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...

In a new report published on Thursday UNDP said that the middle class has shrunk by half, compared with before the 2021 military coup, and that three quarters of the country’s population is either living in poverty or “perilously close” to the national poverty line. “The new data show that less than 25 per cent of the population in Myanmar manage to secure steady incomes to live above the poverty line. Without immediate interventions to provide cash transfers, food security and access to...

This is a four million increase in the number of people currently dealing with food insecurity in that region. Mali is facing the worst situation – around 2,600 people there are presumed to be experiencing catastrophic hunger – IPC food classification index phase 5 (read our explainer on the IPC system here). “The time to act is now. We need all partners to step up, engage, adopt and implement innovative programs to prevent the situation from getting out of control while ensuring no one is...

Addressing a high-level meeting of the General Assembly on debt sustainability, António Guterres outlined the crippling impact of debt on developing economies. “No example of the international financial architecture’s failure is more glaring than its handling of debt. The last four years have been nothing short of a debt disaster,” he said. He noted that the burden of servicing external debt leaves many countries with little to invest in their own people. Startling figures According to...

16 April 2024Economic Development The President of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday highlighted the urgent need to boost sustainable and resilient tourism practices to protect the environment while continuing to benefit local economies. Addressing a high-level meeting on tourism as part of the General Assembly’s first ever Sustainability Week, Dennis Francis said it was a vital driver of economic growth and empowerment. In 2023, the sector contributed three per cent to the global...

17 April 2024Economic Development Despite facing formidable challenges, women-owned and run businesses in Afghanistan continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience, serving as vital pillars of economic stability and hope amidst adversity, a new UN report has found. Released by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on Wednesday, Listening to Women Entrepreneurs in Afghanistan, Their Struggle and Resilience, analyses data collected over the last three years, providing one of the most...

Opening its High-level Meeting on Sustainable Transport, Assembly President Dennis Francis urged countries to seize the opportunity to shape a green, inclusive and prosperous future for today and generations to come. “From public transport to maritime transport, we must embrace innovation-driven approaches – to make sustainable transport a reality for all,” he said. Ensure equal access He stressed that with over one billion people, roughly one-eighth of the planet, lacking access to...