The power of we: How partnerships advance sustainable development
26 January 2026 - In a small Nepalese village surrounded by mountains, evenings used to end when the sun set. Pabitra Giri cooked by a kerosene lamp, while her children struggled to read their schoolbooks.
Delivering better through partnerships
26 January 2026 - “Delivering better is how we rebuild trust in multilateralism and make the SDGs real for every person, in every place,” said ECOSOC President Lok Bahadur Thapa, as we spoke with him ahead of the 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum on 27 January 2026.
Eighty years at the heart of global development
23 January 2026 - Established in 1945 under the UN Charter, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was designed to ensure that peace and security would be backed by economic stability, social progress and international cooperation.
UN Assembly president defends multilateralism, UN Charter in Davos
21 January 2026 - Speaking at the session Who Brokers Trust Now? at the World Economic Forum, Annalena Baerbock warned that multilateral institutions – long seen as the brokers of global trust – are under unprecedented strain as conflicts multiply and respect for international law erodes.
Mobilizing action for a just and inclusive energy transition
21 January 2026 - Clean energy plays a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping communities access reliable power sources, making it integral to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement.
Game-changing international marine protection treaty comes into force
16 January 2026 - Officially known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, the legally binding UN treaty covers the ocean zones that lie beyond national waters (the “high seas”) and the international seabed area.
ECOSOC at 80: A milestone for global cooperation and sustainable development
- The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will commemorate its 80th anniversary by holding a special event on 23 January 2026.
From vision to reality: collaboration key to advancing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States
- What does it take to turn a global promise into real change on the ground for island communities facing rising seas, fragile economies and climate shocks?
UN Data: Your AI-ready gateway to curated and trusted UN System data
- UN Data serves as a unified platform that brings together statistical data from across the UN system, with the goal of becoming the primary integrated source of trusted UN statistics and data.
Global economy shows resilience, but trade tensions and fiscal strains cloud outlook, UN warns
- Global economic output is forecast to grow by 2.7 per cent in 2026, slightly below the 2.8 per cent estimated for 2025 and well below the pre-pandemic average of 3.2 per cent, according to the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026, released by the United Nations today.
UN chief urges world leaders to ‘get priorities straight’ as New Year message calls for peace over war
- As the world enters 2026 amid mounting crises, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a stark but hopeful New Year appeal, urging global leaders to shift resources away from destruction and towards development, peace and people.
5 things you need to know about the global economy in 2026
6 January 2026 - The global economy showed notable resilience in 2025, performing better than anticipated despite repeated shocks and heightened uncertainty. Trade flows continued to expand, and overall activity held up more strongly than many expected. The key question now is whether this resilience will persist into 2026. The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026 report — to be released on 8 January 2026 — offers some early answers.
World Basketball Day 2025: From soccer ball to global phenomenon
19 December 2025 - Basketball was invented in 1891… using a soccer ball. The first games were very slow. Each time someone scored, someone had to climb a ladder to retrieve the ball because the baskets had no holes. Now, almost half of the world’s population is interested in basketball - a whopping 3.3 billion people.
Marking 20 years of shaping the online world, WSIS+20 agrees on priorities to advance digital cooperation
16 December 2025 - The United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the Twenty-Year Review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) opened today, marking two decades of shaping the digital world as the longest-standing global digital governance process.
UN launches Transport Decade with global commitments for sustainable, inclusive and resilient mobility
10 December 2025 - The launch of the first ever United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035) and its widely anticipated Implementation Plan brought together transport leaders from governments, the United Nations system, local authorities, the private sector, civil society and youth organizations from around the world today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.