Resources
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Our Common Agenda: Report of the Secretary-General Year of publication: 2021 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) “Our Common Agenda” report looks ahead to the next 25 years and represents the Secretary-General’s vision on the future of global cooperation and reinvigorating inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism. The Secretary-General presented his report to the General Assembly in September 2021 before the end of the 75th session of the General Assembly. 
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 Year of publication: 2021 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) As the pandemic continues to unfold, The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 outlines some significant impacts in many areas that are already apparent. The global extreme poverty rate rose for the first time in over 20 years, and 119 to 124 million people were pushed back into extreme poverty in 2020. There is a risk of a generational catastrophe regarding schooling, where an additional 101 million children have fallen below the minimum reading proficiency level, potentially wiping out two decades of education gains. Women have faced increased domestic violence, child marriage is projected to rise after a decline in recent years, and unpaid and underpaid care work is increasingly and disproportionately falling on the shoulders of women and girls, impacting educational and income opportunities and health. Notwithstanding the global economic slowdown, concentrations of major greenhouse gases continue to increase. With the global average temperature reaching about 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels, the climate crisis has well and truly arrived, and its impacts are being felt across the world. The pandemic has also brought immense financial challenges, especially for developing countries – with a significant rise in debt distress and dramatic decreases in foreign direct investment and trade. Yet, with a surge in global solidarity and leadership from the highest political level, countries can still deliver on the 2030 Agenda and the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. A global vaccination plan, designed and implemented by the countries that can produce vaccines today or will be able to do so if properly supported, is an urgent first step in that direction. A recommitment by Governments, cities, businesses, and industries to ensure that the recovery reduces carbon emissions, conserves natural resources, creates better jobs, advances gender equality and tackles growing poverty and inequalities is a further imperative. 
Feature Story: Freedom of the Press and Safety of Journalists in the Digital Age - Global Conference on World Press Freedom Day Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) This audio is an introduction to the Global Conference on World Press Freedom Day, co-hosted by UNESCO and the Government of Uruguay, and includes brief content from some of the speakers. 
Advocacy to Promote Linguistic and Cultural Diversity - UN Celebrates Chinese Language Day 2022 Year of publication: 2022 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) This audio presents the UN's celebration of Chinese Language Day in April 2022, which aims to promote linguistic and cultural diversity. 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights Year of publication: 2015 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) It introduces the equal and basic human rights that everyone in the world are entitled to enjoy. It also clarifies the responsibilities that different countries should take to protect human rights. 
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 Year of publication: 2019 Corporate author: United Nations (UN) Four years after signing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, countries have taken action to integrate the Goals and targets into their national development plans and to align policies and institutions behind them. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 uses the latest available data to track global progress on the SDGs and to take stock of how far we have come in realizing our commitments. The report shows that, while advances have been made in some areas, monumental challenges remain. The evidence and data spotlight areas that require urgent attention and more rapid progress to realize the 2030 Agenda’s far-reaching vision. Member States agree that these challenges and commitments are interrelated and call for integrated solutions. It is therefore imperative to take a holistic view of the 2030 Agenda and to identify the highest impact areas in order to target interventions. The most urgent area for action is climate change. If we do not cut record-high greenhouse gas emissions now, global warming is projected to reach 1.5°C in the coming decades. As we are already seeing, the compounded effects will be catastrophic and irreversible: increasing ocean acidification, coastal erosion, extreme weather conditions, the frequency and severity of natural disasters, continuing land degradation, loss of vital species and the collapse of ecosystems. These effects, which will render many parts of the globe uninhabitable, will affect the poor the most. They will put food production at risk, leading to widespread food shortages and hunger, and potentially displace up to 140 million people by 2050. The clock for taking decisive actions on climate change is ticking. The other defining issue of our time is increasing inequality among and within countries. Poverty, hunger and disease continue to be concentrated in the poorest and most vulnerable groups of people and countries. Over 90 per cent of maternal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Three quarters of all stunted children live in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. People living in fragile States are twice as likely to lack basic sanitation, and about four times as likely to lack basic drinking water services as people in non-fragile situations. Youth are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. Women and girls perform a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic work and lack autonomy in decision-making. Just as problems are interrelated, the solutions to poverty, inequality, climate change and other global challenges are also interlinked. Valuable opportunities exist to accelerate progress by examining interlinkages across Goals. For example, tackling climate change requires a shift to clean energy, reversing the trend in forest loss, and changing our production and consumption patterns. Promoting sustainable agriculture can help reduce both hunger and poverty, since close to 80 per cent of those who are extremely poor live in rural areas. Increasing access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene can save millions of lives per year and improve school attendance. Improving proficiency in reading and mathematics of some 200 million children who are falling behind in sub-Saharan Africa will help them climb out of poverty and ultimately enable the region to better compete in the global marketplace. This report also highlights the importance of investing in data for the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Most countries do not regularly collect data for more than half of the global indicators. The lack of accurate and timely data on many marginalized groups and individuals makes them “invisible” and exacerbates their vulnerability. While considerable effort has been made to address these data gaps over the past four years, progress has been limited. Increased investment is urgently needed to ensure that adequate data are available to inform decision-making on all aspects of the 2030 Agenda. Towards that end, the Dubai Declaration, launched at the second World Data Forum in October 2018, outlines a demand-driven funding mechanism under Member States’ oversight that will respond quickly and efficiently to the priorities of national statistical systems. 
Address by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, to the Global Hope Coalition Joint Action Meeting: Women, Children and the Trauma of Extremism Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO Director-General, 2009- (Bokova, I.G.) This address was delivered by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, to the Global Hope Coalition Joint Action Meeting: Women, Children and the Trauma of Extremism; UNGA, New York, 18 September 2017. 
Address by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the Award Ceremony of the 2017 UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development, 39th General Conference; UNESCO, 3 November 2017 Year of publication: 2017 Corporate author: UNESCO Director-General, 2009- (Bokova, I.G.) This address was delivered by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the Award Ceremony of the 2017 UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, on 3 November. 
Water Security and the Sustainable Development Goals (Global Water Security Issues Series, 1) Year of publication: 2019 Corporate author: UNESCO | International Centre for Water Security and Sustainable Management (i-WSSM) The ‘Global Water Security Issues (GWSI) series’ is the product of synergy within the UNESCO system, in particular the International Water Security and Sustainable Management (i-WSSM).The first edition of the GWSI series also seeks to demonstrate that water has a central role in all aspects of economic development and social welfare, and that concerted action via a collective approach of the water-using sectors is needed to ensure water’s many benefits are maximized and shared equitably and that water-related development goals are achieved.While this publication is factual, containing the most current information available concerning the state of knowledge on water security in the perspective of sustainable development and covering the most recent developments that affect it, this publication also provides decision-makers with concrete examples of approaches and potential responses for addressing water security-related challenges from the perspectives of both the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and a broader political and sectoral scope, which covers development, financing, capacity-building, institutional reform and technology.It is hoped that this publication will be a reference source on water security as it covers all aspects of human development and the cases and solutions introduced in the GWSI series can be invaluable for decision-makers, their advisors and anyone interested in – and concerned about – water security, and that this first edition will reach an ever-widening audience that includes actors outside the ‘water box’ who make or influence broad socio-economic policies that can affect water security. 
Global Education Meeting: Fortaleza Declaration; Unlocking the Transformative Power of Education for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Futures Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO | Brazil. Ministry of Education The 2024 Global Education Meeting (GEM), held in Fortaleza, Brazil, marked a significant milestone in the global pursuit of education equity and financing, with the adoption of the powerful Fortaleza Declaration by over 650 participants including over 50 Ministers from across the globe.