UN DESA | United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs |

Focusing on people: UN General Assembly’s 72nd session gets underway

“Making a difference in the lives of ordinary people.” Such is the ambition of the 72nd session of the United Nations’ main policymaking body – the General Assembly – which opened in New York on 12 September, followed by an intense UN high-level week on 18-22 September. Read more ›

The value of water – for our survival, peace and prosperity

Access to safe drinking water can be a matter of life and death. While water covers 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface, only 4 per cent is freshwater and only 0.5 per cent of this water is suitable for human consumption. At the same time, this critical resource for human survival is often undervalued,… Read more ›

Global Goals – a complex answer to complicated times

Search for “best jobs in the world” on the internet and you are likely to end up with anything from a professional mattress tester to a tropical island caretaker. But what if your duty was to travel the globe and convince people of the importance of action to end poverty, fight gender discrimination or protect our… Read more ›

One year on, UN officials take stock of efforts to address large movements of refugees, migrants

United Nations officials today highlighted the need to continue working together towards more equitable ways to share the responsibility for refugees, as well as achieve safe and orderly migration, at an event to take stock one year after the international community agreed to find solutions to better manage human mobility. “I believe we can and… Read more ›

UN chief outlines strategy to reshape global finance for sustainable development

As the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly gets underway, Secretary-General António Guterres today stressed the role of the UN to help reshape “unproductive and unrewarding” finance and redirect investment to creating a better world for all. “The choices we make on finance will be critical,” Mr. Guterres told a special event held… Read more ›

Biggest stories in global economy right now

From America’s sweeping revision of trade deals to Yemen’s currency, to Africa’s fight against an invasive pest – these are the stories that matter in world economy this month. Global trade rebounds despite uncertainty over American policy The second quarter of 2017 saw global trade expand at the fastest annual rate in six years. Stronger… Read more ›

Will robots and AI cause mass unemployment? Not necessarily, but they do bring other threats

In 1965, philosophy professor Hubert Dreyfus, a staunch critic of artificial intelligence, boldly claimed that a machine would never beat a human at the game of chess. It would only be two years before the sceptical scholar was himself checkmated by an MIT-developed computer. By 1997 machines were advanced enough to defeat one of the… Read more ›

General Assembly opens 72nd session with focus on the world’s people

The United Nations General Assembly today opened its 72nd session, with an emphasis on striving for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet. Read more ›