More from UN DESA - March 2024

West Africa’s economic prospects at pivotal moment as regional integration faces major challenge

On 29 January 2024, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger notified the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of their intention to withdraw from ECOWAS. Established in 1975 to promote economic integration, ECOWAS has been instrumental in developing institutional mechanisms for regional cooperation.

Join us in celebrating forests and innovation!

Forests sustain us in countless ways – from clean air and water to food and medicine, income and livelihoods, and even sustainable fashion. Being near trees and forests can inspire creativity, reduce stress, and improve your mood.

The world’s forests cover nearly one-third of all land, providing carbon storage and biodiversity habitat while building our resilience to withstand storms and other natural disasters. Yet despite all that they provide us, forests are often undervalued, and every year we continue to lose ten million hectares of forests.