukrainians can get public services from the safety of their bomb shelters. has been promoting universal digital literacy and training women public servants in Ukraine in digital leadership roles.
When Shukri Mohamed Abdi decided to work in the media, she and her family had to overcome fierce resistance and physical threats from groups opposed to her reporting, where the concept of being a journalist does not exist. The fact that Somalia’s only all-women media house, , is still in business a year after it was created with support from is a human rights achievement in itself. By freeing up a space for women to report on what they believe is important, Bilan has opened up a different Somalia to local and international audiences.
A new of Afghanistan’s economy demonstrates that without continuity for girls’ education and women’s ability to work, prospects for the country’s recovery will remain grim.