鈥淲e need a major push to get discussions over the finishing line,鈥 warned 缅北禁地Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres ahead of the culmination of COP29. 鈥淭he need is urgent. The rewards are great. The time is short鈥, he added. As the ongoing talks continue through the weekend, two main issues remain at stake: how to finance low-income countries hit hard by global warming and how to curb greenhouse gas emissions that are overheating the atmosphere and causing climate chaos.
Economic Development
Industrial symbiosis is a circular economy approach where businesses collaborate to repurpose waste and by-products, conserving resources and energy. This method not only benefits the environment but also presents new business opportunities and decent jobs. However, establishing these symbiotic value chains can be challenging, and ensuring that newly created jobs are both green and decent鈥攅specially in small and medium-sized enterprises鈥攊s not guaranteed. How can we effectively apply this concept to maximize benefits for businesses, workers, economies, and the environment? Sabrina de Gobbi, an International Labour Organization () Senior Economist, joins the to discuss what potential it has to 鈥榞reen鈥 economies and how we can ensure that the jobs it creates are decent.
Urgent action is needed to decouple economic growth from CO2 emissions, ensuring a sustainable future for all.
Bodo and Sanda are reinventing entrepreneurship in Madagascar, creating jobs and empowering youth through IFAD's Agribusiness Hubs.
Rosa Sandoval, a fisherwoman from Lake G眉ija, adapts to climate change by diversifying income and empowering women for resilience.
In our digitizing world, science is essential for addressing urgent global challenges. This year鈥檚 World Science Day for Peace and Development (10 November) invites people to explore the transformative power of science. Young people can engage directly with distinguished scientists, asking questions that matter to them. Under the theme 鈥淲hy Science Matters: Engaging Minds and Empowering Futures鈥, the observance will highlight the importance of science, in the context of the . Join the conversation with #ScienceDay.
Low growth, high debt, and fragmented trade are widening economic divides, urging the need for new development policies to promote sustainable growth.
business leaders will meet 缅北禁地officials for their (28-29 October, New York) to advance SDG financing. Discussions will support solutions for the UN鈥檚 reform agenda, boost and unlock private sector investment in sustainable development, and prepare for the in Seville, Spain (30 June-3 July). The meeting comes at a critical time when the world needs transformative actions to bridge the SDG financing gap, which has ballooned to USD 4 trillion annually for developing countries.
Nang San Hlaing , from Myanmar, was impressed by the crucial role of women in the development of farming communities in Thailand's highlands. She believes that Myanmar can achieve similar gender equality in the future, despite the challenges of changing attitudes and shifting away from illicit crops. Inspired by what she is learning in Thailand, she wants to implement new farming methods and create social enterprises in Myanmar.
On the cold, wet and foggy slopes of the Andes mountains in South America, a unique but fragile ecosystem illustrates the interconnection between the three most urgent global environmental crises we face today: biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation. Known as 辫谩谤补尘辞蝉&苍产蝉辫;(alpine tundras), these high mountain ecosystems are found at altitudes higher than 3,000 metres. Considered sacred by Indigenous Peoples, the 辫谩谤补尘辞蝉 of the Andes have been inhabited by humans for the past 15,000 years. However, with over 76,000 families living in the Colombian 辫谩谤补尘辞蝉&苍产蝉辫;today, unsustainable development has been pressuring this invaluable and delicate ecosystem. That is why the (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented by the (UNDP), launched the Guardians of the 笔谩谤补尘辞蝉 alliance, in partnership with SWISSAID and World Women鈥檚 Corporation Colombia. Over the project鈥檚 three years of implementation, a total of 2,328 people participated, most of them rural women.
Augustina Akosua Asor Tufuor鈥檚 entrepreneurial journey started at the University of Ghana Business School. She founded Tropical Snacks to create all-natural plantain chips from surplus local produce, aiming to bridge the gap between small farmers and consumers. However, she faced challenges in accessing finance and market information. To address this, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations () and the International Trade Centre launched a program called Empowering Women and Boosting Livelihoods through Agricultural Trade () in 2021. This program aims to increase women鈥檚 competitiveness in trade through strengthened knowledge, skills, and access to finance.
How can we reimagine the global financial system for the 21st Century? How do we rebuild trust in the international community in the face of conflict and polarization? With only six years to go, how do we make up lost ground on the Sustainable Development Goals? These are some of the thorny questions that participants at the , initiated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other actors, will seek to answer. Bringing together leaders from government, the private sector and civil society, the Conference holds the potential to be a critical new forum to reshape and advance sustainable development for the 21st century.
Ecuador is pioneering sustainable agriculture with innovative practices to enhance productivity while preserving its rich biodiversity and forest ecosystems. The United Nations Development Programme () and Lavazza have teamed up to produce the world's first certified coffee. The initiative aims to improve the quality of coffee beans and protect nature and forests, working with farmers in the 23 provinces bordering Ecuador's Amazon rainforest. The initiative is part of the program, a government-led initiative supported by UNDP, which has restored of Amazonian land.
Nisa is a mother of four from Bamyan, Afghanistan. She faced challenges in accessing education and later migrated to Iran. Like many Afghan women facing challenges in their migration journey, her priorities shifted to supporting her family. After a few daily-wage jobs, Nisa found stable work at a noodle-making factory in Iran. After 20 years, her family returned to Afghanistan. Nisa started a noodle business using her experience in Iran. With support from the International Organization for Migration (), she expanded her business and now plans to hire women and open a restaurant.
The Employment Intensive Investment Programme () helps countries around the world create more and better jobs through public investment in inclusive infrastructure. See how the programme works.