Category: Business

The 2026 Financing for Sustainable Development Report assesses progress on the Sevilla Commitment, a 2025 agreement that aims to secure the $4 trillion needed annually to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the end of the decade.  “Implementing the Sevilla Commitment is our best chance to demonstrate the global community’s enduring commitment to cooperation and to unlock the finance needed […]

“Four years ago, people in Europe woke up in another world because generations like mine have always had the privilege to live a life in peace,” Ms. Baerbock told journalists in Geneva. “But this changed four years ago with the full invasion [by] Russia, of the neighbouring country of Ukraine.” Echoing the UN Secretary-General’s assessment that the […]

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on Wednesday reported that regional growth is projected to pick up from 2.9 per cent last year to 3.7 per cent in 2026. That compares well with global averages and pre-pandemic growth of around 3.2 per cent. Lowering inflation The UN body noted that this positive outlook […]

In a new report on the underground global scourge that conservative estimates say generates up to $18 billion in illicit profits annually, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlighted that all regions of the world have been drawn in, although little data is available outside Europe.  Globally, legal waste management was worth $1.2 trillion […]

At the recent India AI summit, Raul told UN News what drives his passion for the technology, and why we need to fully embrace it. Largely self-taught, Raul built his first robot at the age of 12 and has developed over 10 AI tools. He has advised the Kerala and Dubai governments on how to […]

 “Individually, you come from diverse regions and disciplines, bringing outstanding expertise in AI and related fields. Collectively, you represent something the world has never seen before,” The UN chief told scientists on Tuesday at the first meeting of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI.  The 40 experts aim to help close “the AI knowledge […]

Despite geopolitical upheavals, the shift from a fossil-fuel-based global economy to one driven by clean electrification remains on track.  According to the International Energy Agency (an autonomous international agency that is not part of the UN system), lithium demand grew by nearly 30 per cent in 2024, and nickel, cobalt, graphite, and rare earths by […]

The immediate impact is visible in sharp increases in transport costs, energy and fertilizer prices, alongside currency pressures and financial market volatility. “The most immediate economic impact…are considerable increases in freight costs and oil, gas and fertilizer prices,” Hamza Ali Malik, Director of Macroeconomic Policy Division at the UN’s Asia-Pacific development arm (ESCAP) told UN […]

At the centre of it lies the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints – which carries around a quarter of global seaborne oil, along with significant volumes of liquefied natural gas and fertilisers, according to a recent UN report. To better understand the implications of this disruption, and the findings […]

A credit rating is an assessment of how likely a borrower, such as a government, is to repay its debt on time and in full. For sovereign states, ratings influence how much countries pay to borrow in international markets: the lower the rating, the higher the perceived risk and usually the higher the interest costs. […]