The report focuses on the contribution that STI practices make towards mitigating some of the most pressing sustainability challenges facing the urban socio-technical systems in a post-COVID-19 world. The report also assesses the urbanization trends and the impact of the pandemic on sustainable urban development. It identifies 12 key urban sustainability challenges: energy, circularity, water, mobility, economic prosperity and financial stability, housing, education, gender empowerment & equality, urban planning, healthcare, safety and security, and protection from natural disasters. For each category, a selection of practical STI solutions and innovative case studies worldwide are presented. Finally, the report calls for action at the national and international level to seize the innovation momentum from the COVID-19 pandemic and to use the transformative power of STI to deliver on the commitment to sustainable urban development. Governments should prioritize the STI solutions that ensure value for money and more efficient spending, focusing on activities that boost urban resilience. International cooperation efforts will be needed to further pool, formalize and transfer the available knowledge on effective STI solutions.

This report encapsulates the outcomes of the two-day conference entitled ‘Scientific and Technological Developments: Benefits and Risks for the Biological Weapons Convention’ held in October 2022 in New Delhi, India. It was organised by the UNODA in partnership with the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA). The Conference’s primary objective was to review developments in science and technology relevant to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and to prepare for the Ninth BWC Review Conference. The Conference report provides expert insights on the evolving science and technology landscape in the context of the BWC, including in the fields of synthetic biology, public health responses, neurotechnology and digitalization.

This annual publication provides an update on the evolution of a selection of official SDG indicators and complementary data and statistics, highlighting progress on the development of new concepts and methodologies for UNCTAD custodian indicators. It further demonstrates, beyond the perspective of the formal SDG indicators, how UNCTAD is contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

SDG pulse provides quantitative assessments of progress with the 2030 Agenda through both a selection of official SDG indicators as well as complementary data and statistics. It also presents recent conceptual and methodological developments regarding SDG indicators of which UNCTAD is the custodian. It has become UNCTAD’s reference publication in mapping the organization’s work with the SDGs, not only from an analytical perspective but also in terms of technical cooperation and capacity development. This year’s edition explores new sources for financing development, sharing the first-ever preliminary estimates for an SDG indicator on illicit financial flows. Lastly, this edition of the SDG Pulse is structured according to the four transformations identified in UNCTAD15’s Bridgetown Covenant – multilateralism and trade, sustainability and resilience, development finance, and diversification, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable and those furthest behind. This year’s In-Focus tackles the challenge of costing the achievement of SDGs through six transition pathways.

The SDG Pulse Series is UNCTAD’s annual statistical publication reporting on developments relating to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The purpose of this series is to: provide an update on the evolution of a selection of official SDG indicators and complementary data and statistics; provide progress reports on the development of new concepts and methodologies for UNCTAD custodian indicators. This series aims to showcase, beyond the perspective of the formal SDG indicators, how UNCTAD is contributing to the implementation of 2030 Agenda. Released annually, each version of the SDG Pulse highlights a thematic issue of immediate relevance to the 2030 Agenda.

En este cuarto Informe Especial elaborado por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) sobre la evolución y los efectos de la pandemia de la COVID-19 (coronavirus) en América Latina y el Caribe el análisis se centra en los efectos de la pandemia en la estructura productiva y empresarial de los países de la región cuyas debilidades se han originado a lo largo de décadas y que se ha visto fuertemente golpeada por la actual coyuntura. Antes de la pandemia, la estructura productiva de la región presentaba una gran heterogeneidad estructural que limitaba seriamente las posibilidades de desarrollo económico. La pandemia ha vuelto más evidente estas debilidades y ha amplificado las tensiones económicas, sociales y ambientales. En el ámbito productivo, la coyuntura plantea la urgencia de mitigar la destrucción de las capacidades, sin olvidar la necesidad de aumentar de manera sostenida la productividad, generar encadenamientos productivos e incrementar el aprendizaje y la generación y difusión de innovaciones. En este contexto, la industria adquiere una importancia estratégica y un rol protagónico en el proceso de crecimiento y en el cambio de la matriz productiva. Para ello, se requieren políticas para modificar la estructura productiva, es decir, incentivos distintos de los que prevalecen en la actualidad para que las empresas privadas, junto con el Estado, realicen las inversiones necesarias para diversificar la estructura económica, garantizar un proceso continuo y estable de crecimiento y evitar retrocesos sociales y ambientales.

In the ten years since the Paris Agreement was adopted, renewable energy technologies have undergone a remarkable transformation. With spectacular cost declines and manufacturing capacity growth, the global deployment of solar, wind, and electric vehicles (EVs) has exceeded even the most optimistic projections and continues to advance exponentially. The world is poised for a breakthrough in the rapid and widespread transition from energy systems dominated by fossil fuels to those dominated by homegrown, low-cost renewables. However, seizing this moment of opportunity is not a given as significant political and economic barriers and obstacles remain. This special report provides a high-level synthesis of the state of play of — and the economic imperative and opportunity for — accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy, with a particular focus on the roles of renewables, electrification, and energy efficiency.

Aperçu des objectifs, des services et des parties prenantes des services d'information fluviale en Europe, les résolutions de la CEE sur les services d'information fluviale, le cadre réglementaire international pour les SIF, le cadre stratégique de la CEE pour le développement des services d'information fluviale et la voie à suivre

Negli ultimi 20 anni, la serie Innocenti Report Card ha aperto la via al confronto del benessere infantile nei paesi ricchi. La Report Card 16 sviluppa ulteriormente questo tema adottando un approccio multilivello per dimostrare che il benessere dei bambini è influenzato dalle loro azioni e relazioni, dalla rete di sostegno e dalle risorse di chi si occupa di loro, dalle politiche pubbliche e dal contesto nazionale. Tale approccio è in linea con la Convenzione delle Nazioni Unite sui diritti dell'infanzia e dell'adolescenza del 1989, in quanto riconosce il ruolo fondamentale di governi, famiglie e comunità nell'attuazione dei diritti dei bambini e nella promozione del loro benessere.

The report outlines the vision of UNCTAD’s Secretary-General with respect to the world and how the organization must change to support Member States it their pursuit for shared prosperity. The report assess the state of trade and development in the last four years, which have been characterized by a set of economic shocks, from the Covid-19 Pandemic to the war in Ukraine. The report acknowledges that progress has been slow. The SDGs are off track, inequality remains high, and ongoing crises continue to undermine development. The report outlines four transformations that most be undertaken to propel achievement of the SDGs: 1) More diversified economies. 2) more resilient and inclusive economies, 3) More abundant and stable finance for development and 4) More multilateralism in a multipolar world. The reports concludes by outlining a series of priorities for the UNCTAD to better respond to the challenges of today and to better serve its member States.