Welcome to the United Nations
UN DESA Voice is an insider's look at the United Nations in the area of economic, social and sustainable development policy. It is produced by the Strategic Planning and Communications Services of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs with articles written by UN DESA staff. This is an electronic publication - no printed edition is generated.
The current edition
January 2025
While we’ve just counted down to a new year, another clock continues to tick: for the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. In 2025 - the 80th anniversary of the United Nations - UN DESA will continue accelerating progress by bringing the international community together, by building capacity on the ground and by providing essential data through our flagship publications. Here are some milestone moments to follow in 2025:
2025
While we’ve just counted down to a new year, another clock continues to tick: for the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. In 2025 - the 80th anniversary of the United Nations - UN DESA will continue accelerating progress by bringing the international community together, by building capacity on the ground and by providing essential data through our flagship publications. Here are some milestone moments to follow in 2025:
2024
There is now little distinction between our offline and online lives. The Internet and digital technologies are so woven into the everyday fabric of societies that losing access—or trust—can feel like the ground shifting beneath us. Yet, 2.6 billion remain offline, left out of opportunities for education, healthcare, and economic growth.
Global shocks and crises have become more intense, widespread and interlinked, creating consequential challenges to social development. Pandemics, violent conflicts and a spate of climate-related disasters have hit the most vulnerable people and societies the hardest.
Taxation is critical to financing the SDGs. Fiscal policies can mobilize resources, reduce inequalities, contribute to macroeconomic stabilization, and create incentives for investment and sustainable production and consumption.
In these uncertain times - characterized by conflicts and geopolitical tensions - humanity stands at a crossroads where poverty, hunger, inequality, and the devastating effects of climate change continue to pose challenges. The only viable path to a secure, sustainable and prosperous future in which we all thrive, lies in strengthened collaboration and solidarity among peoples and nations.
In a world facing political turmoil, economic slowdown, rising inequalities and a worsening environmental crisis, our promise to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is at stake.
The public sector plays a crucial role in addressing societal challenges and fostering inclusive and sustainable development. As we face increasingly complex and inter-connected global challenges, public institutions must transform to anticipate future development needs and be more responsive and adaptive to the communities they serve.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face major challenges—climate change, geographic remoteness, a narrow export base—that make them vulnerable to external economic, environmental, and social shocks. But they also have innovative solutions, dynamic populations, and people ready to act.
There are no better forecasters of resilience in the world than young people, who have been calling attention to critical sustainable development issues. They have become experts on adapting to an increasingly challenging global landscape, filled with images of conflicts, climate crisis impacts, and deepening inequalities. They experience the results of past unsustainable practices, facing present consequences and racing against the clock to curb a rising tide.
Taxes play a vital role in helping governments deliver key services that benefit both individual citizens and societies. Effective, efficient, and inclusive collaboration on tax matters among nations can drive the mobilization of domestic resources, promote investment, and stimulate economic growth. International tax cooperation is also key in helping countries to finance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
When the last International Conference on Small Island Developing States was held in 2014, there was no COVID-19 pandemic and no global economic recession and much fewer geopolitical tensions. The climate emergency, while present, had not reached the heights it has today.
The world economy in 2023 proved to be resilient, exceeding expectations with an estimated growth rate of 2.7 per cent, higher than the 2.3 per cent forecast last May. However, this better-than-expected performance masks underlying short-term risks and structural vulnerabilities.