More from UN DESA

Development Cooperation Forum meets at a critical juncture for multilateralism

No one is safe until everyone is safe. No country, company or community can end the COVID-19 crisis working in isolation. International development cooperation can help the most vulnerable to reduce risks, build resilience to future shocks and ultimately, avoid a lost decade for development.

New paths to sustainably manage forests and oceans

An estimated 1.6 billion people, or 25 per cent of the global population, rely on forests for their subsistence needs, livelihoods, employment and income. In addition, more than 3 billion people rely on marine and coastal biodiversity to make a living.

Two new reports issued by the UN in April underscore the need to protect the world’s forests and ocean and to show pathways for managing them in more sustainable ways amid the escalating climate crisis and the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Digital tools for better parenting

During the COVID-19 crisis, our need and dependence on digital technologies to be able to perform remote work, participate in online schooling and stay connected with family and friends, have become evident. Innovative technologies have helped families carry out day-to-day tasks and routines while staying at home to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

We need effective institutions to get out of this crisis

Conflict, insecurity, weak institutions and limited access to justice remain a great threat to sustainable development. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored these challenges, creating disruptions to the functioning of governments and their delivery of critical functions, including the provision of basic services, law enforcement and a functioning justice system. In many countries, temporary changes in rules and processes have been implemented in order to protect people at greatest risk and to ensure effective delivery of such functions.

Setting the sights on a carbon neutral future

Achieving a zero-carbon future may seem to some like a wild ask, but some of the world’s biggest countries and corporations are already envisioning the financial and environmental benefits of carbon neutrality. For instance, the government of China has said it will aim to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, and General Motors, the largest U.S. automaker, has announced plans to be carbon-neutral by 2040.

Transfer pricing – helping countries get their fair share

Correct transfer pricing can help developing countries fight tax avoidance and profit shifting by big transnational corporations, ensuring more funds to spend on public health and recovery from the shock of COVID-19. But what is transfer pricing?

It refers to an accounting practice where related companies, such as affiliates or subsidiaries, charge each other for goods or services rendered across borders. The relationship between the companies means that the companies can overcharge or undercharge each other in order to shift profits to territories with little or no taxation.

Global Policy Dialogue: Improving access to safe food and water

Today, about 1 in 3 people live without safe drinking water, and almost 1 billion people suffer from hunger. What’s more, ensuring food and water security for all by 2030 is severely affected by environmental shocks, that are all intensified by climate change.

Private savings are largely funding mounting public debt

To fight the COVID-19 economic crisis, developed and developing countries have implemented the most extensive economic stimulus packages in history. Public debt soared to record levels in many countries. In parallel, central banks shifted to highly accommodative policy stances with historically low interest rates and accelerated asset purchases.

While there are compelling arguments for rolling out further fiscal stimulus to minimize the economic impact of the pandemic and accelerate recovery, soaring public debt levels present serious concerns.