Today, the world population is over 7 billion people and more than one billion people, or approximately 15 per cent of the world’s population, live with some form of disability; 80 per cent live in developing countries.

The latest Report of the Secretary-General on Cooperatives in Social Development reviews national and international actions taken by cooperatives in response to the corona virus disease; and recommends that governments create policies and programmes to leverage the cooperative enterprise model for a more inclusive and resilient recovery, by scaling up the provision of cooperative health-care services to cover a larger number of people, with a particular focus on underserved communities, such as informal sector workers, to address inequalities revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the first time in two decades, extreme poverty is on the rise, the UN chief said in his message released on Friday, marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, on 17 October.

On Wednesday 20 October, the Permanent Forum will organize an regional dialogue on Indigenous Peoples’ autonomy and self-governance in the Eastern Europe, Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia region. 

Russian/English interpretation will be available.

At its twentieth session, the Permanent Forum committed to facilitating informal online regional dialogues on autonomy and self-governance to support the development of guiding principles for the realization of the rights of Indigenous Peoples to autonomy and self-government.

The COVID-19 pandemic that continues to grip the world has caused over 3.7 million deaths and is reversing decades of progress in the fight against poverty. It is a matter of fact that the impact of the coronavirus has been the hardest on people who – for generations – have lacked equal access to public goods and services, quality healthcare systems and strong social protection, making it harder to cope with global crises.

The theme this year is: “Building Forward Together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and our Planet”.

On Tuesday 19 October at 9 AM (EST), the Permanent Forum will organize a regional dialogue on Indigenous Peoples’ autonomy and self-governance in the Latin America and Caribbean region. 

There will be interpretation available from Spanish to English and vice-versa.

At its twentieth session, the Permanent Forum committed to facilitating informal online regional dialogues on autonomy and self-governance to support the development of guiding principles for the realization of the rights of Indigenous Peoples to autonomy and self-government.

Marking the International Day of Older Persons this Friday, the United Nations is driving home the message that “digital equality” online, needs to be inclusive of everybody, regardless of age.

In his message, the UN Secretary-General said that as each individual faces the challenge of navigating the world’s growing reliance on technology, “perhaps no population could benefit more from support, than older persons.”

The United Nations International Day of Older Persons 2021 (UNIDOP) theme “Digital Equity for All Ages” predicates the need for access and meaningful participation in the digital world by older persons.

The world “is challenged like never before”, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, but the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) still offer a roadmap to get back on track.

“It would be easy to lose hope. But we are not hopeless. Or helpless. We have a path to recovery. If we choose to take it,” he said.