Fighting has resumed in Gaza after a temporary humanitarian truce that allowed desperately needed assistance to reach people displaced by the war. The temporary halt provided some respite for residents who endured constant shelling, repeated displacement and sleepless nights. One of them is Asmaa Marouf. A UN Volunteer, Asmaa was working as a geographic information systems specialist with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). When the war began, she was forced to flee her home along with her children. Asmaa shares her experience, her fears, her hopes and her belief that the current war is different from the previous escalations she has lived through. Her words underscore the need for a full humanitarian ceasefire.

The Montes del Aguacate Biological Corridor is located in the western part of Costa Rica's Central Valley. It serves as a link between Protected Wildlife Areas and Protected Zones, promoting biological connectivity. The area is home to several rural communities with scarce job opportunities and low human development. However, the inspiring story of María Olivia Rodríguez Vasquez and Jesús María Molina Salas shows that this doesn't have to be the case. Over 30 years ago, they started farming livestock on a 20-hectare land, and with the support of the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, they have been able to make a living out of it.

Gökova Bay, a sparkling blue body of water on the Mediterranean coast off Türkiye, is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and one of the most successful marine ecosystem conservation initiatives. This is in large part thanks to Zafer Kizilkaya and the efforts of his organization, Mediterranean Conservation Society, a UNDP Equator Prize winner. At its outset, the organization focused primarily on the creation of marine protected areas, which allowed fishing but limited development, and included no-take zones, which forbid all fishing and were critical to fully restoring marine ecosystem functions after years of overfishing. The organization still maintains the highest level of respect and reverence for the small-scale fishermen who have accumulated generations of knowledge about local fishing conditions of this Mediterranean spot.

Hello Future is a UNDP video series exploring the trends shaping our world. Today's episode explores the current cost-of-living and food insecurity crisis, fuelled in part by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, impacting the entire world.

Cities, towns and surrounding areas act as powerful magnets for innovation, culture and opportunities, alluring talent and investment. Urban living has already been embraced by more than half of the world's population, and projections indicate that nearly 70 percent of us will live in cities by 2050. Urban areas can also be an inequality trap, with overcrowding, pollution, poor infrastructure and social injustice. While there isn't a one-size-fits-all formula for attaining sustainable urban development, the UN’s New Urban Agenda offers guidance and strategy. When the urban landscape is well planned and managed, it can be a transformative force to accelerate the SDGs.

In 1987 Cyclone Uma, resulted in a spike of malaria incidence due to damage to health facilities, and increase in the number of mosquito breeding sites. In 2015, Cyclone Pam found Vanuatu prepared, having learnt from its previous experience, and no increase in malaria outbreaks were detected. In March of 2023, Vanuatu was hit by twin Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin within 48 hours of one another and the damage was extensive, creating a serious burden on the country’s resources. UNDP and partners are undertaking a four-country project to enhance the capacity of national and local health system institutions, personnel, and local communities to manage health risks induced by climate variability and change.

While decades of progress have lifted more than a billion people out of poverty, COVID-19 and a series of geopolitical shocks have resulted in serious setbacks. We are halfway to the deadline set by the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, there’s still time to finish strong. Eliminating poverty in all its forms is the all-access key and as we mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, there needs to be an understanding of what poverty actually is. Poverty is the very unnatural outcome of failing to truly recognize, or care, that every human is equal in dignity and deserves the same opportunities. It is a byproduct of unjust, biased laws, policies, or institutions that deepen marginalization.

Tourism is one of Malaysia’s major economic sectors, contributing 6.7 percent to its gross domestic product, and was responsible for generating US$18.32 billion in revenue in 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent travel restrictions resulted in a 72 percent reduction in tourism’s direct contribution to Malaysia’s GDP in 2020. To address the issues of tourism sustainability and island waste management, UNDP Malaysia launched the Integrated Island Waste Management in Malaysia project and subsequently the Sustainable Tourism Recovery project.

Adopted in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity, it’s clear as we approach the halfway mark that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are in trouble. In the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts, and climate-related disasters have wiped out advances on some SDGs. UNDP remains optimistic through its ongoing SDG Push initiative which has produced Integrated SDG Insights reports for over 90+ countries. These provide a landscape of SDG trends and national priorities – and chart pathways that maximize the interlinkages – helping to drive more effective policies to achieve the Goals.   

One important lesson from the pandemic is that countries can design policies that support gender equality; it is a matter of choice. Even in the midst of an unprecedented global crisis, we witnessed governments – from high-income to low-income countries – introducing measures focused on addressing women’s economic security and recovery. Building capacities to respond to the specific needs and priorities of women and girls in crisis has long been a priority for UNDP. UNDP, with support from the Government of Denmark, is supporting an all women construction initiative helping to rebuild war-damaged homes in Ukraine. The idea arose after the women found themselves being overlooked when volunteering in local construction groups. 

UNDP’s Integrated SDG Insights explore how to achieve the SDGs by 2030. So that no one is left behind.

Humans and AI complement each other, opening new opportunities for economic growth, production, health care, education, communication, and transportation. UNDP recognizes AI’s potential as well as its risks and are optimizing its use to advance the SDGs. Ethical and responsible artificial intelligence is an accelerator for sustainable development and already is affecting so many aspects of our lives. It is important to ensure fairness and transparency in the design and use of AI, clarify legal responsibility and liability in cases of harm caused by AI, as well as address the intellectual property implications.

Forests are one of the solutions to the climate crisis but are also under pressure from climate change itself. What are the strategies to face this complex reality?

In this episode of the UN Forest Podcast, 2023 Oscar-winning actress and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh is joined by Professor Almut Arneth, Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC Special Report on land and climate change, to explore the unique relationship between forests and climate change.

An episode by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

Image Credit: ©UNECE and UNDP

Hello Future - Season 2, Episode 1: Nexus. The overlapping crises we face today signal that our traditional responses are not enough. We must deliver humanitarian assistance with a keen eye towards preventing the next catastrophe. This episode features Achim Steiner, Iryna Haiduchyk, and Abdallah Al Dardari.

Hello Future is a UNDP video series exploring the trends shaping our world. From digitalization to inequality, to the climate emergency, to crisis response, the series examines critical issues facing humans and the place we call home, and what we must do if we’re to get out of this century alive.

Smallholder farming has become increasingly unpredictable. Extreme climate-induced disasters – from floods and droughts to more powerful storms – are on the rise, with corresponding devastation. With accurate, location-specific climate and weather data, farmers can make more informed decisions about which crops to plant, or livestock to rear, or which livelihood options to pursue for a better income. ‘Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture’ is part of UNDP’s strategy to bring actionable data and affordable digital technologies to those who need them.