Expert Voices

The gender inequality of time

When the pandemic hit, leaving children without a school to go to and elderly people confined to the house, it was the women of the family who were suddenly expected to become teachers, carers and domestic helpers, often at the expense of their professional careers. A new tool developed by UN DESA may soon tell us exactly how much more domestic work falls on the shoulder of women during a crisis. UN DESA Statistician Lubov Zeifman tells us about it.

Nations come together to showcase actions for a better future

On 6-15 July, countries will gather at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. 43 of them will report on efforts to achieve the global goals, while dealing with one of the worst health crises in recent history. We spoke with Irena Zubčević in UN DESA’s Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination, about what to expect and how countries are working to get back on track.

Innovating the future of public service

From home schools and offices to remote doctor’s appointments and online tax filing, the COVID-19 pandemic pressed the fast-forward button on the global shift to e-government. We talk to Rosa Pavanelli, General Secretary of Public Services International, the global union federation of workers in public services, about the promise and challenges of delivering public services in the age of digital revolution.

Science lessons from the pandemic

Following a year of omnipresent charts, life-saving innovations and the world’s fastest developed vaccine, is the world finally ready to listen to science? We asked the co-chairs of the 2021 Science, Technology and Innovation Forum: Permanent Representative of Latvia to the UN, Andrejs Pildegovičs, and Chargé d’Affaires of the Indonesian Mission to the UN, Mohammad Koba.

Science has been our strongest weapon against COVID-19. What have we learned from this pandemic?

Can we feed the billions?

With hundreds of millions suffering hunger, a growing population and devastating impacts of agriculture on the environment, many experts are asking themselves: will we have enough food for everyone? Ahead of the 54th session of the UN Commission on Population Development, we ask that question to Cheryl Sawyer, Senior Population Affairs Officer at UN DESA.

What does water mean to you?

A chemical substance? A life-giving force? A human right? A commodity? Water means different things to different people. As we prepare to celebrate World Water Day on 22nd March, we talk about the value of water with Nicolas Franke, Sustainable Development Officer at UN DESA.

In December 2020, a world’s first futures market in water was created on Wall Street, meaning that water can now be traded by financiers like gold or oil. Has the world entered a water crisis? How can we stop it?