From health, education, food security to infrastructure, innovation, peace and partnerships, tackling poverty lies at the heart of these efforts. As the world looks ahead to the upcoming World Social Summit, it will be essential to keep ending poverty as the golden thread connecting the investments we make to accelerate the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Every year, World Mental Health Day (10 October) is a powerful reminder that inclusive and sustainable human development cannot be realised without mental health and well-being. Across the world, countries are making strides, recognising this as a right, not just a privilege. The UN has been steadily working alongside governments, civil society, youth leaders, academia and the private sector to lead these efforts.
To power data-driven development across its vast archipelago, Indonesia is leveraging the Small Area Estimation statistical method, with the Resident Coordinator’s Office bringing together UN agencies to support the joint effort.
In Zaječar, Serbia, retired women gather at digital literacy workshops—learning to email, pay bills, and support each other in mastering new technologies.
For women and children in Nusa Tenggara Timur Province in eastern Indonesia, the wait for drinking water has transformed from an obstacle to an opportunity, thanks to a joint UN programme.
On the sidelines of the 2025 Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake, Resident Coordinators are driving global progress on food system transformation; leading efforts in countries like Ethiopia, Guyana, Indonesia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Togo, and the Central Sahel.
Global life expectancy increased by an astonishing five years between 2000 and 2019. And then since the COVID-19 pandemic, it slid backwards by almost two. More than 110 million children have entered school since 2015 – but by 2023, 272 million children still had no access to the classroom.
