Sustainable Development Goals

Hailing from Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan and Gaza, women entrepreneurs were in the spotlight at the closing of the 2024 World Entrepreneurship Investment Forum (WEIF), which has been running since Tuesday in Bahrain’s capital, Manama. During a panel discussion on ‘Women, Peace and Security’ and later in exclusive interviews with our UN News team that has been reporting from the forum venue, the businesswomen shared moving stories of how their projects inspired them to help others, and...

The world economy is forecast to grow by 2.7 per cent in 2024, up from 2.4 per cent projected at the start of the year. Growth will reach 2.8 per cent in 2025, representing a slight increase. These changes are mainly due to better-than-expected performance in some large developed and emerging countries, notably Brazil, India, Russia and the United States. Inflation down, wages up Inflation is also down from the 2023 peak, said Shantanu Mukherjee of the UN Department of Economic and...

The fifth Manama Declaration, named after the Bahraini capital where the 2024 World Entrepreneurship Investment Forum (WEIF) has been running since Tuesday, echoed the gathering’s theme: innovation can drive development of technologies and products to help address socioeconomic and environmental challenges. The resulting economic advances can provide the resources needed to invest in sustainable development. In a message to the Forum, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, looking ahead...

Getting under way in Manama, the fifth World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum (WEIF), with a key focus on Arab and African regions, is being held under the theme of ‘Achieving the [Sustainable Development Goals] through Fostering Innovation and Economic Growth’. Over the next three days, the forum will weigh urgent issues such as poverty, inequality, and climate change, examined within the framework of the SDGs. With a robust coalition of stakeholders driving the agenda, the WEIF sets the...

14 May 2024Migrants and Refugees The number of people living in internal displacement soared to a record 75.9 million last year, a new UN-backed report said on Tuesday. The year also saw nearly 47 million new internal displacements, highlighting the urgent need for protection and prevention efforts, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), which supplied data for the report. “As the planet grapples with conflicts and disasters, the staggering numbers of 47...

13 May 2024Migrants and Refugees A new report jointly issued by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reveals a significant increase in the issuance of study, work, family reunification and sponsorship permits to refugees by OECD countries and Brazil. According to the report, Safe Pathways for Refugees – released on Monday – nearly 215,000 permits were granted to individuals displaced by conflict and crises by 37 OECD...

“I am deeply troubled by the violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, arrests, detentions, police violence, surveillance and disciplinary measures and sanctions against members of the educational community exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed said, in a statement at the end of an official visit to the US. The UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert said she is particularly concerned by...

UNHCR has renewed its call for a coordinated continental approach to the issue, as underscored during the ministerial meeting on the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, held in Guatemala on Tuesday. New approach The landmark declaration aims to transform how the region manages migration and is based on the principles of solidarity, responsibility-sharing, international cooperation, and respect for human rights.  It was launched at the Summit of the Americas in Los...

Small island developing States (SIDS) often benefit from good weather, sandy beaches and lush countryside, attracting large numbers of tourists, particularly from the United States and Europe, seeking to escape the gloomy winter months. But, growing up in these countries can be hard: opportunities are few and far between, and youth unemployment is high, with more than half of young people out of work in some countries, according to recent studies. Robert Tonge, Digital Economy Coordinator...

According to UN estimates, the world is facing an annual financing gap of about $4 trillion to achieve sustainable development, leaving countries with hardly any resources to invest in better education, healthcare, renewable energy or social protection. “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are hanging by a thread, and with them, the hopes and dreams of billions of people around the world,” António Guterres said, addressing the UN Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) 2024 Forum on...