Six years after the Resident Coordinator system was repositioned to address fragmented United Nations support for development, countries are beginning to see results on the ground — but significant funding and staffing gaps persist, the Economic and Social Council heard today.
The solidarity of the United Nations development system is not only institutional, but also “human, immediate and deeply felt”, the Economic and Social Council heard today as it began its Operational Activities for Development Segment.
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) opened its 2025 resumed session at UN Headquarters today, recommending 72 entities for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and deferring action on 64 others.
The United Nations Forum on Forests concluded its twentieth session today, setting up its twenty-first session to be held at UN Headquarters from 11 to 15 May 2026 as its Chair observed that those present functioned similarly to that critical global resource — independent units growing together in harmony.
Women and girls must be at the forefront of designing and implementing technology and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to promote gender equality and combat gender-based violence, speakers emphasized today at the tenth multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The United Nations Forum on Forests commenced its twentieth session today, as speakers spotlighted the connection between healthy forests and a sustainable future, the increasing threats to this important global resource and the subsequent need to invest in its protection despite a shrinking fiscal space.
Concluding its twenty-fourth session, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues sent three draft decisions to the Economic and Social Council for formal adoption, as its Chair highlighted the importance of Indigenous-led education that is liberating and not colonizing..
Bretton Woods institutions are playing a crucial role in ensuring financial stability and promoting development, their representatives said today, even as some speakers expressed concern about their private-sector-first approach.
With two months to go before world leaders meet in Seville to discuss financing for development, speakers at an Economic and Social Council forum on that topic put forth an urgent call for global cooperation in restructuring debt and revitalizing international trade.
Mining companies must obtain free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous Peoples when pursuing projects on their ancestral lands, speakers emphasized at the 2025 session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues — a high-level advisory body to the Economic and Social Council. Participants also discussed how partnerships can mobilize adequate development finance for Indigenous communities.
