Without resolute measures to address this growing divide, COVID19 will continue to claim lives and destroy jobs, inflicting lasting damage to investment, productivity, and growth in the most vulnerable countries. The pandemic will further disrupt the lives of the most vulnerable with rising extreme poverty and malnutrition, shattering all hope of attaining the SDGs. The suggests narrowing the pandemic divide through collective action to boost access to vaccines, secure critical financing, and accelerate the transition to a greener, digital, and more inclusive world.
Economic Development
Nobody has a crystal ball. How we can prepare for an increasingly uncertain future when we don't know what it is? is a video series exploring the trends shaping our world. From digitalization to inequality, to the climate emergency, to crisis response, we examine the critical issues facing humans and the place we call home, and what we must do if we're to get out of this century alive.
The global economic recovery continues, but with a widening gap between advanced economies and many emerging market and developing economies, reports. Growth prospects for advanced economies this year have improved by 0.5 percentage point, but this is offset exactly by a downward revision for emerging market and developing economies driven by a significant downgrade for emerging Asia. Faster-than-expected vaccination rates and return to normalcy lead to upgrades, while lack of access to vaccines and renewed waves of COVID-19 cases in some countries, notably India, lead to downgrades.
s updated shows how the COVID-19 health crisis exacerbated many imbalances in 2020 and delayed progress towards the SDGs by presenting indicators such as trade and debt.
Global growth is surging again, only a year after COVID-19 triggered the deepest recession since World War II. According to the , this year is likely to mark : global GDP is expected to expand 5.6 percent. Almost all advanced economies will go back to their pre-pandemic per-capita income levels in 2022. In some parts of the world, the pandemics damage is being repaired quickly. For the worlds 74 poorest countries, accounting for roughly half of all people living on less than $1.90 a day, the global recovery is nowhere to be seen.
Developing countries whose economies depend on commodities must enhance their technological capacities to escape the trap that leaves most of their populations poor and vulnerable, says UNCTADs . About two thirds of developing countries were commodity dependent in 2019, meaning at least 60% of their merchandise export revenues came from primary goods, such as cacao, coffee, copper, cotton, lithium and oil. The report recommends identifying new sectors and designing targeted policies to promote innovation.
Today, more and more people are turning their ideas and imaginations into livelihoods. The creative economy is one of the worlds most rapidly growing sectors, contributing 3% of the global GDP. Creativity is also a renewable, sustainable, limitless resource that we can find anywhere around the world. As we face climate crisis and the pandemic, its potential to drive a human-centric, inclusive development has never been more relevant. From 6 to 16 July 2021, will highlight the infinite possibilities of digital technologies in an immersive virtual reality exhibition, .
The question is formulated at the (HLPF), the core UN platform for follow-up and review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). This next (6-15 July) focuses on a sustainable and resilient recovery from COVID-19. The HLPF will review 9 of the 17 SDGs, where ministers and other participants will explore policies and international cooperation to control the pandemic and its impacts. To reach a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030, the world needs to be back on track in less than a decade.
In an ahead of the G7 Summit, leaders of the , the , and state that there will be no broad-based recovery without an end to the health crisis and that access to vaccination is key to both. Despite impressive progress on the vaccination front, increasingly, a two-track pandemic is developing, with richer countries having access and poorer ones being left behind. They call for a stepped-up coordinated strategy, backed by new financing at an estimated $50 billion, to vaccinate the world.
Sub-Saharan Africa faces the task of trying to boost its economy while simultaneously dealing with repeated COVID-19 outbreaks. The explains the three challenges finance ministers in sub-Saharan Africa are facing today: Firstly, to meet increased spending needs; secondly, to contain a pronounced increase in public debt, and finally, to mobilize more tax revenues. How policymakers navigate this trilemma will have a huge bearing on economic and social outcomes in the coming years.
The Dragons Blood tree, seen here, endemic to Socotra, is a tourist attraction. Socotra, south of the Arabian Peninsula, means island abode of bliss in Sanskrit. It is a hub for international holiday makers enjoying the breathtaking landscape and fascinating fauna, and diving, snorkeling, and trekking. When Yemens war broke out in March 2015, the islands economy was devastated. Mother Nature has also recently been unkind, with severe water scarcity particularly in rural areas, and devastating cyclones. In partnership with the World Bank, UNDP, the Social Fund for Development (SFD) and our partners in Socotras communities, continue to work toward a brighter future for this isolated paradise.
The 51勛圖 Commission on Science and Technology for Development convenes from 17 to 21 May, bringing together UN leaders, led by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, scientists, including a Nobel laureate, and other experts to explore how new technologies can contribute to a sustainable and resilient COVID-19 recovery for all.
A finalist of s award for women in business gets $10 million from her government to build a fresh juice factory that will promote sustainable agriculture and improve livelihoods in North Uganda. Julian Omalla produces one of Ugandas most popular fruit drinks, Cheers, boasting a loyal customer base of over 5 million people. Affectionately known by many as Mama Cheers, the 56-year-old founder and chief executive is one of the east African nations foremost female entrepreneurs.
Every year, more than 2.3 million people die from workplace accidents and illnesses while millions more experience a significant reduction in their quality of life. Watch this video to learn more about the need to build, sustain and reinforce strong health and safety cultures on construction sites.
While the past year has been , there have been remarkable stories of human resilience, ingenuity, and creativity. From helping small companies weather the pandemic, through supporting women firefighters, creating sustainable jobs for youth, connecting people to high-quality healthcare and vulnerable groups to food suplies, to kickstarting sanitizer production - the shares of hope from around the globe. These are not billion-dollar projects, but the tales of everyday entrepreneurship and innovation happening on a small scale with a big impact.