Rising trade tensions and tariffs are roiling the global economy, fueling market volatility, driving inflationary pressures, and dampening growth prospects, especially in trade-dependent economies and already fiscally constrained developing countries. The mid-2025 World Economic Situation and Prospects report from UN DESA warns that pervasive uncertainty and the risk of supply chain disruptions and higher production costs threaten international trade and investment. The report also underscores the need for enhanced international cooperation to safeguard growth and sustainable development.

With over 9000 attendees from more than 175 countries and more than 300 sessions, the 19th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum opens its doors today in Riyadh for five days (15-19 December) of discussions on public policy issues about the Internet. Under the theme ''Building our Multistakeholder Digital Future'', the conference will focus on four main themes, including the digital contribution to peace, development and sustainability; human rights and inclusion in the digital age; improving digital governance of the Internet; and harnessing innovation in the digital age.

In a world facing political turmoil, economic slowdown, rising inequalities and a worsening environmental crisis, our promise to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is at stake. 8 - 17 July 2024: High-level Political Forum (HLPF) at UN headquarters in New York. More from UN DESA Voice.

Financing challenges are at the heart of the current sustainable development crisis. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing geopolitical tensions and intensifying climate shocks, financing gaps are widening. The 2024 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Financing for Development at a Crossroads offers concrete recommendations to scale up investments in the SDGs and recover lost ground. The Summit of the Future in September 2024 and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development Conference in June 2025 are the final opportunities to change the trajectory.

Our world is approaching a landmark moment in human history. On 15 November 2022, the global population is projected to reach 8 billion people. Thanks to science, technology, and ground-breaking innovations, we now live longer and healthier. It took the human family 125 years to get from 1 billion to 2 billion. But only 12 years to grow from 7 to 8 billion. Learn more and follow the countdown here.

Has the global economy recovered from COVID-19? Will prices continue to rise? When will the jobs come back? Find out at the launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2022 report on 13 January (12 pm EST). It provides an overview of recent global economic performance and short-term prospects. After a strong recovery in 2021, global growth momentum seems to be losing steam and higher levels of inequality could emerge as a longer-term scar of the pandemic. The report calls for better targeted policy and financial measures.

Since the beginning of time, we have treated nature as a free and endless provider of services. We hike in forests, swim in oceans and use its resources without a second thought. But even if we don’t pay for these goods and services, their value is far from zero.

What do data tell us about progress towards the commitments made in the Beijing Platform for Action 25 years ago?

Over 2,000 participants from the data user and producer communities will come together this month to discuss some of the greatest data challenges in our changing world.