Everyone stands to gain from ensuring freedom for women. Social norms that impair women鈥檚 rights are also detrimental to society more broadly, dampening the expansion of human development, reports.
UNDP
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鈥檚 empowerment and a small gender gap. Analysis of 114 countries has found that women鈥檚 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 鈥檚 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 鈥 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鈥檚 and women鈥檚 societal roles. Its latest report on the , shows that biases remain persistent.
Moored off Yemen鈥檚 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 鈥 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 economy demonstrates that without continuity for girls鈥 education and women鈥檚 ability to work, prospects for the country鈥檚 recovery will remain grim.
A new landmark treaty to protect biodiversity in international waters has been agreed to 鈥 presents this interactive story of how the can advance progress towards the SDGs.
The joint - Global Programme aims to harness the development benefits and reduce negative effects of migration for host and home communities, migrants and their family members in 11 countries across the world.
Ukraine is now one of the world鈥檚 most heavily mine-contaminated countries. It鈥檚 estimated that about one third of the country has been exposed to war. 鈥淧eople suffer because of mines and unexploded ordnance. A lot of people have died, adults and children,鈥 says a Mine Action Analyst. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the highest casualty rate in the world. And we don鈥檛 know what level of contamination there will be in a few months.鈥 The task of making Ukraine safe will be time-consuming, complex, and very expensive鈥攖he World Bank estimates that a complete clearance of explosive ordnance will exceed US$37 billion.
Babagon Catchment traverses three indigenous Dusun villages near the capital city of Sabah, on the island of Borneo. Forever Sabah 鈥 a civil society organization in Malaysia鈥檚 Sabah state is dedicated to the protection and restoration of the region鈥檚 natural habitats. The biodiversity in the catchment area boasts a wide variety of flora and fauna. But for the local communities protecting this biodiversity means protecting their water. Resident communities play a vital role in maintaining the water quality of the freshwater ecosystem. Across the three villages, community members have become River Rangers - dedicated people, who drive river monitoring and conservation efforts. With training and support, the River Rangers create maps, collect water samples, and identify biological indicators of water quality.