Surviving a crisis is only the beginning. A child still needs a school, a farmer safe land and a family a place to call home. Yet more than 160 million people lack the support they need to rebuild their lives. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP is working to close the gap between emergency relief and long-term recovery, restoring services and livelihoods while crises are still unfolding. From clearing dangerous land in Ukraine and Syria to supporting businesses in Afghanistan and housing in Gaza, the goal is to help communities regain stability, rebuild local economies and prepare for a future beyond crisis.
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For farmers in Armenia’s Ararat Valley, families in Uzbekistan’s drought-strained Aral Sea region and communities relying on glacier-fed rivers in the Kyrgyz Republic, climate change is reshaping the water they depend on every day. Retreating glaciers, erratic rainfall and drought threaten crops, electricity, health and livelihoods. With the United Nations Development Programme support, the three landlocked countries are putting water at the heart of climate adaptation—improving irrigation, protecting river basins, strengthening water management and planning for future shortages. The goal is practical: safeguard the water that keeps communities, farms and economies going.
A loan helped Yahia open a kiosk in Egypt. Training and solar-powered equipment enabled Jayalakshmi to start a tailoring business in India. In Cuba, Caridad turns goat’s milk into cheese alongside her daughters, while in Malawi, Emmanuel is developing technology to make rural electricity more affordable. Around the world, the United Nations Development Programme supports people with the tools they need to build livelihoods, from grants and microloans to training and equipment. These stories show that decent work is about more than earning an income: it can bring dignity, independence and opportunity, strengthen families and communities, and help people build their own path out of poverty.
Literacy empowers people to manage businesses, rebuild confidence, improve livelihoods and create new opportunities, transforming lives through education, dignity and lifelong learning.
The Amazon is one of the world’s most important allies against climate change, storing vast amounts of carbon while supporting extraordinary biodiversity and millions of people. But deforestation, fires and other pressures are weakening its ability to regulate the climate and could push parts of the forest towards irreversible change. Protecting and restoring the Amazon means stopping forest loss, supporting sustainable livelihoods and recognizing the crucial role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Stronger national climate plans and international cooperation can help safeguard the forest — and the climate benefits it provides far beyond the region.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP and partners are restoring degraded lands, strengthening climate-resilient livelihoods and improving resource management to help communities prevent conflict and build lasting peace.
In Mongolia’s Burd district, a herder and her community are bringing water back to a landscape threatened by drought, overgrazing and desertification. With Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP-supported funding, local women and herder groups protected vital springs and restored a lake that had been dry for more than 70 years. Their efforts revived 90 hectares of wetlands, secured drinking water for 15,000 animals and brought swans, geese and cranes back to the area. The project is also creating new livelihood opportunities, showing how community-led conservation can restore ecosystems while sustaining pastoralist families.
For Enkhjin Gereldash and her family, cashmere is both a way of life and a vital source of income. Born into a herding family in Mongolia, Enkhjin grew up helping her parents manage their livestock and sustainably harvest cashmere from hundreds of goats each year. Their story reflects a sector that supports around 190,000 herder households but faces mounting pressure from land degradation and climate change. Through partnerships connecting herders, processors and international markets, efforts are underway to build a more sustainable cashmere supply chain. Enkhjin now works for a Mongolian processing company, pursuing her ambition to help make Mongolian cashmere a globally recognized brand.
Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth's land surface and are essential to food security, biodiversity, climate resilience and the livelihoods of billions of people, including pastoralists and Indigenous communities. Yet these vast ecosystems remain undervalued and increasingly threatened by climate change, land degradation and unsustainable land use. Protecting and restoring rangelands is critical not only for conserving wildlife and storing carbon, but also for sustaining cultures, strengthening rural economies and building resilient landscapes that support both people and nature for generations to come.
Artificial intelligence is spreading at breathtaking speed, but access alone won’t determine who benefits. The real divide lies in who has the power to shape how AI is built, governed and used. As many countries race to adopt the technology, gaps in infrastructure, data, skills and local languages threaten to leave billions on the sidelines. Yet the future is far from fixed. Around the world, governments are laying the foundations for AI that serves people—not just markets. The choices made today will decide whether AI deepens inequality or becomes a force for more inclusive, human-centered development.
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Development Programme (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP) estimates that the earthquakes in Venezuela's La Guaira region generated around 1.2 million tonnes of debris, creating a major obstacle to rescue, recovery, and reconstruction efforts. Clearing the rubble is essential to restore access to communities, reopen hospitals, schools, and other critical services, and allow displaced families to begin rebuilding their lives. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP is supporting authorities with technical expertise, debris management planning, and sustainable recovery strategies that prioritize recycling materials where possible and reducing environmental impacts. The assessment highlights the scale of the disaster and the importance of coordinated action to accelerate recovery.
Cambodia is integrating climate action into its development journey, investing in resilient communities, sustainable growth and forest protection to secure a prosperous low-carbon future.
Call it football or soccer—the World Cup reminds us that while we may be 8 billion people, we are one team united in helping every person thrive on a healthy planet.
HE[R]EAL is a global multimedia exhibition that challenges dominant narratives of war-to-peace transitions, offering another perspective: women as survivors, former combatants, family members of armed actors, caregivers, leaders and agents of change.
The ocean sustains life and livelihoods, producing at least half of Earth’s oxygen, supporting vast biodiversity, and providing food and jobs for millions. Yet overfishing and ecosystem decline threaten its future. In the Pacific, however, a different story has emerged. Through more than 20 years of collaboration among 14 Pacific Island nations, regional organizations, scientists, and development partners, Pacific tuna fisheries have become the world’s first major tuna fishery where all four key stocks are harvested sustainably. Science-based management, regional unity, and initiatives such as the Vessel Day Scheme have strengthened food security, generated billions in economic value, and supported thousands of jobs. The Pacific’s success demonstrates how cooperation, stewardship, and long-term investment can protect marine resources while advancing sustainable development.