15 October 2018 — Foreign direct investment (FDI) has dropped 40 per cent year-on-year so far, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said on Monday, but the $470 million decline is happening mainly in wealthy, industrialized nations, especially in North America and Western Europe.
15 October 2018 — Agricultural policies should work to maximize the contributions of rural migration to economic and social development, while minimizing the costs, says a major new report released on Monday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
13 October 2018 — Checking global warming and preventing some of the worst-case scenarios of runaway climate change “is still possible,” the United Nations Secretary-General said on Saturday, urging greater action and ambitions.
13 October 2018 — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a surge in investment, long-term financing and global stability to overcome the obstacles to inclusive, resilient and environmentally sustainable global growth.
12 October 2018 — Standing amidst the wreckage of Balaroa, one of the worst hit areas of Palu, Indonesia, on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it was “impossible not to feel heart-broken” at the destruction caused by the huge earthquake and tsunami that struck the island of Sulawesi two weeks ago.
12 October 2018 — Australia should end its offshore processing policy on the Pacific islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea amid reports of widespread, acute mental distress and attempted suicide by children and young adults, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
11 October 2018 — UN Secretary-General António Guterres, has called for Governments across South-East Asia, to take a lead in the fight against global warming and the damaging impact of climate change.
11 October 2018 — There are “multiple barriers” including “systemic discrimination” bias and lack of training, which are keeping the largest generation of girls in human history from reaching their full potential, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement on Thursday, marking International Day of the Girl Child.
This year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction falls shortly after a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia showed yet again the urgency of resilience and risk-awareness. Held every 13 October, the day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face. The 2018 theme continues as part of the "Sendai Seven" campaign, centred on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework. This year focuses on Target C of the Sendai Framework, reducing disaster economic losses in relation to global GDP by 2030.
Women account for a substantial proportion of the agricultural labour force, including informal work, and perform the bulk of unpaid care and domestic work within families and households in rural areas. They make significant contributions to agricultural production, food security and nutrition, land and natural resource management, and building climate resilience. This year’s theme, “Sustainable infrastructure, services and social protection for gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls,” places empowerment of rural women at the heart of fulfilling the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The theme of the Day is “Coming together with those furthest behind to build an inclusive world of universal respect for human rights and dignity.” It is important to recall the fundamental connection between extreme poverty and human rights. Joseph Wresinski was one of the first persons to highlight this direct link: “Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty.”
Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands is the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. As Special Advocate, Queen Máxima champions universal access to affordable, effective, and safe financial services for the poor. In a recent interview with BBC World News, she says innovative technology is a “game-changer in financial inclusion,” particularly among rural dwellers and the poor, who are also disproportionally excluded from the formal financial sector. She has collaborated with the Better than Cash Alliance, UNCDF and the World Bank on a new compendium Igniting SDG Progress Through Digital Financial Inclusion.
World Food Day is celebrated on 16 October. This year's theme is "Our Actions are our Future. A #ZeroHunger world by 2030 is possible." FAO is calling on children and teens all over the world, from age 5 to 19, to use their imagination and create a poster that illustrates their idea of Zero Hunger. In Sowing the Seeds of Change, FAO has produced four new guides that explain the challenges facing us as we strive for a world with zero hunger. They have been developed and written specifically for tomorrow’s adults so that they can not only study the issues but turn their own ideas into actions for a better future.
