51³Ô¹Ï

Diego Rafael Osorto’s, clean even brush strokes of paint across a wood sculpture, helped transform his passion for art into a socially responsible business. At a time when unemployment is high, corruption is endemic, and there is plenty of violence, especially gang violence punctuated by extorsion and murder, his decision to stay in Hondoras transformed his life and his community. Through a workshop by ParticiPaz, a joint project by and , and funded by UN Peacebuilding Fund, he created a space for community workshops. In this space, they work to fight discrimination against indigenous people, defend their land against encroachment by big business, and fight the delinquency that was slowly poisoning his country’s youth – all the while encouraging young indigenous people to stay in the country.

presents a new social movement – mammalwatching. First came birdwatching, then whalewatching, now there is ‘mammalwatching’ which is like birdwatching except with mammals. Like birders, ‘mammalwatchers’ have a ‘life list’ that they actively seek to fill, and every mammal counts - from the Big Five (lions, buffaloes, leopards, elephants, rhinos), to the more humbly proportioned elephant shrew. Fast-growing nature tourism has made tremendous contributions to nature conservation, prompting the creation of protected areas, contributing to research through citizen science, and with the ecotourism dollars that bring practical financial benefits to people living in rural and undisturbed environments worldwide.

The war was just a few weeks old when Maria and Viktor’s lives changed forever. The retired couple live in the village of Moshchun, just outside Kyiv. In mid-March, the village was attacked by Russian soldiers. The home that Maria and Viktor had poured so much love into was destroyed. The war in Ukraine continues to cause widespread death, destruction and suffering. It has left nearly 18 million people in need of assistance and protection. Ukrainians are resourceful and resilient, but they will need support for decades.

Violent extremism knows no borders and evidence shows that security-driven responses produce limited results for countering violent extremism, and can even make things worse. For instance, youth are often the victims of extremist violence, yet they are also subject to excessive security measures to counter these groups. Such responses can have the opposite effect, by making young people feel further marginalized and thus more susceptible to radicalization. UNDP , one that embraces youth aspirations for a productive life in a healthy society and builds their capacity to create that society.

UNDP’s work on focuses on addressing the grievances that can set people on a course to radicalization or interrupting that journey before it reaches its dangerous end, while also supporting those who want to leave such groups.

Iran’s wetlands, the ab-bandaans, serve as vital environments for the protection of biodiversity, indigenous culture, and related environmental and economic functions. highlights how the locals are having challenges conserving this important ecosystem as a result of overlooking traditional conservation methods leading to the rise of fertilizer runoff, toxic waste pollution and the presence of invasive species. Through the UNDP ICCA-GSI partnership, they have embarked on a project to document wetlands biodiversity, traditional conservation knowledge and practices, and the factors leading to biodiversity loss.

We are witnessing an ongoing collision of crises for which traditional response and recovery are not enough. Our future is at stake, as wars, epidemics, the climate emergency and economic upheaval leave almost no country untouched. Emerging from crisis depends on development. Development must be invested in, systematically and comprehensively. Multilateralism and development cooperation have never been more important. The complexity of the path ahead makes it imperative to act together, in partnership. is always building on its partnerships and decades of experience in countries.

The devastating floods in 2022 were Pakistan’s worst natural disaster in decades. They left one-third of the country submerged, people forced into poverty, and 8 million displaced. An enormous challenge lies ahead. Flood damages and economic losses reached over US$30 billion, and reconstruction needs are estimated at US$16.3 billion. The  aims to bring the world together to back a that secures international support for building Pakistan’s climate resilience and adaptation.

The coming year marks the halfway point in the implementation of the  (SDGs). Adopted by UN Member States in 2015, the 2030 Agenda set a target date of 2030 to achieve the 17 Goals to transform our world. While the COVID-19 pandemic and other global crises have set us back, 2023 offers an opportunity to accelerate action to deliver progress for people and our planet. presents some key moments for sustainable development in 2023, including upcoming global meetings, the implementation of current agreements and how to further break the cycle of crisis.

Watching your home or your favorite football field wash out to sea is the reality facing the residents of Monkey River, Belize. Coastal erosion is caused by the rising sea levels and is quickly destroying the homes and wildlife of this village. If no action is taken soon this village could be wiped off the map. Watch the video to find out how is empowering Monkey River residents to take action to stop this from happening.

While 2022 was a year marked by hardship and suffering, it also brought times that we’ll want to remember. From the growth of the human family to the expansion of our enumerated rights, we are reminded that even in the midst of struggle, we can find cause for celebration, awe or gratitude. In November, according to the best estimates, the world’s 8 billionth human came into the world.  The arrival of human #8,000,000,000 is a time for us to reflect on what kind of world we want. We now have 8 billion reasons to fight harder to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and build a just, green and equitable future for every human. UNDP highlights 2022 in 11 snapshots.

In conflict and crises around the world, women and girls from the frontlines are almost always hardest hit, yet against all odds, are ushering change.  Supported by and partners, women around the world are standing up and transforming their lives, their communities, and the world. Because when women’s voices are heard, development thrives, economies grow, and peace prevails.

This year the 51³Ô¹Ï General Assembly agreed that all people have the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The  has been confirmed, giving activists across the world new tools in their fight against the devastating effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. It comes at the same time as the (COP15) and at the start of a  to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone in human history.

By the early 21st century, the jaguar, South America’s largest predator was locally extinct in several countries. In Argentina, there are fewer than 300 individuals left in the country with remaining jaguars inhabiting dwindling islands of territory, increasingly isolated due to deforestation. Radical action by a team of collaborators is redefining jaguar conservation in the country. Lucero Corrales works for a -supported focused on strengthening community and inter-institutional work to ensure the coexistence of people and big cats in the Paranaense Forest and the Gran Chaco Argentino. Lucero's role coheres around a single mission - ensure the coexistence of people and jaguars.

In conflicts and crises, women and girls are almost always hit hardest. During the COVID-19 pandemic, women were nearly twice as likely as men to lose their jobs, and there’s been an increase in . The climate emergency is another example of how women and girls face greater hardship in times of crisis. Yet, around the world women are  Meet 16 of the millions of changemakers, partners and advocates who tirelessly fight to make a difference from the frontlines of crises.

In the mountains of Uzbekistan, snow leopards, who are skillful hunters, can kill prey up to three times their weight. This has significance for farmers and shepherds as losses to snow leopards in livestock corrals can reach up to 10-20 animals in a single night. Locals occasionally retaliate by killing these threatened big cats. According to the international NGO TRAFFIC, 450 snow leopards have been killed annually since 2008 due to retaliatory killings and poaching. Through a -supported , rural fences help protect against natural disasters, livestock raids by predators, uncontrolled grazing, livestock escape, and are a vital tool in preventing human-wildlife conflict.