"Unless we bridge the yawning chasm between the global haves and have-nots, we are setting ourselves up for an 8-billion-strong world filled with tensions and mistrust, crisis and conflict."

United Nations Secretary General Ant¨®nio Guterres

This edition focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities).? The world's population reached 8 billion in mid-November and is projected to approach 10 billion by 2050. As the human family grows, it is important to create a sustainable future and deliver on the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ¨C to "leave no one behind".?

In a recent statement, United Nations Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres described the growing population as "a testament to scientific breakthroughs and improvements in nutrition, public health and sanitation." However, he noted that inequalities have also grown, pointing out that a handful of billionaires control as much wealth as the poorest half of the world.??

On top of these, the accelerating climate crisis and the unequal recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic are "turbocharging" inequalities while the war in Ukraine is adding to ongoing food, energy and finance crises, hitting developing economies hardest, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ chief warned. These inequalities take their greatest toll on women and girls, and on marginalized groups that already suffer discrimination, he added.?

Why Goal 10 Matters

Inequalities based on income, sex, disability, sexual orientation, age, race, class, ethnicity, religion, and opportunity continue to persist across the world and cut across various aspects of life.? Goal 10 aims to reduce inequalities within and among countries. High levels of inequality can threaten long-term social and economic development, harm poverty reduction and destroy people's sense of fulfilment and self-worth. This, in turn, can breed crime, disease and environmental degradation. Reducing inequalities and leaving no one behind is integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.?

Climate and Water?

Disasters exacerbate existing inequalities by hitting the vulnerable hardest. Recent historic flooding in Pakistan is fresh on everyone's mind. At the latest Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Secretary-General described his shock at the havoc caused by the floods: "There are moments in our life that become unforgettable and that mark us deeply. My last visit to Pakistan was one of these moments. To see an area flooded that is three times the size of my country, Portugal. To see the loss of life, the loss of crops, the loss of livelihoods."??

He appealed for the provision of funding for countries, like Pakistan, that contribute less to climate change but bear the disproportionate brunt of its impacts. After intense negotiations at COP27, an agreement was reached to establish a funding mechanism to compensate vulnerable nations for 'loss and damage' from climate-induced disasters.?????

-Read Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ News article: ?

More than 90 per cent of disasters are water related.? " ¨C more intense and frequent droughts, more extreme flooding, more erratic seasonal rainfall and accelerated melting of glaciers ¨C with cascading effects on economies, ecosystems and all aspects of our daily lives", said Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).? "And yet, there is insufficient understanding of changes in the distribution, quantity, and quality of freshwater resources".?

Hot off the press, the agency's first such report, aims to fill that knowledge gap and provide a concise overview of water availability in different parts of the world.? The report said that 3.6 billion people have inadequate access to water at least one month per year and that this is expected to increase to more than five billion by 2050.? The upcoming will address the plight of billions of people who lack access to this life-saving resource.??

Lasting Impacts of COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed fragile healthcare systems in many countries, pointing to the need to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage ¨C the idea that everyone, everywhere should have access to quality, affordable health care.? On 12 December, the United Nations will observe the International Universal Health Coverage Day, which aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage.?

According to the Sustainable Development Progress Report 2022, the COVID-19 crisis continued to worsen existing inequalities and reverse progress seen before 2020. The pandemic has especially increased relative poverty in many countries, caused a rise in income inequality, and intensified structural and systemic discrimination, harming millions of people around the world. The : The Impact of inflation and COVID-19 on wages and purchasing power, just released by the International Labour Organization (ILO), provides an overview of how a severe inflationary crisis, combined with a global slowdown in economic growth, has affected real monthly wages in many countries.?

Gender Equality?

Violence against women and girls remains the most pervasive human rights violation around the world. Already heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, its prevalence is now being further increased by the intersecting crises of climate change, global conflict and economic instability. The which kicked off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day, is an annual campaign to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.???

Also check out a new 10-part music podcast series called ,?which Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ News launched last week?to help address gender inequality. ? ?

Food Crisis?

The ongoing war in Ukraine has disrupted . Soaring prices are also contributing to a global cost-of-living crisis, the impacts of which are falling disproportionately on developing countries. Already vulnerable households are paying the highest price. The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ is "continuing intense diplomatic efforts with all parties to ensure the unimpeded exports of critical food and fertilizers from Ukraine and the Russian Federation, exempt from sanction regimes, to the world markets," said a Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ spokesperson in a 29 November statement, reporting that , has left the Netherlands bound for Malawi.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and T¨¹rkiye to reintroduce vital food and fertilizer exports from Ukraine to the rest of the world, also continues to play an essential role in preventing hunger and famine.? As of 17 November, the total tonnage of grain and other foodstuffs exported from the three Ukrainian ports reached 11,186,228 million metric tons. A total of 941 voyages (470 inbound and 471 outbound) have been enabled so far.?

Read latest Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ articles.?

  • ?
  • with the top WFP official in the Horn of Africa region??

At the recent G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Secretary-General urged the world's most powerful economies to adopt an SDG stimulus package that will provide developing countries with investments and liquidity and offer them debt relief and restructuring. "The SDG Stimulus is a minimal and necessary step to ease the food and energy crises and prevent further suffering and hardship down the line," he said.??

Bridging Digital Divide?

Of the 8 billion people on the Earth, a staggering 2.7 billion ¨C many in developing and least developed countries ¨C lack meaningful Internet connectivity. The 17th? (IGF), which is under way in?Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, charts a way forward for universal connectivity.? "With the right policies in place, digital technology can give an unprecedented boost to sustainable development, particularly for the poorest countries," said Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Secretary-General.? The Global Digital Compact he has proposed is anchored in human rights and aims to deliver on universal connectivity; a human-centred digital space that protects free speech and privacy; and the safe and responsible use of data.? He expects the Compact?to be agreed on at in 2024.?

Transforming Education?

In September, the Secretary-General convened world leaders for the Transforming Education Summit.? Among the key outcomes were several global initiatives, including the International Financing Facility for Education, which will enhance funding for education around the world, and the "Gateways to Public Digital Learning", aimed at transforming digital learning resources into freely available, open, public goods. It's also time to follow up on six calls to action that have also been announced during the Summit, including a call to advance gender equality and girls' and women's empowerment in and through education.??

Persons with Disabilities?

Disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security. It is also central to the promise of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind.? Observed annually on December 3, the International Day of Person with Disabilities will focus on innovation and transformative solutions for inclusive development.? Launching the Disability Inclusion Strategy in 2019, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Secretary-General vowed to make the Organization an employer of choice for persons with disabilities.? In line with the strategy, the disability-inclusive communication guidelines were also rolled out in 2022.??


Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will launch the in Geneva on Thursday, 1 December 2022, with subsequent presentations in Addis Ababa and Riyadh, to provide an overview of humanitarian needs and funding requirements in 2023, call for generous funding towards next year¡¯s humanitarian appeals, and amplify the voices of affected people, particularly women and girls.?

The event in Geneva will run from 9:00 am to 10:30 am Central European/Geneva time and is divided into two segments: the first segment will include opening remarks from the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, followed by a welcome message from Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres. During the second segment, five eminent panelists will discuss ¡°Putting people first – global food security and better accountability to affected populations¡±. ?

, , ?

The?United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRISD)?is launching the?#CrisesofInequality Media Contest?for the best journalistic materials to showcase the key themes of the Institute¡¯s?.

Journalists working at the intersection of social and environmental justice who want to explore the role of elites and policy makers in driving or mitigating inequalities, the impacts of inequalities and crises on people¡¯s lives, and individual and collective strategies to reclaim rights, are encouraged to submit an entry to participate in Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRISD¡¯s #CrisesOfInequality Media Contest. Last submission date is 4 December 2022 by 23:59 CET. Entry requirements and details can be found .??

Groundwater is a vital resource that provides almost half of all drinking water worldwide, about 40 per cent of water for irrigated agriculture and about a third of water required for industry. It sustains ecosystems, maintains the baseflow of rivers and prevents land subsidence and seawater intrusion. Despite these facts, groundwater, as an ¡®invisible¡¯ resource, is out of mind for most people.?

This year¡¯s focuses on ¡°making the invisible, visible¡±,?using the??on groundwater as a baseline, and the??as a guideline. The goal of the 2022 Summit is to define actions towards more responsible and sustainable use and protection of this vital natural resource. The Summit will unify the statements from all major groundwater-related events into one, comprehensive groundwater message for the?.

9 December marks the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, as well as the 74th anniversary of the 1948??(the ¡°Genocide Convention¡±), the first human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly.

This year¡¯s event for the international day will focus on the role of sports in promoting peace and inclusion and highlighting ways in which it can champion prevention of atrocity crimes through its work and outreach. The event, The Role of Sports in Atrocity Prevention, will be held in person at the United Nations Headquarters in New York at the Trusteeship Council Chambers on 9 December from 11:00 am to 1 pm EST. It will also be live webcasted on Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµTV and include opening remarks, followed by an interactive panel discussion. The event is open to Member States, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ staff, civil society, media and the public. Interested participants are encouraged to .??

From the most fundamental right ¨C right to life ¨C to those that make worth living -the right to food, health, liberty, and education ¨C human rights are inherent to all of us. This year¡¯s focuses on dignity, freedom, and justice for all, and calls on everyone to #StandUp4HumanRights.??

The 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) will be celebrated on 10 December 2023. To mark this milestone, OHCHR will launch a year-long campaign on 10 December 2022 by focusing on the UDHR¡¯s legacy, relevance, and activism. Wherever you are, you can help spread the word. and are available for all to make a difference by standing up for everyone¡¯s rights. Additional information on the year-long campaign can be found .??

The second part of the taking place from December 7-19 in Montreal, Canada, will convene governments and leaders from around the world to set new goals for the next decade of action to stop and reverse biodiversity loss and ensure that the use of biodiversity is sustainable. The conference aims to adopt the and build a robust framework that:?

  1. Is ambitious in its goals and targets?
  2. Recognizes and commits appropriate resources to progress towards these targets?
  3. Includes a strengthened mechanism to hold Parties accountable for such progress?

While freshwater and marine specialists have largely worked in silos, nature has always worked as one: the land, freshwater, and ocean ecosystems are closely interlinked and interdependent. The will bring together experts and policy makers from the freshwater and ocean communities, and transboundary and marine organizations to strengthen cooperation and share good practices in policy-making and effective source-to-sea management.???

The workshop will take place at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland form 14-16 December. Participants planning to attend the meeting, in-person or virtually, are requested to register by 2 December.??

The Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation is convening the on?12-14 December to set the course towards new sustainable development pathways and move from commitment to action.??

Taking place at the midpoint of Agenda 2030 and organized by the Co-Chairs from Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo,?Switzerland, and Reality of Aid ¨C Africa, the Summit will address the challenges of increasing needs and financial demands stemming from the pandemic, conflict, climate and economic shocks around the world.?The Summit will look at how the global development co-operation landscape has changed and how we must transform the way we work together to better face the challenges of this new era. For further information, please visit the website .?