Four years after the roll‑out of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the gap in financing the Sustainable Development Goals has widened, the chief United Nations trade expert told the forum on financing for development follow-up today, as participants explored ways to mobilize domestic resources, curb corruption and create enabling environments for increased investment in their economies.
Citing a fragile world economy and unravelling multilateral alignments, delegates at the Economic and Social Council’s 2019 forum on financing for development follow-up today also spotlighted a crucial window of opportunity to render the global financial system fairer and more fit for purpose.
The Economic and Social Council adopted two decisions today, as it also held its annual Partnership Forum amid calls for engaging a diverse range of actors — from Governments and businesses to academia, civil society and, importantly, local decision-makers — in new forms of collaborations that generate better results for those most in need.
Young people must “have a seat at the table”, youth delegates and high‑level Government officials told the Economic and Social Council today as it concluded its eighth annual Youth Forum.
The Economic and Social Council opened its eighth annual Youth Forum today under the theme “Empowered, Included and Equal”, with youth delegates and Governments alike sharing ideas for ensuring that the benefits of a globalized world — from technological advancement and better connectivity to increased flows of people, finance and goods — unleash the potential of its 1.2 billion young people.
The Commission on Population and Development concluded its fifty‑second session at Headquarters today with speakers calling for hard work and urgent action to fulfil the promises of the Programme of Action that emerged from the landmark 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo.
Representatives from civil society today advocated for a rights-based approach to demographic issues, urging Governments to scale up their support for education and health, as the Commission on Population and Development concluded its general debate.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the role of the family in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, came under the spotlight today as delegates to the Commission on Population and Development continued to reflect on the progress the world has made in the 25 years since the landmark International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo and the adoption of its Programme of Action.
Sexual and reproductive health policies are vital to empowering women and the youth, thus constituting a cornerstone of sustainable development, speakers said today as the Commission on Population and Development continued its general debate.
In efforts to address the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, which hit Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe in March, the Economic and Social Council held a special meeting today on the international response, with the Deputy-Secretary General underscoring that additional emergency funding is desperately needed to contain the ongoing crisis and help mitigate similar events in the future.
