UN DESA Annual Highlights Report 2021-2022
The UN DESA Annual Highlights report is a tool to communicate the contributions of the Department to the realization of internationally agreed development goals and shared social, economic, and environmental aspirations. It showcases the Department’s role in gauging trends, building capacities, and shaping solutions. UN DESA Highlights 2021-2022 covers activities over the period of the 76th Session of the General Assembly (September 2021 – August 2022) and reflects the Department’s response to the set priorities and expressed needs of Member States. Six (6) thematic chapters showcase how UN DESA put its expertise to the task of supporting Member State efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda amidst multiple, intertwined, compounding crises, building their capacities to respond effectively and shape a transformative recovery that builds their resilience for the future. The report also showcases six (6) cross-cutting approaches used by the Department to attain the expected results.
Championing SDG Implementation amidst compounded crises
Introduction
by Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
UN DESA’s work over the 76th session of the General Assembly was heavily shaped by the combined impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the cascading socioeconomic effects of the conflict in Ukraine. The need for progress within the 10 critical action areas committed to by Member States in the political declaration at the SDG Summit in September 2019 became at once increasingly urgent and incredibly challenged. Guided both by the call of the SDG Summit, and by the forward-looking vision outlined by the Secretary-General in his report on Our Common Agenda, the Department continued its focus on championing synergistic, future-focused approaches to pandemic response and recovery that accelerate integrated and cross-sectoral progress towards sustainable development for all.
Chapters
Addressing poverty and the root causes of inequality
With the world facing climate catastrophe and unstable, food, fuel and financing markets amidst a prolonged pandemic, UN DESA sought to address multiple dimensions of poverty and inequality and drive transformative action for inclusive social and economic policy.
Download Chapter 1 (PDF)
Guiding Global Action on our Global Goals
In 2021-2022, UN DESA continued to support Member States in responding to the pandemic in transformative ways that accelerate progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
Download Chapter 2 (PDF)
Ensuring sustainable financing
UN DESA supported Member States and the global community in addressing the urgent issues of financing for sustainable development, with focus on staving off the debt and liquidity crises exacerbated by COVID-19, the growing climate emergency and disruptions to the food and fuel markets.
Download Chapter 3 (PDF)
Making Data Count
To respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and other global crises, countries need up-to-date, disaggregated, and fit-for-purpose data and statistics. UN DESA answers this call with its technical expertise in data collection and analysis, global convening power, and capacity development work.
Download Chapter 4 (PDF)
Protecting our planet
Through its support to the High-level Dialogue on Energy, the Second Global Sustainable Transport Conference, United Nations Ocean Conference and the UN Forum on Forests, among others, the Department moved forward the essential truth that the goals of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement are closely interlinked, and they require multistakeholder partnership and collaboration to be implemented.
Download Chapter 5 (PDF)
Framing the Future of Development
UN DESA’s analytical capacity and training programmes were leveraged to help countries better understand how to build greater resilience to recurrent crises and forge the best pathways for achieving the 2030 Agenda.
Download Chapter 6 (PDF)
