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On 18 July every year, we invite you to mark Nelson Mandela International Day by making a difference in your communities. Everyone has the ability and the responsibility to change the world for the better! Mandela Day is an occasion for all to take action and inspire change.
Video message by António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, on the occasion of Nelson Mandela International Day 2021.
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In Building Forward Fairer: Women’s rights to work and at work at the core of the COVID-19 recovery, the International Labour Organization (ILO) highlights that between 2019 and 2020, women’s employment declined by 4.2 per cent globally, representing 54 million jobs, while men suffered a three per cent decline, or 60 million jobs.
This means that there will be 13 million fewer women in employment this year compared to 2019, but the number of men in work will likely recover to levels seen two years ago.
This means that only 43 per cent of the world’s working-age women will be employed in 2021, compared to 69 per cent of their male counterparts.
The ILO paper suggests that women have seen disproportionate job and income losses because they are over-represented in the sectors hit hardest by lockdowns, such as accommodation, food services and manufacturing. Read more...
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In Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic lies an opportunity to rethink how the continent approaches growth and development; its management of the environment and natural resources; and how to “leverage the existing tools and knowledge to build forward, build greener and build better,” said the Special Adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary-General Cristina Duarte at the onset of the virtual event.
“Digitalization can be a game changer,” Ms. Duarte said. With COVID-19 changing the way people keep in touch or transfer money and how students receive education, addressing the digital divide will help reduce inequalities in Africa. It was noted that about 250 million primary and secondary school students in sub-Saharan Africa were impacted by school closures during the pandemic, while in other parts of the world, students continued to learn online.
With the theme: “The Green Recovery: Renewable Energy, Digitalization and Nature-based Solutions for Inclusion and Resilience in Africa,” the Africa Day event was co-organized by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and African Union Commission (AUC). Read more...
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As we do not yet have a full picture of the impact of COVID-19 on fertility, alarmist concerns about a possible baby boom or bust are premature.
What should be troubling, however, are situations in which women cannot exercise their sexual and reproductive rights and choices—whether due to the inaccessibility of health services or gender discrimination. A woman who has control over her body and access to services to support her choices not only gains greater autonomy but also benefits from advances in health, education, income and safety. She is more likely to thrive, and so are her family and her society.
The global population has been growing for hundreds of years at a rate that has dipped and recovered with booms and busts. To focus solely on inconstant waves pushed and pulled by forces that are often out of our control is to lose sight of the shore, of the human rights that are our solid ground.
When The Population Bomb1 was published in 1968, it fed into a growing panic that overpopulation would doom the planet, whose finite resources could not support infinite population growth. The authors, Stanford University biologist Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich, predicted mass starvation in the face of an unstoppable demographic tide.
They and others presented apocalyptic scenarios—projections that hundreds of millions of lives would be claimed by famine. Such predictions instilled fear, but also ignited heartfelt concern for the health of the planet and gave rise to environmental activism, which has rightly endured. Read more...
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The global community is at a critical moment in its pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More than a year into the global pandemic, millions of lives have been lost, the human and economic toll has been unprecedented, and recovery efforts so far have been uneven, inequitable and insufficiently geared towards achieving sustainable development. The current crisis is threatening decades of development gains, further delaying the urgent transition to greener, more inclusive economies, and throwing progress on the SDGs even further off track.
Read the Report
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To preserve a livable climate, greenhouse-gas emissions must be reduced to net zero by 2050. While the big changes need to come from governments and businesses, the transition to a low-carbon economy is not possible without the participation of citizens – especially in advanced economies.
ActNow is the United Nations campaign for individual action on climate change and sustainability.
Every one of us can help limit global warming and take care of our planet. By changing our habits and making choices that have less harmful effects on the environment, we can tackle the climate emergency and build a more sustainable world.
Begin by Downloading the App
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If we act now, the global goals are still within reach
COVID-19 is threatening decades of progress to improve people’s lives across the globe. Unless we take immediate action – now. We already have the best plan for a sustainable, people-centered and planet friendly recovery – the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. What is needed now is to turn these goals into reality, for people and planet.
Read more...
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Stay up to date with the UN's full calendar of meetings and events streaming LIVE and ON DEMAND from the United Nations on the newly redesigned UN Web TV website.
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News
This week UNCTAD released a report on the anticipated impacts of the European Union's new carbon border adjustment mechanism. It finds that while the mechanism could help avoid “carbon leakage”, its impact on climate change would be limited – only a 0.1% drop in global CO2 emissions – and could result in higher trade costs for developing countries. Read more in English and Spanish.
The 2021 update of the UNCTAD SDG Pulse illustrates in numbers how the COVID-19 health crisis exacerbated many imbalances in 2020 and delayed progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. It presents an analysis for a range of SDG indicators and others relevant to trade, investment, financing for development, debt, transport, and technology. Available in English, French, and Spanish.
We also featured a Pakistani youth who is using e-health to change rural lives. Young trailblazer, Muhammad Sarim Raza, is using technology to deliver healthcare services to medically underserved communities in Pakistan. Read more.
Authorities in developing countries face several challenges in enforcing competition law against digital platforms, participants heard during an UNCTAD expert meeting on competition law and policy held from 7 to 9 July. They argued for more regional and international cooperation for effective enforcement of competition law in cross-border cases in the digital economy. More
Then, read about UNCTAD's voluntary peer review of competition law and consumer protection policy in Malawi, also presented at the meeting.
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Upcoming events
Registration is now open for UNCTAD15, 3-7 October 2021
Registration for UNCTAD15 is now open. Online registration is mandatory for all participants in the UNCTAD 15 Conference. To register for pre-events, including the various forums and other pre-events, please go directly to the webpage concerning these events as separate online registration is required for each of these events. Register online for UNCTAD15 via Indico.
UNCTAD15 pre-event: Addressing unsustainable debt burdens in developing countries - From emergency responses to systemic reforms, 19 July 2021, 9-11am (NYT)
Affordable and sustainable external debt financing is a core requirement to achieve structural transformation in developing countries, and to meet the 2030 Agenda. This webinar will be to examine the different policy options to reform the international financial and debt architecture, at both market-based and multilateral levels, to promote comprehensive, effective and equitable sovereign debt restructurings and relief, as well as sound sovereign debt markets that can pro-actively support sustainable and inclusive development.
UNCTAD15 pre-event: South-south sharing of experiences in macro-financial policies for structural transformation, 23 July 2021, 4am-10:00am (NYT)
This webinar looks at macroeconomic and financial policies from a comparative cross-country perspective. It aims at fostering a better understanding of the key macroeconomic and financial policy challenges that developing countries face and the extent to which China’s development strategy, trajectory and dynamics can inform other countries’ macroeconomic and financial policy strategies.
Visit UNCTAD's meeting page for more events like these.
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Date: 23 July 2021
Time: 8 am EDT
Register
Join us in a virtual event to mark the Midterm Review of the International Decade for People of African Descent. This side event is co-organized by the Office of the High Commission of Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Department of Global Communications (UNDGC), and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) under the theme: "See Us, Hear Us, Count Us In." The programme will include opening statements from UN officials, musical and cultural performances, a short documentary, informative one on one interviews with relevant experts, and the launch of an inspiring communications campaign featuring a diverse group of young people of African descent from around the world.
It will be broadcast via UNFPA Youtube channel and UNWebTV in ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH and PORTUGUESE.
More info
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Date: Friday, 23 July 2021
Time: 10:00am to 11:30am
Register
Representatives of Civil Society are invited to attend a consultation with UN Member States. This as an important opportunity to gather views and perspectives from civil society representatives in advance of the second PrepCom Session, which will take place in a hybrid format (live-streamed via UN WebTV) from 26-30 July 2021. The second PrepCom session will mainly consist of informal consultations between member states on the draft outcome document, which we expect will be adopted at the LDC5 Conference in January 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
We would like to hear your organization’s perspective on the zero draft outcome document, highlighting elements, for example, that should receive further thought and attention by member states during the informal consultation process.
Due to time constraints, only a limited number of participants will be able to speak during the meeting, but we encourage anyone who would like to attend to register (https://bit.ly/3iglZ43) and attend the meeting. We welcome written comments as well, which can be sent via email to erica.carroll@un.org and will be posted on the OHRLLS website.
For any questions, please contact Ms. Erica Carroll-Ogunka (erica.carroll@un.org) from the Office of the High Representative for the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.
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The year 2022 will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The decision to establish UNEP was taken in Stockholm in 1972 during the first UN meeting at which civil society organizations had the right to address the Member States directly. Since then, civil society has played a key role in the development of UNEP’s strategies and outputs and in their reach and impact.
Your contribution in taking the Survey on UNEP@50 is urgently requested as it will guide the further civil society input to UNEP@50, culminating in a report - titled “The UNEP We Want” - to be delivered at UNEA 5.2 for the high-level UNEP@50 commemoration and to be published and disseminated worldwide.
Please find the link to the survey here
Deadline 15 July 2021
UNEP’s 50th anniversary (UNEP@50) is an occasion for celebration as well as reflection on UNEP’s key accomplishments over the last half-century. Even more significantly, UNEP@50 is an opportunity to look forward to and help shape UNEP’s next 50 years!
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Date: Thursday, 29 July 2021
Time: 12:00 - 1:30 PM EDT
Register
An online panel discussion of the fifth episode, “Resistance” of the six-part series, "Enslaved". The series examines the history of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, and is presented by Samuel L. Jackson, Afua Hirsch and Simcha Jacobovici.
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To celebrate this year's International Youth Day, the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth (OSGEY) aims to highlight the role of young people as innovators and solution makers, as well as the efforts that partners have led to support the work of young innovators.
Taking the foundational principle of Youth2030, the UN Youth Strategy: “to work with and for youth", the call for #YouthLead Solutions aims to feature a collection of both youth-led solutions and solutions for youth across six thematic areas.
Therefore, we are reaching out to all partners to recommend up to 5 solutions created with youth and for youth that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and support the COVID19 response and recovery. We are looking for solutions that are created/led by young people, as well as solutions that are created to support and empower youth.
Solutions and recommending partners will be highlighted in the lead-up to the International Youth Day on 12 August 2021, and selected young innovators and partners will also be invited to showcase e their work at the OSGEY's Innovation Festival which will take place virtually on August 12-13, 2021.
*Nomination form will be open until July 30, 2021
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Call for submissions: Deadline 04 August
The Innovate4Cities Conference will be an international gathering at the nexus of cities, climate change science and innovation. This groundbreaking meeting will be co-hosted by UN-Habitat and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM). It will bring together over 1,000 city leaders, scientists, researchers, innovators, academics, youth and business people to advance pragmatic and action oriented research and science that will help cities reduce their carbon footprint and increase resilience to climate change.
We invite our global network to collaborate with us on the conference program by showcasing the latest science and innovation from academia, city practitioners, policymakers, the private sector, and civil society, helping to bridge the gap between climate ambitions and results. We are calling for submissions with a unique focus on research and innovation across the conference themes, inspired by the Global Research Action Agenda.
Submit Now
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Civil Society Corner
Disclaimer: Announcements listed under this section are initiatives of civil society organizations associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Publication in the Weekly Announcements does not mean endorsement of these initiatives by the United Nations.
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Are you interested in high quality, on-line SDG education programs at no cost and with a flexible schedule? If so, you should be a part of the great education transformation that is taking place at this time! Through the Global NGO Education Committee (GNEC) and Rutgers Preparatory School, the Innovation Academy is offering a variety of programs that address both global and local challenges that should be of interest to you. It provides NGOs a virtual platform for online courses and programs from top schools and other organizations, designed for every grade level, from world-class educators. For the first time, NGOs now have a virtual site to post and access educational materials and from which to globally engage students and educators. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity to expand your knowledge, be connected, and be inspired by NGO leaders and educators. For more information, contact Dr. Kevin Merges at: ia@rutgersprep.org or Dr. Rose Cardarelli at: rcardarelli@email.wm.edu.
https://innovation.academy
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Now it’s your turn to shine your light. Creative Visions and Planet Classroom Network invite you to create or share your thoughts, feelings, hopes and desires for the world you want in any medium – art, music, dance, drama, film, photography, short stories, essays, or even an innovative solution to a local or global problem.
The SHINE Call for Expression launches on May 16th, 2021 and concludes on August 15th, 2021 at midnight PST. Young people from around the globe are invited to submit their SHINE here.
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Utah Valley University, associated with the Department of Global Communications (DGC) and member of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), is organizing the First International Academic Conference on the Sustainable Development Goals, as part of the Decade of Action.
The conference "Why It Matters" will take place at the Utah Valley University (UVU) campus in Orem, Utah, USA, from 5 to 7 October 2022. The Call for Papers is open until 1 November 2021.
Utah Valley University is inviting individuals to submit a proposal for a paper, poster and/or oral presentation related to "Why It Matters," in relation to one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals.
You may read the Concept Note of the event as well as the details of the Call for Papers.
Please visit the official website of the conference for up to date information.
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Why Youth Matter- A speaker's experience at the International Youth Conference 4
Article by Sophia Holt, Intern, Civil Society Unit
The 4th International Youth Conference (IYC4) took place virtually and in person in Lake George, New York from June 25-27, 2021. The conference’s goal was to discuss the critical role youth play in achieving a more sustainable future, particularly when it comes to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While this past year in the COVID-19 pandemic has been draining, this conference set out to give momentum, to re-engage global youth, and to hold meaningful cross-cultural conversation. The conference was organized in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC) Youth Representatives Steering Committee, UN-Habitat, Generation Next Network, and the Vanguard Service Brigade Corporation.
At the conference, I had the pleasure of speaking on the ‘Why Youth Matter’ panel on Sunday, June 27th. This panel was filled with youth from around the world including Kelly Roberts, Francis Koroma, Marlenis Rosa, and Wantoe T. Wantoe. My fellow panelists and I spoke on the critical role youth play in creating a more sustainable future and also give advice on how everyday action can help achieve the SDGs.
I spoke about the critical role youth play in the future of climate action. While I now working as an intern for the DGC, as the Lehigh University United Nations Partnership Intern during my undergraduate career, I was able to research and create a global and virtual open dialogue on the topic of ‘climate refugees’ and forced environmental migration with the former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Satya Tripathi. From this experience, I gained confidence in the power of my own passions. I envisioned, researched, and executed this event that impacted hundreds of audience members and generated an organic discussion about a lesser examined climate change problem: forced migration and regional instability. Given this experience, the advice I gave on the panel to youth around the world was to believe in their own ideas. The immense problem of climate change is being inherited by youth, and they are ready to step up to the plate. Youth carry this burden while simultaneously bringing fresh ideas and new perspectives to the problem, helping to change the narrative of climate action.
The conference ended with participants of the Young Global Leaders Development Program presenting their projects from the conference. The overall message at the end of the three days being that youth are worthy and critical for our sustainable future. They have bright ideas and are passionate about global citizenship. Thus, IYC4 achieved its goal - this platform allowed for optimistic envisions and discussion of life beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and gave youth from all over the world the power to have their voices heard. While youth voices in global policy can seem to operate in a vacuum, this conference shined bright. It was an opportunity for youth to work with the world’s largest multilateral institution, make connections, and spark ideas for a more sustainable world for us all.
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On Friday, 25 June, the United Nations Department of Global Communications Civil Society Association Committee selected nine civil society organizations for formal association with the Department.
Civil society organizations are important partners in disseminating information globally about the work of the Organization. The importance of such partnerships was highlighted during the global COVID-19 pandemic, as the network of civil society organizations help amplify the United Nations message and fight misinformation as part of the UN’s Verified campaign, a major United Nations initiative. The growing number of stories of civil society response to COVID-19 provides a snapshot of the tremendous positive impact that civil society organizations bring to their communities during crisis.
Maher Nasser, Director of the Department’s Outreach Division, welcomed the new civil society organizations from China, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United States, highlighting the diversity of the new group and the importance of collaboration. “Our work to end the pandemic and recover better can only be successful through collaboration and inclusion,” he said. “As Secretary-General António Guterres said in his oath of office last Friday, in a changed world, in which the ‘levers of change lie in many hands, the United Nations, and the States and people it serves, can only benefit from bringing others to the table. Civil society, cities, the private sector and young people, to name a few, are critical voices that must be heard in a context of true gender equality’. It is this notion that drives our engagement with civil society organizations — an ambition to work together to build a stronger and more resilient world for all. A world in which everyone thrives in peace, justice, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.”
The following organizations, working on issues such as children’s rights, community building, education for global citizenship, environmental protection, rights of peoples with disabilities, social inclusion, women and youth empowerment, among others, were formally associated with the Department of Global Communications:
- Accountability Lab Inc (USA)
- Association for the Preservation of the UN Peace Bell (Japan)
- C Team (China)
- Captain Planet (USA)
- Global Care (Republic of Korea)
- KidSpirit (USA)
- Parity (USA)
- Soul Sustainable Progress (USA)
- University of South Carolina (USA)
Read the Press Release
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On Women's History Month, we launched the call for civil society to submit your #GenderEquality stories. We acknowledge the everyday action you take for gender equality and appreciate its impact on a community. Please share your story with us to highlight them on our website and social media platforms.
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Everyday around the world, civil society takes action on climate change that inspires others and benefits the planet. These stories of positive impact provide hope for the future.
As the world confronts the pandemic and embarks on recovery, there is growing recognition that the recovery must be a pathway to a green and sustainable society. Since there are many challenges ahead, good ideas should be widely exchanged. This is why the United Nations now calls for civil society organizations to share your stories.
UN Department of Global Communications will highlight the achievements of civil society on behalf of the climate, the planet, and global well-being through social media posts and on our website*. We know your actions will inspire others. Working together, we can make a difference.
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