Trade and development

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed marked the tenth anniversary of Malala Yousafzai’s iconic speech at the United Nations with a special event on Malala Day at the UN House in Nigeria. Introducing Malala, she said despite progress, the world remains far from ensuring all girls have access to equal, quality education.

The World Health Organization announced today that 12 countries across different regions in Africa are set to receive 18 million doses of the first-ever malaria vaccine over the next two years. The roll-out is a critical step forward in the fight against one of the leading causes of death on the continent.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in consultation with the Secretary-General of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Rebeca Grynspan, has appointed Pedro Manuel Moreno of Spain as Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today released a report which says plastics are accumulating in the world’s soil at a high rate. The report found that plastics used extensively in farming — from plastic coated fertilizers to mulch film — are contaminating the soil and potentially threatening food security.

The World Investment Report 2022 was released today by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).  It shows that flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2021.  But, the report warns that the prospects for 2022 are grimmer.

Following is the transcript of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ press conference with Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), on the launch of the second brief by the Global Crisis Response Group, in New York today:

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the opening ceremony of the Africa Trade and Investment Forum of the Africities Summit in Kisumu, Kenya, today:

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the opening session of the Africities Summit in Kisumu, Kenya, today:

In Tajikistan, the United Nations is mobilizing $40 million to help authorities address the needs of over 14,000 refugees and asylum seekers, nearly all of them from Afghanistan.  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is coordinating the effort, with over 30 humanitarian and development partners.

Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks to the opening ceremony of the fifteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 15), today: