Good morning, world! Renewables overtook coal as the globe’s biggest source of electricity in the first half of the year. One reason is that China added more solar and wind capacity than the rest of the world combined. Today, my colleague Keith Bradsher explains how it’s done.
This summer, I got a good look at China’s clean-energy future, more than 3,000 meters above sea level in Tibet.
Solar panels stretch to the horizon and cover an area seven times the size of Manhattan. (They soak up sunlight that is much brighter than at sea level because the air is so thin.) Wind turbines dot nearby ridgelines, capturing night breezes. Hydropower dams sit where rivers spill down long chasms at the edges of the plateau. And high-voltage power lines carry this electricity to businesses and homes more than 1,500 kilometers away.
The intention is to harness the region’s bright sunshine, cold temperatures and sky-touching altitude to power the plateau and beyond, including data centers used in China’s A.I. development.
While China still burns as much coal as the rest of the world combined, last month President Xi Jinping promised to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and expand renewable energy by sixfold in the coming years. A big part of that effort is in sparsely inhabited Qinghai, a province in western China in a region known among the Tibetans as Amdo. I came as part of a government-organized media tour of clean-energy sites in Qinghai, which usually bars foreign journalists to hide dissent by its large ethnic Tibetan population. (The Times paid for my travel.) Today, I’ll tell you what I saw.
A huge effort
Source: Satellite imagery by Planet, July 2025. By Mira Rojanasakul/The New York Times
China is not the first country to experiment with high-altitude clean energy. But other places — in Switzerland and Chile, for instance — are mountainous and steep. Qinghai, slightly bigger than France, is mostly flat. That’s perfect for solar panels and the roads needed to bring them in. And the cold air improves the panels’ efficiency. The ones in Qinghai could run every household in Chicago. And China is building more, including panels at 5,000 meters.
The main group of solar farms, known as the Talatan Solar Park, dwarfs every other cluster of solar farms in the world. It covers 420 square kilometers in Gonghe County, an alpine desert.
Electricity from solar and wind power in Qinghai (the birthplace of the current Dalai Lama, now in exile) costs about 40 percent less than coal-fired power. As a result, several electricity-intensive industries are moving to the region. One type of plant turns quartzite from mines into polysilicon to make solar panels. And Qinghai plans to quintuple the number of data centers in the province. At this altitude, they consume 40 percent less electricity than centers at sea level because they barely need air-conditioning. (Air warmed by the servers is piped away to heat other buildings.)
Where sheep roam
Source: Global Solar Atlas. By Mira Rojanasakul/The New York Times
As an incentive to build solar farms, many western Chinese provinces initially offered free land to companies. When the Talatan solar project installed its first panels in 2012, they were low to the ground. Ethnic Tibetan herders use the region’s sparse vegetation to graze their sheep, but the animals had trouble getting to the grass. Now, installers place the panels on higher mountings.
Dislocating people for power projects is politically sensitive all over the world. But high-altitude projects affect relatively few people. China pushed more than one million people out of their homes in west-central China a quarter-century ago and flooded a vast area for the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam. This year, China has been installing enough solar panels every three weeks to match the power-generation capacity of that dam.
What the data tell us about equality between women and men
The newly released Gender Snapshot 2025 paints a nuanced picture of progress towards gender equality. On one hand, there have been historic gains: girls are more likely to complete school than ever before, and maternal mortality fell by nearly 40 per cent between 2000 and 2023. Women’s participation in climate negotiations has doubled. In the past five years alone, 99 positive legal reforms have been enacted to dismantle discrimination.
Yet significant setbacks persist. If current trends continue, 351 million women and girls could still be living in extreme poverty by 2030. In 2024, nearly 64 million more women than men faced moderate or severe food insecurity, with anaemia among women aged 19-45 years projected to rise from 31 per cent today to 33 per cent in 2030. Women spend on average 2.5 times as many hours on unpaid care and domestic work as men. Only 30 per cent of managerial roles globally are held by women – a pace of change so slow that parity remains nearly a century away.
At the same time, targeted investment can be transformational. Closing the gender digital divide alone could add $1.5 trillion to global GDP by 2030. Accelerated action and interventions focused on care, education, the green economy, labour markets and social protection could unlock an estimated $342 trillion in cumulative economic returns by 2050.
The report’s main message is clear: gender equality is more than a moral imperative; it is an economic and social necessity. The 2030 deadline to meet the Sustainable Development Goals is fast approaching, and the next five years will determine whether the world seizes this opportunity – or allows hard-won gains to slip away.
Sharing benefits of transformation broadly, leaving no one behind
Preparations are ramping up for the Second World Summit for Social Development taking place in Doha in less than two months. Expected to gather leaders from around the world, the Summit will seek ways to accelerate social progress and continue efforts to put people at the center of sustainable development. We spoke with UN DESA’s Neil Pierre about this milestone event and what he hopes it will achieve.
It’s been 30 years since the landmark World Summit on Social Development was convened in Copenhagen, Denmark. Reflecting on the past three decades, what progress have we made and what more do we need to do as inequalities have risen?
“Since the 1995 World Summit on Social Development, the world has seen major progress in poverty reduction. The share of people living in extreme poverty fell from 33 per cent in 1995 to 8.5 per cent in 2024, and over one billion people have escaped poverty. However, progress has slowed sharply since 2019, with many at risk of sliding back.
Inequalities remain a serious challenge. 65 per cent of the world’s population lives in countries where income inequality has increased since the 1990s. Wealth is highly concentrated, with the richest 10 per cent holding 76 per cent of global wealth, while the poorest half owns only two per cent. Labour income shares have declined, and gaps in education and health outcomes persist. Children in the richest households are far more likely to avoid stunting and attend school compared to those in the poorest households, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Social protection remains uneven: nearly half of the world’s people lack coverage, and in low-income countries, fewer than 10 per cent have access. High-income countries are close to universal coverage, but developing nations lag far behind, leaving the most vulnerable exposed to poverty and climate shocks.
In short, poverty has declined, but progress is fragile. Inequalities, gaps in access to education and health, and weak social protection systems show how much remains to be done.”
What outcomes and commitments can we expect from the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha? How will this Summit move beyond the 1995 Copenhagen commitments to address today’s challenges of digital transformation, climate change and rising inequalities?
“The Second World Summit in Doha will deliver a Political Declaration reaffirming global commitments to social development. Member States recognize the urgency of tackling poverty, unemployment, and exclusion, while addressing structural causes and consequences in line with human rights.
The Declaration builds on the Copenhagen commitments by reaffirming the three pillars of social development: poverty eradication, decent work, and social integration. It emphasizes their interdependence and the need for enabling environments that allow them to be pursued together. It links social development directly with peace, security, and human rights, underscoring that one cannot exist without the others.
The Declaration also reaffirms the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, with a promise to “leave no one behind.” It acknowledges today’s realities, including climate change, digital transformation, and widening inequalities, and calls for holistic approaches to eradicate both extreme and multidimensional poverty. It highlights resilience, inclusion, and combating the feminization of poverty.
Finally, it commits to inclusive, sustainable economic growth, full employment, decent work for all, and cohesive societies grounded in solidarity, equality, and human dignity.”
How can we harness new tools—such as digital participation, community-led innovations, and inclusive governance platforms—to make multilateralism truly people-centered?
“The Summit will highlight how digital participation, innovation, and inclusive governance can help achieve people-centered multilateralism. Building on the Pact for the Future, it will stress the role of stakeholders in harnessing transformative technologies to advance social development.
Investment will be a key focus, including international cooperation and South-South collaboration, to support developing countries in poverty eradication and social inclusion. Discussions will call for equitable access to markets, investments, and technologies, while boosting productivity, diversification, and digital innovation.
Youth employment and skills development will be central. The Summit will promote policies that expand access to education, vocational training, lifelong learning, digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and universal social protection. This also includes addressing informal work, ensuring fair wages, safe conditions, and full respect for workers’ rights.
A major priority will be closing digital divides within and between countries. The Summit will promote safe and affordable access to digital infrastructure, public goods, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. At the same time, it will stress responsible governance to prevent harm and risks.
By linking technology, governance, and social inclusion, the Summit aims to ensure that the benefits of transformation are shared broadly, leaving no one behind.”
7 ways UN DESA boosts change through multilateral action
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With just five years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda, the world stands at a crossroads. The past year has brought unprecedented challenges—from converging crises, rising geopolitical tensions to persistent inequalities that have tested our collective resolve and threatened progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet, this period has also sparked bold innovation, renewed partnerships, and fresh momentum for multilateral action.
UN DESA’s annual Highlights 2025 reportcaptures seven transformative ways the Department has supported Member States and partners to drive SDG progress during the 79th session of the General Assembly.
1. Accelerating action for the SDGs
Amidst global uncertainty, UN DESA has served as the intergovernmental nexus of the UN development pillar. The Department supported Member States through pivotal moments, including the adoption of the Pact for the Future at the Summit of the Future, revitalizing global cooperation. UN DESA also supported the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), advancing SDG localization, science and technology innovation, and multistakeholder partnerships.
2. Reducing poverty and inequality
UN DESA has called for a bold new global policy consensus to leave no one behind. As reflected in the World Social Report 2025, the Department outlined pathways to universal social protection, decent work, and inclusive institutions. Its initiatives have empowered marginalized communities, advanced disability inclusion, and promoted economic models designed to leave no one behind.
3. Ensuring sustainable financing
Addressing the heart of the sustainable development crisis, UN DESA played a pivotal role in reshaping the global financing landscape. The historic Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, Spain brought together world leaders to adopt the landmark Sevilla Commitment. Breakthrough achievements in international tax cooperation and tailored support for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have opened new avenues for sustainable investment.
4. Making data count
Robust, high-quality data remains the foundation of effective policymaking. UN DESA’s critical role in setting global standards, launching the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Programme, and mainstreaming gender perspectives in official statistics has enabled countries to monitor and accelerate SDG progress with evidence-based solutions.
5. Strengthening national institutions and accountability
UN DESA has strengthened governance by supporting effective, accountable, and inclusive public institutions. This year, the Department convened global leaders and innovators at the 2025 United Nations Public Service Forum, launched a cutting-edge E-Government Toolkit to modernize public service delivery, and energized digital cooperation through the Internet Governance Forum, which broke participation records and sparked vibrant global dialogue.
6. Ending the war on nature
UN DESA’s integrated approach to the triple planetary crisis has mobilized transformative action. From the “Our ocean, our future” declaration at the UN Ocean Conference to $1.4 trillion in commitments under the Energy Compacts, and leadership in climate and forest conservation, the Department is advancing holistic solutions for people and planet.
7. Framing the future of development
Strategic foresight and anticipatory action are at the heart of UN DESA’s work to navigate global uncertainty. Through flagship reports, innovative AI-powered tools, macroeconomic modeling, and youth engagement, the Department is equipping Member States and the UN system to meet both present and future challenges.
Read more about these achievements in the UN DESA Annual Highlights Report available here.
A decade of change: How the SDGs are transforming the lives of millions worldwide
Amid the shimmering heat and sleek skyline of Manama, Bahrain, Eman Fareed methodically pinches off bits of dough and spaces the soon-to-be cookies evenly on a baking tray in her kitchen. A retired civil servant and a mother, she opened her own business. “I named my company ‘Brown Sugar’ because I am Brown and I like sugar,” Fareed says, laughing.
The enterprise emerged as a result of her passion for sweets and the support of Kaaf Humanitarian. This Bahraini non-profit has become a grassroots model for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by empowering individuals and communities to achieve self-reliance.
“They show me how to go in my life,” Fareed adds as tears roll down her cheeks. “This is a story I will tell my child, how I become a good and a strong woman.”
Eman Fareed is just one among the millions of people whose lives have continued to improve in the 10 years since the world embarked on one of its most ambitious journeys yet – achieving the SDGs.
Her story, featured by UN News, serves as a reminder that behind the 17 bright-colored tiles are more than eight billion people who deserve and strive for a prosperous, dignified and fulfilling future – on a healthy and thriving planet.
Much progress has been made
Since 2015, when the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development became a lighthouse, guiding global efforts to create a better future for all, many people’s stories have been changed for the better.
Behind the bright red tile of SDG 1: No Poverty are the 4.2 billion people, or 52.4 per cent of the world’s population, who now have access to at least one social protection benefit. This is an increase of 10 percentage points since the SDGs were launched. Over the past decade, the bottom 40 per cent of populations in most countries experienced higher income and consumption growth than the national average. Internet use expanded from 40 per cent in 2015 to 68 per cent in 2024 – connecting millions more to opportunities for education, work and participation in politics and beyond.
“We have seen a significant decline in child marriage, and maternal and child mortality rates have fallen,” said UN DESA Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua. At this intersection of SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being, are the millions of lives saved, and the millions of deaths prevented.
Behind the crimson tile of SDG 4: Quality Education are the 110 million more children who have entered school since 2015. Over the past 10 years, schooling completion rates have been rising at all levels of education, and the gender gap has been continuously narrowing.
This list of advances made in the name of the SDGs over the past decade is far from complete: many more have been made, and many more lives have been improved. Such inspiring progress comes as a result of a years-long national and international effort.
Since 2015, 190 countries, plus the European Union, have presented their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) at least once, demonstrating a global commitment to working toward the 2030 Agenda, promoting accountability and sharing good practices and lessons learned from the ground up.
“These are not isolated wins. They are signs of momentum. Signs that multilateralism can deliver,” said UN Secretary‑General António Guterres.
Five more years ahead
Still, the roadblocks on the way to a safer and more equal future for all persist.
“Despite these important gains, the convergence of conflicts, climate chaos, geopolitical tensions, and economic shocks continue to obstruct progress at the pace and scale needed to meet our 2030 commitments,” Mr. Li said.
According to this year’s Sustainable Development Goals Report, only 35 per cent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress. Nearly half are moving too slowly, and 18 per cent are going backwards. But it is not a reason for desperation. Instead, it is a call for more urgent action.
“The Sustainable Development Goals are not a dream. They are a plan – a plan to keep our promises to the most vulnerable people, to each other, and to future generations,” Mr. Guterres said. “With five years left, it’s time to transform these sparks of transformation into a blaze of progress – for all countries. Let us act with determination, justice and direction. And let’s deliver on development – for people and for planet.”
Expert Voices
Why the way we measure poverty matters
Around the world, over 800 million people live in extreme poverty and 1.1 billion people are still living in multidimensional poverty. As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, efforts are ongoing to improve the situation and to once and for all eradicate poverty. But why does the way we measure poverty matter for global efforts towards its eradication? We asked Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative at the University of Oxford, to explain.
Why does the way we measure poverty matter?
“We measure poverty, fundamentally, to provide essential information required to guide actions that reduce poverty and to evaluate whether poverty has gone down.
One aspect of poverty is clearly monetary. As Amartya Sen put it, money is a general-purpose means that enables people to access many important things. However, many people cannot build a road if there is none nearby, nor build and run a school or health clinic or create decent jobs for their family. They might not even be able to draw water or electricity to their house or improve its flooring and fix the roof.
We measure multidimensional poverty to guide actions for people whose capabilities are constrained in several overlapping ways (maybe related to health and nutrition, education, housing, work or security) at the same time.”
In your work, you address the measurement of multidimensional poverty. What does that mean?
“Following Sen again, a poverty measure first sets the space or ingredients of poverty. A multidimensional poverty index – or MPI – usually consults the protagonists (people experiencing poverty) as well as government actors and identifies a core set of deprivations that tend to comprise poverty.
Next a measure identifies who is poor. In our case, people who have a critical mass of deprivations at the same time are identified as multidimensionally poor. It aggregates this information across people so that we can assess which groups are poorest – by age, location, gender, disability status, race and ethnicity and so on. Anti-poverty actions can then target the poorest groups or households.
To guide actions that reduce poverty, we break down MPI by its component indicators. Knowing the structure of poverty – how many poor people are deprived in each indicator, and which indicator combinations are most common – empowers actors to design cost-effective and integrated policy responses.
Finally, the measures are updated regularly, to see whether poverty reduced, and whether the poorest groups reduced poverty the fastest – which means poverty reduction can be celebrated as leaving no one behind, and new goals set for the next period.”
What opportunities does the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2) create in this area?
“MPIs, which emerged since the 1995 Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development (WSSD1), are a potentially powerful and central tool to advance WSSD2 aims. We hope that WSSD2 will create opportunities to share the potential contribution that multidimensional poverty metrics can have going forward – for example by advancing multiple interconnected SDGs efficiently until 2030 and LNOB.
We hope that future global goals will assess poverty reduction using absolute and relative changes, and changes in the number of people living in poverty – so the diagnoses of success acknowledge progress in the poorest places. And we hope that WSSD2 will also engage MPIs, as much current research does, when overlaying poverty and climate hazards, analysing gendered patterns of poverty, discussing left-behind groups like children, and prioritising poverty data needs.
In fiscally tight times, we need clear, accurate, highly policy relevant metrics that illuminate WSSD2’s high priority areas and diagnose success. MPI might be an option to consider.”
For more information on MPIs: What is the global MPI?
For details on WSSD2: Second World Summit on Social Development
Sabina Alkire is Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford; and a member of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP).
Photo credit: John Cairns Photography
Things You Need To Know
7 things you should know about accelerating social progress
As the world prepares for the Second World Summit for Social Development in November in Qatar, momentum is building to accelerate social progress. The need to put people at the center of development has never been more urgent. Inequality, exclusion, insecurity, and mistrust in institutions are rising, but so too is global demand to build a more inclusive and resilient future. Here are seven things you should know about accelerating social progress:
1. It’s about people, not just policies
Social progress means ensuring that everyone, across generations, regions, and communities, can live with dignity, opportunity, and security. It is driven by investments in education, decent work, health, housing, and social protection.
2. Social development is a catalyst
Inclusive societies are safer, stronger, and more stable. With well-designed social policies, communities can navigate crucial transitions, digital, demographic, and ecological, fairly and effectively. Partnerships with think tanks and academia provide the research and evidence needed for effective, people-centred policy.
3. Social progress and a healthy planet go hand in hand
A just green transition must put people and the planet first, lifting communities while safeguarding ecosystems. Social progress cannot come at the cost of our environment; rather, it is about creating sustainable futures for all.
4. Social progress is not automatic
Left unattended, inequalities deepen. Advancing social progress requires deliberate choices: inclusive policies, strong institutions, and collective action. Governments, civil society, the private sector, and individuals all share responsibility to break cycles of poverty and exclusion.
5. Digital transformation must advance inclusion
The digital revolution and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping societies. To accelerate progress, these innovations must go hand-in-hand with trust, ethics, and universal access, ensuring that technology empowers rather than excludes.
6. The 2030 Agenda is at stake
Poverty eradication, full employment and decent work, and social integration — the three pillars of the Summit — are also central to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Accelerating social progress is essential to rescuing the 2030 Agenda.
7. Everyone has a voice
The UN’s global campaign, Accelerating Social Progress, invites people everywhere to share what social progress means to them. From young innovators to older persons, from workers to caregivers, these voices are shaping the vision of a more inclusive world.
The Summit in Doha will be a historic moment to recommit to people-centred multilateralism and chart a path toward a fairer, more secure, and more sustainable future.
Share your voice here by 8 September 2025 on what social progress means to you.
Ten years of the Sustainable Development Goals: progress, setbacks, and a path forward
By Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination, UN DESA
As we mark the tenth anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals, it’s time for both reflection and renewed determination. Over the next five years, we must protect hard-won gains and accelerate action – so no child is pushed into poverty by a crisis, no worker is trapped in insecurity, and no household is left behind by transitions.
The numbers – compiled by UN DESA in our annual Sustainable Development Goals Report – tell a compelling story of progress since the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted in 2015.
Today, over half the global population has access to some form of social protection – an important step towards improving people’s wellbeing. More than 90 per cent of people worldwide now have electricity, while Internet access has jumped by 70 per cent since 2015. We’re seeing more girls completing school as gender gaps in education continue to narrow.
These numbers represent millions of lives transformed, opportunities created, and barriers broken down.
What is particularly encouraging is how science, technology, and innovation have become central to how countries approach development. Through platforms like the STI Forum, we’re witnessing how innovation can make development more inclusive, especially for those often left behind – including in small island developing States and Least Developed Countries.
But the reality is that only about a third of SDG targets are on track, and 18 per cent are moving in the wrong direction. This is a wake-up call. The world faces extraordinary challenges – conflicts, climate chaos, economic instability – that test our collective resolve.
Inequalities remain stubbornly high and many people struggle to earn adequate incomes in precarious jobs. As UN DESA’s World Social Report 2025 shows, people’s frustration is turning into distrust and straining the foundations of social cohesion and global solidarity.
The hopeful truth is that we know what works: sustained investment in quality public services; universal social protection; decent work and productive employment; and institutions that are inclusive, accountable and trusted.
Progress happens where there’s strong leadership, smart and sustained investment, and genuine inclusion. We’ve seen this formula succeed across diverse contexts, proving that the SDGs are achievable.
As we approach the final stretch to 2030, the choice before us is clear: retreat into fragmentation or advance with solidarity and cooperation. The recent successful Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla showed that the global community can still come together to address systemic challenges – from the $4 trillion SDG financing gap to reforming international financial architecture.
The upcoming Second World Summit on Social Development can lead to concrete actions and key investments in people, in social protection and in public services. The process of the Summit is as important as its outcomes – the Summit can help restore people’s trust in institutions if we see wide participation from all stakeholders, and if people are informed about the commitments made and the actions being taken to meet these commitments.
Multilateral cooperation is not a luxury – it is a practical necessity for the future we want. The next five years will define whether we deliver on the promise of leaving no one behind.
The SDGs were designed because our greatest challenges are shared. Our solutions must be as well.
NICE, FRANCE, 13 June — After a week of deliberation and discussion, the United Nations Ocean Conference today by consensus adopted a political declaration titled “Our ocean, our future: united for urgent action”, stressing that the ocean plays an essential role in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change.
“The ocean is fundamental to life on our planet and to our future, and we remain deeply alarmed by the global emergency it faces”, the Conference’s outcome document (A/CONF.230/2025/L.1) said, adding also: “Action is not advancing at the speed or scale required to meet Goal 14 and realize the 2030 Agenda [for Sustainable Development]”.
The declaration, also known as the “Nice Ocean Action Plan”, expressed deep concern that the ability of the ocean and its ecosystems to act as a climate regulator and to support adaptation has been “weakened”.
Underlining the importance of interlinkages between the ocean, climate and biodiversity, the declaration called for enhanced global action to minimize the impact of climate change and ocean acidification. It emphasized the particular importance of implementing various UN agreements and frameworks, recognizing that it would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change and help to ensure the health, sustainable use and resilience of the ocean.
Further emphasizing the need to adapt to the “unavoidable effects” of climate change, the declaration affirmed the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols, as well as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Commending the leadership of small island developing States in highlighting and aiming to address sea level rise, the declaration also expressed concern for the high and rapidly increasing levels of plastic pollution and its negative impacts on the environment.
The declaration reaffirmed shared commitment to accelerating action to prevent and significantly reduce and control marine pollution of all kinds, and reiterated the need to increase scientific knowledge on deep sea ecosystems.
Further, the Conference’s outcome document recognized the “tremendous opportunities” offered by sustainable ocean-based economies for States, especially developing countries, and particularly small island developing and least developed countries, to eradicate poverty and hunger and achieve economic growth and social development.
The declaration recognized the fundamental role of management tools, such as sustainable ocean plans, in achieving sustainable ocean-based economies and the sustainable management of ocean areas under national jurisdiction. It encouraged all States to promote participatory management schemes for small-scale fisheries and highlighted the importance of efforts in regional fisheries management organizations to establish sound management measures for sustainable fisheries and recognized the critical role of maritime transport, routes and infrastructure in the global economy, trade, food and energy security.
Noting the adoption of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, the declaration called upon States and regional economic integration organizations that have not done so to consider signing and ratifying, approving or accepting the Agreement.
Furthermore, the declaration called on States to promote awareness and education campaigns at the local, national, regional and international levels to inform the public about the importance of a healthy ocean and resilient marine ecosystems. Additionally, it emphasized the critical need for national ocean accounting and mapping of coastal and marine ecosystems, and of the ocean floor to inform policy decisions, development planning, integrated coastal zone management and conservation planning.
Ocean action must be based on the best available science and knowledge, including, where available, traditional knowledge, knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local knowledge systems, while recognizing and respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, in conserving, restoring and sustainably using the ocean, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
The declaration also recognizes that Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 is one of the least funded Goals and that accelerating ocean action globally requires significant and accessible finance and the fulfilment of existing commitments and obligations under relevant intergovernmental agreements.
After the adoption of the outcome document, the representative of the Russian Federation, in explanation of vote, distanced her delegation from paragraph 26 which underlines the need for the swift entry into force of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction.
Panama’s delegate said that while much progress has been made this week, participants should have left the Conference with the full implementation of the Agreement.
Venezuela’s delegate said that her Government is not party to the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, but despite that, Caracas is committed to today’s outcome document.
Both Chile and the Republic of Korea’s representatives made statements on their joint proposal to host the next United Nations Conference on Oceans in 2028.
Delivering closing remarks, Special Adviser to the Presidents of the Conference on oceans and legal matters Elinor Hammarskjöld said the Conference’s dedication to ocean governance being more inclusive ensures that every voice is heard. “Together, we are shaping a future where cooperation leads to real lasting change”, she said. The adoption of this historic document has been a major achievement for the UN and is a vital step to reversing damage done to the climate.
“The signs of the ocean in distress are all around us”, said Peter Thomson, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the Ocean. “The time of debating with the denialists is over”, he added.
Special Presidential Envoy for the Ocean of France, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, said that for thousands of years the ocean has shaped the “global world as we know it”, and for centuries, men have been using the ocean to explore other worlds. For centuries, the ocean has allowed people to trade in goods. “How have we been able to get to the stage where we serve the ocean so poorly”, he asked, adding that fully achieving SDG 14 is “not just a simple task”.
The 2025 UN Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, was held in an effort to boost commitments among nations, world leaders, environmental agencies and groups.
Read more here: https://press.un.org/en/2025/sea2231.doc.htm
Statisticians come together with a shared vision to secure trusted data
“Data are critically important for everyone,” says Stefan Schweinfest, Director of UN DESA’s Statistics Division. “All the decisions that you take in your life, you’re basing them on data,” he stressed, as we spoke on the important work of the UN Statistical Commission. On 4-7 March 2025, some 600 statisticians from across the world will come together at UN Headquarters in New York to ensure better data, better lives.
From everyday choices – what clothes to wear based on temperature data; or what route to take when commuting; to informing decisions that matter for improving peoples’ lives – it is all based on data. “You need to know how many people you have in your country and what groups you have to take particular care of,” Mr. Schweinfest said, explaining the importance of data in managing services like health care and education.
Commission to focus on two big topics this year
A veteran in the statistical community, we met Mr. Schweinfest on the eve of the Commission’s 56th session. He shared that two big topics will be addressed this year – the 2025 Systems of National Accounts, and the 2030 World Population and Housing Census Programme.
“We will adopt a new system of national accounts,” he explained, describing its most recognized element, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “The system of national accounts is the guidebook to measure your economy the same way, whether you are in Mongolia or in Paraguay,” he said, noting that using the same statistical language enables countries to successfully exchange information and experiences.
“Every decade, the United Nations calls and declares a census round,” Mr. Schweinfest continued, describing the process of countries committing to counting their people. The census will help the international community better understand where people live and what their living conditions are, which later forms the basis for policy advice and decisions. “At the end, we will have good numbers for all of the countries and the whole world,” he explained.
Combining census data with economic trends
Mr. Schweinfest also outlined the possibilities when pairing census data with economic trends.
“With the system of national accounts, you understand where income is generated, which activities generate income and how the income is distributed in your population,” he said. He also described how this process can help countries intervene when needed to make sure that the well-being of people as well as the environment are protected.
Mr. Schweinfest also emphasized that the work on going beyond GDP to make nature count, is part of ongoing efforts in the statistical community, integrating economic and environmental accounting.
How data helps advance sustainable development
“I’m very proud of the statistical community,” Mr. Schweinfest said, as we discussed the role the statistical community plays in advancing sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“I think the deliberate decision in 2015 was to make the development agenda an accountability framework. That’s why it was structured in goals, targets and indicators. And whilst the goals and targets obviously come from the political sphere, the indicators were really managed in this room,” he said, describing how these 240 indicators help the international community measure and assess SDG progress every year.
A professional community of solidarity, with a shared vision
As the UN Statistical Commission comes together this month, it will also discuss other important matters including the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, SDG indicators, environment and climate change statistics, environmental-economic accounting, household surveys, economic statistics, and many more topics.
Mr. Schweinfest described the privilege he feels, being part of the Commission’s work. “To look at this room full of people who’ve come to […] discuss these topics, that is always a fantastic feeling,” he said. “I look at us as a community of solidarity, a professional community with a shared vision,” he continued, stressing that it is all about ensuring data quality and reliability.
He also looked back at some major developments of the Commission’s work over the past 36 years. “It is a much bigger Commission,” he explained, sharing how there are many more countries participating. “Nowadays we have sessions with 120 and 140 countries […]. It has also become much bigger and broader in terms of topics,” he said, highlighting integrated economic and environmental statistics, as well as human rights and governance statistics, as some of the new areas covered by the Commission.
Mr. Schweinfest also highlighted that there are more interesting data sources these days, including private sector data, big data, citizen reported data, geographical and geospatial data.
As we wrapped up our interview in Conference Room 4 at UN Headquarters, or the Commission’s “natural habitat”, as Mr. Schweinfest described it, he concluded, “I’ve always considered that this is the best job in the universe.”
How the Development Cooperation Forum delivers SDG impact
This month, the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) will come together to discuss global financial architecture reforms and financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ahead of the event, we spoke with Shari Spiegel, Director of UN DESA Financing for Sustainable Development Office, who highlighted the Forum’s significance in shaping international development cooperation and accelerating progress toward the goals.
What role does the Forum play in supporting other significant milestones for 2025?
“The DCF is particularly crucial this year as it will inform the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development and the 2025 High-Level Political Forum—especially discussions on strengthening global financial architecture reforms and enhancing the means of implementations of the SDGs. More than just a policy dialogue, the 2025 DCF presents a key opportunity to ensure development cooperation delivers real, measurable results in line with country needs and priorities.”
What key issues will the Forum address this year?
“The 2025 Forum comes at a pivotal moment amid a lively global discourse on the importance of international development cooperation. With 600 million people still projected to live in extreme poverty by 2030 and an SDG financing gap of up to $4 trillion annually, discussions at the Forum will focus on making development cooperation more effective, inclusive, and responsive to country needs and priorities.
On day one, the Forum will explore how development cooperation can better respond to today’s challenges, balancing crisis response with long-term sustainable development. Discussions will also examine how development finance tools and instruments—such as grants, loans, and blended finance—can be adapted to better serve national development strategies. Strengthening country leadership and ownership in directing development efforts will also be a major theme.
On day two, the focus will shift to enhancing coordination among development partners, ensuring that cooperation is driven by national needs and priorities. The Forum will also explore ways to strengthen global and regional cooperation, making development efforts more cohesive and impactful.”
How does the Forum help advance the SDGs?
“A key discussion in the Forum will be how to ensure we advance all of the SDGs not just a select few, especially by balancing humanitarian aid with long-term development and climate adaptation. Experts will also address the growing fragmentation of development finance and strategies to ensure stronger collaboration across all actors.”
Learn more about the Development Cooperation Forum 2025, taking place on 12-13 March under the theme “Transforming International Development Cooperation: From Global Dialogue to Action,” here.
Things You Need To Know
5 reasons why the International Day of Forests matters
This year’s International Day of Forests highlights the vital role of forests in food security, nutrition, and sustainable livelihoods. This year’s theme, “Forests and Foods,” connects forests to global efforts to combat hunger, protect biodiversity, and address climate change. Here are 5 reasons why this year’s theme is so important.
1. Forests feed the world
Forests provide a variety of edible resources, from fruits, nuts, and seeds to wild game and mushrooms. More than five billion people depend on forests and non-timber products for food, medicine, and income.
By sustaining pollinators, improving soil fertility, and regulating water cycles, forests enhance agricultural productivity. Agroforestry—a farming method that integrates trees and crops—can boost food security while preserving ecosystems.
Forests act as carbon sinks, absorbing billions of metric tonnes of CO₂ annually. Sustainable forest management helps mitigate climate change, protecting food systems from climate-related disasters like droughts and floods.
Forests host 80% of terrestrial species, supporting ecosystems that sustain healthy, resilient food systems. Protecting forests is crucial for maintaining biodiversity, preventing land degradation, and securing food sources.
Millions, especially Indigenous Peoples and rural communities, rely on forests for employment and income. Strengthening sustainable forest-based value chains—like non-timber forest products—improves economic resilience.
The International Day of Forests, observed annually on 21 March is led by the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat, UN DESA, and FAO to raise awareness and promote sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all forests and trees for present and future generations. This year’s International Day of Forests reminds us that forests and food are deeply interconnected.
Join the conversation using #ForestDay and help advocate for sustainable forest management and food security for all! You can also join the event at UN Headquarters in-person or through UN WebTV.
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.
Those who are online face growing threats to their privacy, security, and rights, while rapid changes driven by AI create uncertainty and unease about the future.
This December in Riyadh, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) convened by the UN Secretary-General will address these issues head-on. The aim? To build a digital ecosystem that works for everyone, everywhere, based on multistakeholder exchanges among diverse communities navigating digital transformation.
Questions like how digital tools can foster peace and sustainability, how we close the connectivity gap, how we mainstream human rights across the digital landscape, and how we ensure AI serves society—not exploits it—are on the agenda. Whether they are government ministers, legislators, youth activists or technical experts, participants come to the IGF as equals. The Forum will foster actionable policy recommendations and deliver impactful messages worldwide.
This year’s Forum comes at a pivotal moment, just months after the adoption of the Global Digital Compact (GDC), which envisions a safer, fairer digital future, and ahead of the WSIS+20 Review in 2025, which will set out new targets for digital development and governance. Both frameworks emphasize the same core idea: digital technologies should be people-centred and approached cooperatively.
As socioeconomic and digital trajectories become interlinked, the need for risk mitigation is clear. But so, too, is the need to tap into the vast ocean of digital possibilities that will help translate technological progress into progress for people and planet.
The IGF holds out promise that global governance and cooperation, harnessing digital solutions for the climate crisis, and combatting threats like misinformation and disinformation – just some of the topics that will be discussed in Riyadh – are all possible.
The SDG Pavilion organized by UN DESA on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference has become an annual stop for many interested in climate and SDG synergies. We spoke with two veterans of the past six SDG Pavilions—Ariel Alexovich, Sustainable Development Officer in UN DESA’s Office of the Under-Secretary-General, and Nadine Salame, Senior Programme Management Assistant in the Division for Sustainable Development Goals—about their recent experience at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Set the scene for us: What was the energy like at COP29 and the SDG Pavilion?
AA: “Truly, the energy was fantastic. People were very positive and seemed very happy to see us representing the SDGs with our colourful branding and full programme connecting the world’s climate work with its sustainable development work.
That said, the workday could be quite chaotic. Each day there were multiple sources demanding your attention at once. For instance, there’s the tech team you’ve just met and are trying to get up to speed, there are partners from the event currently on stage asking for a new microphone, there are people from the next event asking about their upcoming PowerPoint, all the while you’re taking photos, distributing headphones to the audience, and fielding hundreds of requests for free SDG pins—it’s a lot. Fortunately, we have each other to rely upon for support.”
There was a vibrant array of voices represented. Can you tell us about the diversity of perspectives and how they enriched conversations?
NS: “With more than 300 applications for about 50 slots, we were grateful that our partners saw the value in holding their events at the SDG Pavilion. Of course we have a good number of UN DESA-led events, but we open our stage to Member States, partners in the UN system and other stakeholders including youth groups and Indigenous organizations.
We especially enjoy working on the SDG Pavilion because we get to work with different teams across UN DESA. Over the years we’ve had events highlighting the special climate challenges facing small island developing States, forests, sustainable transport, climate finance and the climate impacts related to population growth, among others. This year, the special Forest Pavilion was hosted within the SDG Pavilion, making the conversations even more enriching, lively and diverse.”
What were some memorable moments that stood out to you?
NS: “Even though we prepare for the SDG Pavilion for months, a lot of the memorable things happen the day before COP starts, during the set-up. Every year we get to the venue and see firsthand what we’re working with. This year, we had a beautiful booth in a prime location next to UNFCCC and near the host country. However, we were missing a wall, some artwork and the label that actually said, “SDG Pavilion.” So, we do a lot of troubleshooting.
I will also remember Baku. It’s a beautiful city and the COP was very well organized in terms of reliable transport shuttles and very little security queues. We had some excellent meals in the city, too. “
AA: “For sure, I will remember the people we met, like our crew on the ground from India and Germany, and some of the SDG Pavilion visitors who traded pins with us, especially these three women from Uganda with whom I really made a connection.
Otherwise, some highlights were USG Li Junhua’s engagements in the Pavilion on the first day, and I enjoyed interviewing the Special Envoy for the Ocean, several Resident Coordinators, and explorer Bertrand Piccard in our social media space.”
Watch the events broadcast on UN DESA’s YouTube platform here.
A recap of events can also be obtained via the SDG Pavilion newsletter here.
Photo credit: UN DESA
Things You Need To Know
5 things to know about the leadership of persons with disabilities Image
On 3 December, we celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) under the theme, “Amplifying the Leadership of Persons with Disabilities for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future.” The commemoration will highlight the strides made and the challenges ahead. Here are 5 things you should know about the leadership of persons with disabilities:
1. The leadership of persons with disabilities is based on the principle of “nothing about us without us”
This phrase highlights the crucial need for their participation, representation and inclusion. It emphasizes the importance of their active involvement in decision-making processes to influence the conditions affecting their lives, ensuring that policies and initiatives consider their viewpoints and priorities.
2. Over the years, persons with disabilities and organizations representing them have led important community-driven efforts
These initiatives aim not only to advocate for their rights and well-being but also to promote inclusive development. By using both specific and general approaches, they help improve universal access to essential services and resources. Recent global climate change conferences have demonstrated a growing advocacy for disability inclusion and the rights of persons with disabilities, especially youth with disabilities, in climate action.
3. The global disability rights movement has achieved significant milestones, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and UN Security Council Resolution 2475
The CRPD is especially important because it incorporates development objectives for persons with disabilities into international human rights frameworks and highlights their leadership in creating this treaty. Resolution 2475 was the first instance where the Security Council focused on the protection and circumstances of persons with disabilities in peace and security situations, highlighting their crucial impact on shaping international policy.
4. The Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025 offers opportunities to enhance leadership among people with disabilities.
The Summit aims to address social development gaps, revitalize the 2030 Agenda, and stress the importance of including persons with disabilities in achieving sustainable peace and development. This year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Inclusive development for and with persons with disabilities”, calling upon Member States, the UN system and other partners to promote the participation and perspectives of persons with disabilities in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and continue to advance disability inclusion across the pillars of the UN’s work.
5. Leadership will be front and center at the commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities
On 3 December, 2024, we celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) under the theme, “Amplifying the Leadership of Persons with Disabilities for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future.” The commemoration at UN Headquarters in New York will highlight the strides made and the challenges ahead, including upcoming key global milestones like the Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025. By harnessing the leadership of persons with disabilities, we can advance towards a future that ensures sustainable peace and inclusive development for all.
