Social issues


SOC/4909

​​​​​​​Calling attention to widening inequality gaps and crises in the labour market exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, both United Nations senior officials and speakers alike stressed in an interactive dialogue that urgent action was needed to generate decent work and support recovery and social protection programmes, as the Commission for Social Development’s sixty-first session continued today.

SOC/4908

​​​​​​​To fully realize the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, the international community must intensify and strengthen its commitments to the well-being and rights of older persons, a senior United Nations official told the Commission for Social Development today during its high-level panel discussion on the Plan’s fourth review and appraisal.

SOC/4907

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Stronger cooperation, solidarity between nations, targeted action and a human-rights-based approach are essential to not only recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, but necessary to tackle rising inequality, ministers and senior Government officials stressed today, as the Commission for Social Development continued its sixty-first session.

SOC/4906

With the pandemic, climate crisis and geopolitical conflicts exacerbating inequalities in access to health, education and jobs, countries must create productive employment and decent work and ensure the social protection of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, speakers emphasized today, as the Commission for Social Development opened its sixty-first session.

SG/SM/21575

​​​​​​​Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the International Forum on Government Audit:  “How Supreme Audit Institutions May Contribute to Reach Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2 — No Poverty and Zero Hunger”, in Rio de Janeiro, today: