United Nations in India

India is critical in determining the success of the SDGs, globally. At the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted, “Sustainable development of one-sixth of humanity will be of great consequence to the world and our beautiful planet. It will be a world of fewer challenges and greater hope; and, more confident of its success”. NITI Aayog, the Government of India’s premier think tank, has been entrusted with the task of coordinating the SDGs, mapping schemes related to the SDGs and their targets, and identifying lead and supporting ministries for each target. In addition, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has been leading discussions for developing national indicators for the SDGs. State governments are key to India’s progress on the SDGs as they are best placed to ‘put people first’ and to ensuring that ‘no one is left behind’. The UN Country Team in India supports NITI Aayog, Union ministries and state governments in their efforts to address the interconnectedness of the goals, to ensure that no one is left behind and to advocate for adequate financing to achieve the SDGs.

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Publication

17 August 2022

UN India Annual Report 2021

The UN in India 2021 Annual Report gives an overview of how the UN in India, partnering closely with the Government and our stakeholders in civil society, the private sector, and communities, redoubled our efforts to save lives, protect people and build back better through the second year of the pandemic. This report covers the penultimate year of the UN - Government of India Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) 2018-2022, which continued to guide our support to India’s development priorities, even as we repurposed a significant part of our planned activities and budget towards the COVID-19 response. We worked to respond to the health emergency, training frontline workers, delivering essential equipment and medical supplies, addressing misinformation, and supporting India’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign — the world’s largest. We also responded to the social and economic impact of the pandemic, working to ensure everyone, especially the most marginalised, had access to social safety nets and that households and businesses stayed afloat. We combatted malnutrition and food insecurity, and continued to respond to the unprecedented disruption faced by children and adolescents impacted by school closures. And we didn’t lose sight of the greatest existential threat of all, continuing to partner with the Government of India in responding to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and rising levels of pollution. Throughout the year, we remained focused on ensuring that the recovery was gender-sensitive and that gender equality was at the centre of all of our initiatives.

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31 July 2022

A global movement to foster kindness

The sun is still to rise over Kerala’s Manchadikkari Village, but N.S. Rajappan is wide awake. The 69-year-old villager, whose legs were paralysed after he contracted polio as a child, crawls down to the Meenachil River and slides onto a boat. Then, for 17 hours, he collects plastic waste from the waterways of Vembanad Lake. He has done this almost daily for the last five years. “And he plans to continue to work every day, spreading kindness to the natural world around him, one plastic bottle at a time,” reads a chapter in a book called ‘Kindness Matters’. For thousands of students in India and others across the world, Rajappan is a beacon of hope. Many, like him, are making efforts — small or big — for a better world. Rajappan’s story is one of 50 such accounts in the collection, published in November 2021. The story reinforces the need for kindness, which is at the heart of a global movement led by the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development). The book is a part of the #KindnessMatters Campaign, which was launched in 2018 by UNESCO MGIEP and seeks to mobilise the world’s youth to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all UN members. The SDGs include action to end poverty and hunger, for gender equality, quality education and clean water and sanitation. The campaign started on October 2, 2018 – an important date and year on the calendar for principles of kindness. The apostle of peace, Mahatma Gandhi, was born on October 2, 1869, and 2018 marked the start of celebrations to mark his 150th birth anniversary. The year also commemorated the birth centenary of South African leader and Nobel Peace Laureate Nelson Mandela. The campaign focuses on youth and was launched with youth activities across India, South Africa and Pakistan. Indian youth groups marked the day with a mass blood donation drive in collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, food distribution and educational sessions for unprivileged children. The campaign invited participants to submit their accounts of kindness — anything from helping an animal in need to donating a blanket — to a storyboard on the UNESCO MGIEP website. So far, 1.2 million kind acts have been recorded from youth across 150 countries. To give the youth opportunities to acquire the social and emotional skills that promote coexistence, UNESCO MGIEP organised the first World Youth Conference on Kindness in New Delhi in August 2019. Centred on the theme ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Gandhi for the Contemporary World’, it highlighted the role of compassion in achieving the SDGs. The Sanskrit words ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ mean the world is a family. The conference provided young global thought leaders with an engaging platform to help them develop their social and emotional capacities and build momentum to celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13. Introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement (WKM), a coalition of international NGOs, November 13 focuses on the power of positivity every year. The second world conference was held in October 2020, with the focus on ‘Kindness for Peaceful and Sustainable Coexistence’. On October 2, 2021, UNESCO MGIEP and Faze Media (Canada), a media group, hosted the third World Youth Conference on Kindness on the theme ‘Achieving with Kindness’. The free, three-hour virtual conference celebrated the collection of more than 1 million stories of how kindness for self, others, and nature helps achieve the SDGs. Thirty-five young people shared powerful stories on how their deeds of empathy, mindfulness and compassion had transformed themselves and their communities for sustainable and peaceful societies. YOUTH POWER The kindness movement has been drawing the youth in India, too. In April 2021, students from 107 schools across the country joined the global campaign. Since then, the schools have collected over 100,000 stories of kindness from students, teachers, parents, and alumni and submitted them to the UN. Clearly, schools have been looking at lessons taught not just in classrooms. “Teaching Science and Mathematics is not the only job of an educationist,” says Jyoti Arora, Principal, Mount Abu Public School, Delhi. “We have to empower students to build a caring and sharing society. How do we do this? By fostering an environment of kindness, where everyone respects each other,” she explains. From early 2020, the school has been organising a slew of activities to inculcate kindness among students. To begin with, it found that most students associated kindness with donations. Educational online sessions were conducted to broaden this definition. “Kindness can be anything — from watering a tree to feeding a stray animal,” Arora stresses. No act of kindness is too small or too big. For Priya Tripathi, a student of Grade IX, it translated into helping a friend who had met with a road accident and had to be taken to a hospital. “The timely treatment helped her recover fast,” Tripathi says. For Tanishka Johar, a Grade VI student at the same school, kindness is about regularly feeding street dogs in her neighbourhood and planting saplings. “These small acts of kindness give me a huge sense of achievement,” she says. The school has set up the post of Kindness Leader in the Student Council. Just outside the school campus, it has erected a Wall of Kindness where anyone can place anything — from warm clothes and utensils to pencil boxes — for others to pick up. During daily attendance, students are asked to relate acts of kindness. The school compiles a monthly list of such deeds by students. Those who score the highest on the kindness barometer win the title of Kindness Ambassadors. “This motivates others to add to their kitty of kindness stories,” Arora says. The school has also proved that kindness is contagious. “It has had a ripple effect. We saw the movement turn into a tsunami,” Arora recalls. Seeing the benefits of the #KindnessMatters Campaign among her students, she gave a presentation to the Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools, an association of 1,500 schools across India, in April 2021. Of these, 107 signed up for the UNESCO MGIEP campaign. THE LARGER PICTURE The late South African Nobel Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, had once said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” This is the crux of the kindness campaign, which highlights the need for people to be kind to themselves, to those around them and, effectively, to the world. “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” By creating connections that strengthen the culture of kindness, the campaign provides young people with an empowering platform where they share stories of compassion, and reflect how these can be used to address global challenges such as climate change, migration, diversity and social inclusion. Many of the stories on the site, for instance, are about cleaning up one’s immediate environment. Scores of Indian students have contributed to the storyboard. In the slums of Bhubaneswar, the capital of the eastern state of Odisha, doctors and interns from the Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences organised awareness campaigns about hand hygiene and social distancing, said one message on the site. A youth posted a message from Kolkata, in the eastern state of West Bengal, about distributing rations to people in COVID-19 times. A school student from the western Indian state of Maharashtra wrote to say that she made cards especially to thank her teachers — describing them as Corona warriors. Acts of kindness continue to pour in. But that’s not surprising, for neuro-scientific studies have found that human beings are inherently kind. And altruistic or kind behaviour engages brain networks associated with rewards. The campaign hopes to capitalise on this biological need to build positive change. Kindness is a trait that is wired in the human brain, says Nandini Chatterjee Singh, Senior Programme Officer, UNESCO MGIEP. “Research shows that practising kindness releases oxytocin, a neurotransmitter that plays an integral role in forming social bonds and trust, and thus contributes to happiness. Being kind also increases serotonin, which helps regulate mood and stay positive. Kindness is highly beneficial as a practice,” she adds. The campaign also underlines the role of other platforms focusing on kindness. Take Alina Alam, who was invited to speak at the 2021 World Youth Conference on Kindness. Alam runs a chain of cafes — called Mitti Café — that are wholly managed by people with physical and mental disabilities. “When a business invests in kindness, the ROI [return on investment] is high,” she says. Mitti Café started as a zero capital start-up in 2017. Almost 90 per cent of the café’s infrastructure came from donations — from spoons, cups and plates, to second-hand ovens. As the project gained traction, Alam rolled out the Mitti Social Initiative Foundation, which trains adults with disabilities and helps them find employment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation launched its Karuna Meal Campaign, which seeks to feed two million people in need. “The idea came from a person with cerebral palsy. He used to live on the road before becoming a part of the Mitti family,” Alam says. Kindness is not just building bridges but also instilling confidence among people. “We expect Governments, NGOs, and corporations to make a difference. The truth is, we need to look inwards and bring incremental change in our lives,” says musician Ricky Kej, who launched the #KindnessAnthem at the #KindnessConcert as part of the 2019 World Youth Conference on Kindness. “We need to know that with each small act of kindness we create a huge positive impact,” Kej adds. The anthem was created by musicians from four continents. Among the organisations that hope to take the campaign further is the WKM. “When UNESCO put out kindness as its goal, I jumped with joy. Here was a powerful, global organisation that says kindness matters to SDGs. It was in direct alignment with the work we were doing,” WKM President Nirmala Mehendale says. As part of the #KindnessMatters Campaign, WKM conducted workshops at the 2021 conference and added 20,000 kindness stories to MGIEP’s storyboard. After the pandemic, what the world needs is a ‘ kindemic’, Mehendale stresses. After the pandemic, what the world needs is a ‘kindemic’. Kindness advocate Debashis Mohanty will agree. The Odisha youth’s story, posted on the campaign storyboard, focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic. “In this pandemic we have started helping people in every possible way” — providing food to those who need it and distributing groceries, masks and sanitisers, he writes. “Good action (would) give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” Acts of kindness embraced the pandemic-induced lockdown in particular, a period that witnessed untold misery. As the offline and online worlds came together, social media played a key role in helping people reach out to NGOs, lend individual help, or set up crowd-sourced social initiatives to provide food, PPE kits, and other necessities to those in need. Social media enabled people to stay connected and work together — both as individuals and as communities — to support people who needed assistance, in a time when physical liaising was almost impossible. Large numbers of students reached out to people who’d been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and faced financial problems because of loss of jobs and other related issues. India’s national lockdown in 2020 left many daily wage workers without work and food. That was when Delhi’s Modern Public School, in collaboration with Roti (bread) Bank, an initiative by a group dedicated to feeding the poor, started Roti Banks on Wheels to feed families in underprivileged areas. The bus collected food packets from citizens who volunteered to contribute to the service and delivered them to those in need of it. Roti is an Indian staple. UNESCO MGIEP Director Anantha K. Duraiappah points out that the need to contribute, help, support and belong is a fundamental predisposition in human beings, who are inherently kind. “Reflect. Empathize. Be kind,” Duraiappah writes in the foreword to the book Kindness Matters. Reflect. Empathize. Be kind. Building on last year’s success, the 2022 goal is to collect 5 millions acts of kindness and to organise the fourth World Youth Conference on Kindness. A little step, indeed, can lead to a movement, and, thereby, a happier world. As Mahatma Gandhi said: “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” To share your kindness stories, log on to https://kindnessmatters.paperform.co. To know more, log on to https://mgiep.unesco.org/kindness. Credits: Writer: UN/Varuna Verma/ Word Wide Media Illustrations: Ishan Mudgal, Anasua, Tulika Trivedi Pictures: Mount Abu Public School

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12 November 2022

COP 27 - Sharm El-Sheikh

Delivering for people and the planet From 6 to 18 November, Heads of State, ministers, and negotiators, along with climate activists, mayors, civil society representatives and CEOs are meeting in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh for the largest annual gathering on climate action. The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP27 – builds on the outcomes of COP26 to deliver action on an array of issues critical to tackling the climate emergency – from urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilience, and adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change, to delivering on the commitments to finance climate action in developing countries. Faced with a growing energy crisis, record greenhouse gas concentrations, and increasing extreme weather events, COP27 seeks renewed solidarity between countries, to deliver on the landmark Paris Agreement, for people and the planet. Read more: https://unfccc.int/cop27

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20 October 2022

A new lease of LIFE for climate action

Our world today is in turmoil, facing multiple, mutually reinforcing crises. Even as we mount a fragile recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, war fuels a devastating energy, food, and cost-of-living crisis. And for the first time since it began over 30 years ago, the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report has warned that global human development measures have declined across most countries in the past two years. This comes against the backdrop of the greatest existential threat of all — the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Nine of the warmest years on record have come in the past decade alone. This year’s record-breaking heat waves, floods, droughts, and other extreme forms of weather have forced us to face these increasingly devastating impacts. Climate change is a disruption multiplier in a disrupted world, rolling back progress across the global Sustainable Development Goals. The Paris Agreement and the COP26 summit in Glasgow represent urgent, collective steps countries are taking to limit emissions. Yet, the window for action is closing fast. Commitments we have now will not keep warming below the 1.5°C target that gives us the best chance of averting catastrophe. With the narrative so focused on geo-politics, the scope for each of us to make a difference as individuals seems increasingly lost. While governments and industry carry the lion’s share of responsibility for responding to the crisis, we as consumers play a large role in driving unsustainable production methods. LIFE, a fresh perspective LIFE, or Lifestyle for Environment, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26 in November 2021, brings a fresh and much-needed perspective. Rather than framing climate change as a ‘larger than life’ challenge, LIFE recognises that small individual actions can tip the balance in the planet’s favour. But we need guiding frameworks, information sharing and the scale of a global movement. Mindful choices cultivated by LIFE animate this spirit — actions such as saving energy at home; cycling and using public transport instead of driving; eating more plant-based foods and wasting less; and leveraging our position as customers and employees to demand climate-friendly choices. Many of the goals of LIFE can be achieved by deploying ‘nudges’, gentle persuasion techniques to encourage positive behaviour. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) employs proven nudging techniques such as discouraging food waste by offering smaller plates in cafeterias; encouraging recycling by making bin lids eye-catching; and encouraging cycling by creating cycle paths. According to the UNEP, more than two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to household consumption and lifestyles — the urgent cuts to global emissions we need can only be achieved through widespread adoption of greener consumption habits. And while LIFE is a global vision, India is an excellent place to start. With over 1.3 billion people, if we achieve a true jan andolan here, the momentum generated will be enormous. As India leads, we see the world increasingly follow. India’s track record Today, in Gujarat, from the Statue of Unity, this vision of LIFE is taking flight as a global mission launched by Mr. Modi together with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who has come to India to show his support. The Prime Minister and Secretary-General are calling on all consumers across the world to become “Pro Planet People” by 2027, adopting simple lifestyle changes that can collectively lead to transformational change. India has a proven track record translating the aspirations of national missions into whole-of-society efforts. The success of the Swachh Bharat Mission, which mobilised individuals and communities across socio-economic strata to become drivers of collective good health and sanitation is an example. The LIFE mission also recognises that accountability is relative to contribution. Emissions across the poorest half of the world’s population combined still fall short of even 1% of the wealthiest. Those who consume the least, often the most vulnerable and marginalised members of society, will not be asked to consume less, but rather supported to participate in the green economy. Each ‘Pro Planet’ stakeholder is nudged according to differentiated approaches. Onus on the developed world The same applies across countries. LIFE resonates with the global climate justice India has rightfully called for — highlighting enhanced obligations those in developed countries bear, to support climate adaptation and mitigation for those most affected, yet least responsible. The average carbon footprint of a person in a high income country is more than 80 times higher than that of a person in a least developed country. It is common sense and only fair to call on the developed world to shoulder a proportionate share of this transition. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “the world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.” And there has never been a better time for India’s leadership on climate action, at home and on the international stage. From the Panchamrit targets announced by Mr. Modi at COP26, to support for the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and South-South cooperation platforms, from the world’s fifth largest economy with vibrant businesses making enormous investments in renewables and electric mobility, to a world class public digital tech stack, India brings scale, expertise and legitimacy; a well-positioned founding UN Member State bridging the G20 and G77. With COP27 next month, and India set to assume the G20 Presidency weeks after, followed by the halfway mark to Agenda 2030 next year, we at Team UN India and our 26 entities are proud and committed partners in this mission to help give new lease of LIFE to climate action. Shombi Sharp is UN Resident Coordinator in India. Shoko Noda is Resident Representative, UN Development Programme. Atul Bagai is Country Head, UN Environment Programme

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20 October 2022

Remarks of the United Nations Secretary-General

Professor Chaudhuri, All protocol observed, I am delighted to be here with all of you. This institution is 54 years old, and as it was said, 54 years ago, I was a student at a university in Lisbon, and my school was called, I will say in Portuguese, but you will understand, Instituto Superior Técnico. And my dream at the time was to be a researcher in physics. Now, we don’t control our destiny. We lived in a dictatorship that was at the same time an oppressive colonialist regime. We had fortunately a revolution, and that revolution led to the liberation of the former colonies and to democracy in Portugal. And at that time as a student, I was as a volunteer working in the slums of Lisbon in different areas related to health and education, and I felt the compulsion to get involved directly into politics. And so, I never became a researcher in physics. And I am envious of all those who will be able to contribute to the wellbeing of human kind, to the scientific work that is as necessary as the political work, to make sure that we can live in a better world. And I am very pleased to start this visit to India because I have a double love affair with India. First, because of India’s culture, history, India’s people, its contribution to today’s world, and to the world civilization. And the second reason because my wife was born in Goa. So, with this double love affair, and I am delighted to be here with all of you. Read more: https://india.un.org/en/204001-remarks-secretary-general-united-nations

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26 September 2022

Interview with Soumalya Mukherjee

How did you set up Tan90 Thermal Solutions? It all started during my third year of PhD at IIT Madras. Rajnikant Rai [co-founder of the start-up] was my lab mate with a good hold on chemical synthesis. We found that farmers were suffering from a loss of produce owing to the lack of cost-effective cold storage solutions and decided to look at that. I work on nanoparticles and Rai on chemicals. We decided to go for phase change materials (PCM). At the market place we heard that it takes about 18 hours for PCMs to get frozen and be used for preservation. So, we worked on reducing the freezing time for PCMs so that our panels were economical and preserved horticulture products for a longer period. What was the role of UNIDO? We were a clean technology company and decided to participate in competitions to win cash prizes and take our idea forward. Then we came across the Facility for Low Carbon Technology Deployment (FLCTD) programme, implemented by UNIDO. In 2019, we won the Innovation Challenge held by FLCTD — an open award competition calling for innovative solutions. One of the major problems that we had faced was taking the Tan90 boxes to the market. Customers were not willing to pay for a new product, though they were willing to try it out. FLCTD provided financial assistance of about ₹3 million to conduct free pilots for a year. The FLCTD team did the project due diligence and also did hand-holding. The team from UNIDO helped us to understand the needs of the market segments that we were targeting. Our journey was steady but challenging. And UNIDO helped us to progress. What was the outcome of the initiative? We got lots of feedback from the market that made Tan90 Thermal what it is today. Initially, we had a PCM for only a single temperature range. However, the market was in need of PCMs for a varied temperature range and we expanded our offerings. We also optimised and fine-tuned the box size and the PCM panels. Now we have about 10-15 major retailers across the nation using our products for last-mile or mid-mile transportation. What kind of a role does the private sector have to play in mitigating climate change? The private sector has a huge role to play in mitigating the impact of climate change. The public-private-partnership (PPP) mode can help in a big way. While the public sector or the government concentrates on project implementation, innovation comes from the private sector, such as solar-powered cold storages. In Tamil Nadu, we have partnered with the state government and have given our products to Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). Similarly, we are working with 10 FPOs in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. We are also working with the Shri A.M.M. Murugappa Chettiar Research Centre. How did you meet your funding needs? We participated in various business idea competitions and won prizes. We also got grants from the government and others based on our business idea. An investment of ₹20 million was raised from grants, prize money and private equity. Tata Trust-backed Social Alpha and the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad also funded us. We are also raising about half a million dollars for research and development of new products for Indian and South East Asian markets. We are looking at moving into the pharma segment. We will also set up plants in Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai to cater to those markets as transporting the PCMs is uneconomical. You had to tone down your box prices… Pricing is an interesting topic. It is a tug-of-war between the value offered by the product and what the customer is willing to pay. Our competition is ice or dry ice. We have to compete against the low value product. Initially our price point was higher, but it was later aligned with the competition. How does Tan90 Thermal contribute to sustainable development? We are working towards achieving four of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals — zero hunger, affordable clean energy, responsible consumption and production, and climate action. Climate change is real. Temperature levels are increasing. This will increase the demand for cooling solutions which in turn will hike the demand for energy. We are now working on a solution for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) segment. Our new PCMs will be integrated with certain devices to give the desired results — for instance reduction in room temperatures. This will be useful for data centres and other applications. In the case of solar cells, proper thermal management is important and the current water-based solutions are costly. We have a PCM for this segment and are testing it out. We see Tan90 Thermal not just as a cooling company but a thermal management company. Cold storage is a small part of our overall plans. We are reducing India’s carbon footprint. Credits: Writer: UN/Nitya Varadarajan/Word Wide Media Photographs: Kannan Srinivasan (Tiruvallur) and Word Wide Media (Chennai)

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26 September 2022

‘Entrepreneurs and start-ups … are playing an important role by developing solutions’

What was your initial reaction to Tan90? We came to know about Tan90 in 2019 when it submitted its application in response to the FLCTD innovation challenge… We were quite impressed with the rigour that has been put to develop a solution that could greatly benefit the food supply chain in India in reducing spoilage and loss of perishable food during transit and storage. Entrepreneurs and start-ups like Tan90 are playing an important role by developing solutions that – (a) reduce the dependence on fossil-fuel powered technologies (DG sets) for temperature control; (b) help to maintain quality of perishable produce, when it reaches the end-consumer and (c) help to reduce spoilage of food and perishable products that are often under reported, but lead to economic losses and contribute to the emission of greenhouse gas. Such solutions are important baby steps that need to be scaled up in order to reduce emission in the food-supply chain. What was the critical input given by your team to Tan90 Thermal Solutions? FLCTD provided financial support to Tan90 to test and validate its thermal solution with different types of perishable products. We encouraged Tan90 to identify potential clients, customers (end users) and test its solution for different products that needed cooling, over a period ranging anywhere from six to 12 months. Besides proving the technical aspects of the solution, it will provide insights to Tan90 on the efficacy of its product. The trials will further help Tan90 configure solutions and develop different business models for different clients and for different products - for instance delivery of flowers, organic drinks from farm to market, inter-city supply of seafood and poultry, delivery of vaccines and the like. It establishes credibility of the solution and gives confidence to the start-up that it can scale up. FLCTD will provide further support in the form of financial mentoring and prepare them to raise funds, thus providing hand-holding for their growth journey. What in your view was lacking in Tan90 Thermal Solutions and how did FLCTD assist in filling that gap? Tan90’s solutions need to be tested and validated with different types of perishable products, at a large volume and over a period of time to establish a clear cost-benefit. This is the gap FLCTD’s financial support helps start-ups like Tan90 to fill. Credits Writer: UN/Nitya Varadarajan/Word Wide Media Photographs: Kannan Srinivasan (Tiruvallur) and Word Wide Media (Chennai)

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Press Release

14 March 2023

Secretary-General: Show Need to End Global Heating with Cold, Hard Facts

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, for decades, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has put forward evidence on how people and planet are being rocked by climate destruction. With report after report, and fact upon fact, you have built the case -- setting out the science of climate change and the urgency for climate action. The evidence has been clear, convincing and irrefutable. Now you are coming together to finalize a synthesis report based on years of work and the efforts of hundreds of scientists. This will be the first comprehensive IPCC report in nine years -- and the first since the Paris Agreement on climate change. It could not come at a more pivotal time. Our world is at a crossroads -- and our planet is in the crosshairs. We are nearing the point of no return; of overshooting the internationally agreed limit of 1.5°C of global warming. We are at the tip of a tipping point. But, it is not too late -- as you have shown. Your report last year clearly demonstrated it is possible to limit global warming to 1.5°C with rapid and deep emissions reductions across all sectors of the global economy. And your recent reports have also underscored the need to act now. In 2021, you concluded for the first time that some of the changes to Earth’s oceans, ice and land surface were irreversible. And that these changes were “unequivocally” caused by human activity, overwhelmingly due to burning fossil fuels and creating unprecedented levels of greenhouse gases. And in 2022, you showed that nearly half the global population is living in the danger zone of climate impacts. And that we must scale up investments in adaptation. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the facts are not in question, but our actions are. In less than nine months, leaders will gather at COP28 [twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Conference] for the first global stocktake to bring the world in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. They need solid, frank, detailed scientific guidance to make the right decisions for people and planet. They must understand the enormous consequences of delay and the enormous dividends from making the tough but essential choices. To accelerate the phasing out of fossil fuels and close the emissions gap. To race to a carbon-free, renewables future. And to secure climate justice, helping communities adapt and build resilience to the worsening impacts. I count on the IPCC to do what you have always done -- point the way to solutions. And show the urgent need to end global heating with cold, hard facts. Thank you. [END]

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Press Release

14 March 2023

Secretary-General Rejects ‘Male Chauvinist’ Domination of Tech Sector, Calls for Overhaul of ‘Patriarchal Structures’

We are meeting at a difficult and pivotal moment for gender equality around the world. We had years and years of incremental progress, [but now] women’s and girls’ rights have stalled now and are going into reverse. The trend is clear. In Afghanistan, women and girls have been erased from public life and are virtually imprisoned in their homes. From Myanmar to Sudan, autocratic regimes and violent extremist groups persecute and harass women for speaking out and going about their daily lives. Parties to conflict perpetrate horrific crimes of gender-based violence. Police, even in some of the richest countries in the world, attack and abuse the women they are supposed to protect. The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over for women who lost their jobs, and girls who lost their chance of education. The cost-of-living crisis is hitting women and girls first and worst. Halfway to the Sustainable Development Goals deadline of 2030, the truth is that half of humanity is largely being left behind. In every region, women are worse off than men, earning less -- and doing up to 10 times more unpaid care work. The food crisis has a disproportionate impact on women and girls, who are often last to eat and first to go hungry. And women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive rights are under siege as many Governments undermine their autonomy over their bodies and their lives. Many of the challenges we face today -- from conflicts to climate chaos to the cost-of-living crisis -- are the result of a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture, taking the key decisions that guide our world. And while men still largely make those decisions, women and girls often pay the price. Ninety percent of refugees from the war in Ukraine are women and their children. And women and children are 14 times more likely to die in disasters than men. As women’s civil society organizations, you are on the front lines of these crises every day, and you know these facts better than anyone. Without your support and your engagement, the situation would be even worse, and I want to thank you for your very important work. Against this backdrop, women and girls now face a new source of discrimination and bias: digital technology. Today’s digital technology often uses algorithms designed by a male-dominated technology industry, based on male-dominated data. Rather than presenting facts and addressing bias, technology based on incomplete data and badly designed algorithms is digitizing and amplifying sexism -- with deadly consequences. Medical decisions based on data essentially from men can damage women’s health. Safety features based on men’s bodies can put women’s lives at risk, namely in the car industry. And policies based on men’s data will leave women and girls even farther behind. Artificial Intelligence will be shaping the world of the future. Without women’s equal input, it will continue to be a man’s world. The gender digital divide is fast becoming the new face of gender inequality. Rather than uplifting women and girls by providing access to education, health care and financial services, technology is often used to harm and control them through surveillance and trafficking. Online spaces are not safe for women and girls. Gender-based violence online has increased exponentially. Organized campaigns target women politicians, journalists and activists -- a direct attack on women’s representation and on democracy itself. So-called “influencers” denigrate women and feed misogyny and toxic forms of masculinity to millions of young men and boys. Groups that campaign against women’s rights find a warm welcome on digital platforms. Centuries of patriarchy and damaging stereotypes prevent women innovators from getting the recognition they deserve. The skills of black American women, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan, were integral to the success of the Apollo space programme. Thanks to the movie Hidden Figures, their stories and names are now well known. But, while 12 men have walked on the moon, not a single woman has done so. Those same stereotypes push girls away from studying science, engineering and math, and strangle the careers of women scientists. Women are credited less for their achievements, win far fewer prizes and receive less research funding than men, even when they have the same conditions. Just 2 per cent of venture capital investment goes to start-ups founded by women. This must change. The male chauvinist domination of new technology is undoing decades of progress on women’s rights. Gender equality is a question of power. For more than 100 years, that power was gradually becoming more inclusive. Technology is now reversing that trend. It is concentrating power again more in the hands of men, to the detriment of all. In the face of this patriarchal pushback, we must push forward -- not just for women and girls, but for all communities and societies. Without the insights and creativity of half the world, scientific progress will fulfil just half its potential. And a safe, humane online environment requires the contributions of all of humanity. But let me be clear: This will not happen on its own. We must take decisive and deliberate action. Policymakers must create, and in some circumstances must reinforce to create, transformative change by promoting women and girls’ equal rights and opportunities to learn, by dismantling barriers and smashing glass ceilings. I call on all leaders, as a matter of urgency, to take up the recommendations in the United Nations first-ever report on technology, innovation, education and gender equality. They include promoting education and training in digital skills for women and girls; algorithms that align with human rights and gender equality; and investments in bridging the digital gender divide. We must connect everyone, everywhere to the Internet by 2030. Leaving no one behind means leaving no one offline. But an Internet connection is just a first step. The equal representation and participation of women is at the heart of transforming political, social and economic models that today still largely exclude them. We need to overhaul the patriarchal structures that perpetuate gender inequality and especially in the technology sector. The recent visit to Afghanistan by the Deputy Secretary-General and by the Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) shows our deep commitment to women’s rights in the most challenging situations. It highlighted the necessity of supporting women when they need us most - in crisis. To this end, I have committed to do everything in my power to raise $300 million over the next three years for women’s organizations and human rights defenders in crisis situations. It will not be easy, but we will do everything to make sure that we are able to fundraise properly in this regard. And from now on, in United Nations-led or co-led peace processes, we will strive to increase women’s participation, and our aim -- we are very far from it -- is a target of 30 per cent, at least. Around the world, United Nations country teams support efforts to prohibit gender discrimination, to set quotas for women’s representation and to establish equal rights and equal pay. We are advocating everywhere for women’s and girls’ rights to education and opportunities, for protection of their sexual and reproductive rights and to advance their equal participation and leadership in all spheres. At the global level, I have been calling for an SDG Stimulus that will enable all Governments, particularly those in the Global South, to be able to invest in gender equality in the context of all the Sustainable Development Goals. The report on Our Common Agenda recommends transformative steps for gender equality, including measures to complement gross domestic product (GDP) so that women’s care work is given its true value in national accounts. Our Common Agenda calls for a holistic view of peace that takes account of gender-based violence. It envisions a new social contract, founded on gender equality, human rights and human dignity for all. A Global Digital Compact is also foreseen to help to close the digital gender divide. And we are also promoting a Code of Conduct for Information Integrity on digital platforms that will aim to reduce harm and increase accountability online while defending the right to freedom of expression. Our Common Agenda is largely a feminist agenda, and it aims to make multilateral frameworks more representative and inclusive -- frameworks developed by women, with women, for women. Member States will address many of these issues at the SDG summit in September, and the Summit of the Future [in 2024]. Your voices are essential to these processes. The United Nations is trying to lead by example. Our systemwide Strategy on Gender Parity has achieved and maintained parity in Resident Coordinators around the world and among the almost 200 senior leaders of the United Nations, and if current progress is maintained, we are on track to achieve overall parity in the global Secretariat by 2028. But, we are not on track to reach parity at every level and in every location. There are specific challenges in peacekeeping and political missions in the field, and we must focus on these in the coming years. Following the report on Our Common Agenda, I also commissioned an independent review of capacities across the United Nations to deliver on gender equality. We need to look exactly at what we are doing, with what capacity, and what the results are - and then have an independent report on that for us to be able to take decisions. The report addresses the structures, funding and leadership of our efforts to deliver for women and girls around the world. This will form part of the discussions on reforms to the system as we move towards what we call a “UN 2.0” -- an Organization that is fit-for-purpose to deliver for all. The work of the United Nations would not be possible without our strong partnership with women’s civil society, without you. I thank you for your contributions and I look forward to our continued close collaboration. Together, we must resist the pushback against women’s rights, we must push forward for women, girls and our world. And as I said, I am here essentially to listen, and I look forward to hearing your views. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them, but my main objective is to listen, for me to be able to change the things I am not yet doing and that I should be doing in this regard. Thank you. [END]

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Press Release

14 March 2023

International Day to Combat Islamophobia

On this International Day to Combat Islamophobia, we focus attention -- and call for action -- to stamp out the poison of anti-Muslim hatred. The world’s nearly 2 billion Muslims reflect humanity in all its magnificent diversity. But they often face bigotry and prejudice for no other reason than their faith. Beyond structural, institutional discrimination and the wholesale stigmatization of Muslim communities, Muslims suffer personal attacks, hateful rhetoric, and scapegoating. We see some of the worst impacts in the triple discrimination against Muslim women because of their gender, ethnicity, and faith. The growing hate that Muslims face is not an isolated development: it is part of the resurgence of ethno-nationalism, neo-Nazi white supremacist ideologies, and violence targeting vulnerable populations including Muslims, Jews, some minority Christian communities and others. Discrimination diminishes us all. And it is incumbent on all of us to stand up against it. We must strengthen our defences by pushing for policies that fully respect human rights and protect religious and cultural identities. We must recognize diversity as richness and ramp up political, cultural, and economic investments in social cohesion. And we must confront bigotry by working to tackle the hate that spreads like wildfire across the internet. For well over a millennium, Islam’s message of peace, compassion, and grace has inspired people the world over. Every great faith and tradition summon the imperatives of tolerance, respect, and mutual understanding. At the heart, we are dealing with universal values: they animate the Charter of the United Nations and lie at the core of our quest for justice, human rights, and peace. Today and every day, let us strive to realize these values and counter the forces of division by reaffirming our common humanity. [END]

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Press Release

14 March 2023

Secretary-General Launches ‘Our Common Agenda’ Policy Briefs on Delivering 2030 Agenda Promises, Strengthening Response to Global Shocks

Today, it is for me a milestone on our road to Our Common Agenda and the Summit of the Future. I am pleased to launch two policy briefs to inform the discussions of Member States as they prepare for the SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] Summit and the Summit of the Future. One considers how we can take the future into account in our decision-making and deliver on our responsibilities to generations yet to be born. The second lays out proposals to strengthen the international response to complex global shocks through an emergency platform. These first two policy briefs start our contribution to the consideration by Member States of the decisions and changes needed to equip the multilateral system for the challenges of today and the future. We will publish nine more [by] July. The goal is simple: to breathe new life into the multilateral system so that it can deliver on the promises of the United Nations Charter and the 2030 Agenda. As our world becomes more complex, more uncertain, and more dangerous, we have an even greater responsibility to strengthen the multilateral system. That must be the ultimate aim of the Summit of the Future. The SDG Summit this September -- the central event of 2023 -- and the Summit of the Future in 2024 are key moments for us to come together around the decisions necessary to put the world back on track to a fair, inclusive, and sustainable future for all. The SDG Summit will be the centrepiece of high-level week and of all our work in 2023. The Summit of the Future will build upon it, fill gaps, and address the new challenges coming at us thick and fast. Member States will decide on the scope of the Summit of the Future, and the proposals to be incorporated into the Pact for the Future. Our policy briefs will provide ideas to address some of the challenges we face. They will be an ambitious and interconnected package of ideas and proposals. Each one will outline how the ideas and recommendations will contribute to achieving the SDGs. Gender and human rights will, of course, be cross-cutting themes in all of them. Our first policy brief covers “Thinking and Acting on Behalf of Future Generations”. Achieving the SDGs, upholding the rights and meeting the needs of people alive today are clearly preconditions for a better future. At the same time, we must make those decisions with an eye on the future, recognizing the rights and interests of people who are not yet born. Most members of future generations will be born in countries that are currently low- and middle-income countries. On our current path, they are likely to live in places that are already suffering the effects of poverty, hunger, the climate crisis, crippling debt, discrimination and inequality, including gender inequality. Privilege and poverty both transmit powerfully across generations. The policy brief makes it clear that a secure and equitable future starts now. Many Member States already have dedicated national institutions on this issue. And there are hundreds of national and international agreements and resolutions on future generations. But we lack practical mechanisms and practical frameworks and systems to turn these commitments into reality. Because, as the proverb says, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If we had taken action to prevent and end greenhouse gas emissions thirty years ago, the climate crisis would be far less threatening today. If we had taken steps to prepare for pandemics, COVID-19 would not have left chaos in its wake. Considering the future pays off in the present. This policy brief proposes three concrete steps at the global level, drawing inspiration from national initiatives. First, it proposes the appointment of an envoy who will be the global voice for future generations, raising awareness about the impacts on them of the decisions we take today. An Envoy for Future Generations could also maximize the benefits of the United Nations system’s capacity to forecast the long-term impact of current policies and activities. Second, the brief proposes ideas to inform a political declaration defining our duties to the future. This would be an opportunity to consolidate the commitments we have already made to future generations and to adapt these commitments to the new challenges of our era. It could clearly define what we mean by the term “future generations”; the importance we place on their needs and interests; and their relationship to people alive today. Such a declaration could recognize that the risks, opportunities and decisions we face have foreseeable consequences and must be managed accordingly. It could acknowledge that the continued existence of humanity is at stake, setting out the issues that will affect future generations most, including the well-being of our planet and our climate; a stable and peaceful world; and the safe development of technology. It could reconfirm that [we] have an obligation to future generations to meet our own needs without compromising their ability to meet theirs. It could commit to securing the interests of future generations in all decision-making. And it could endorse some practical steps to safeguard the interests of future generations, including a commitment to establish capacities across the United Nations system for a greater focus on the future in policymaking. I welcome the discussions already under way on how to craft a meaningful declaration. Third, the brief proposes a dedicated intergovernmental forum. This would be a space where Member States could advance the commitments in the declaration and share experiences and innovations. It would provide an opportunity for intergenerational thinking and the expression of intergenerational solidarity. The brief therefore recommends the establishment of a Commission on Future Generations as a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly. Today’s second policy brief concerns strengthening the international response to complex global shocks through an emergency platform. Such a platform would consist of a set of protocols around convening key actors in the event of complex, global shocks, and operationalizing their coordinated response. It would not be a standing entity or body. Our global interconnectedness means that shocks that occur in one country or sector can quickly have cascading consequences elsewhere, often in unforeseen ways. Those shocks are coming at us with greater strength and frequency, with serious implications for peace and security, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. And they can have a disproportionate impact in some areas. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the global cost-of-living crisis hit the poorest and most vulnerable hardest, throwing SDG progress and Agenda 2030 further off-track. The global response to such shocks is often ad hoc, fragmented, and improvised. We need a mechanism to tackle multidimensional threats with a multidimensional response. This policy brief calls for a more formal, predictable, and structured approach. An emergency platform would leverage the UN’s convening power and capacities in a timely and predictable way. It would identify and bring together actors at the appropriate level to respond. It would be flexible and agile, responding to different types of shocks. Crucially, it would promote a global response based on solidarity and equity and the key principle of leaving no one behind. All people and countries hit by a shock must have access to the support they need. Accountability would be built into the emergency platform in order to hold all parties to their concrete commitments. While decisions would continue to lie with Member States, the emergency platform would also include private sector, civil society, and other non-State partners with an ability to contribute to the global response. The emergency platform would not displace or duplicate the work of intergovernmental bodies, including the Security Council. Nor would it interfere with the mandate of specialized agencies or existing mechanisms, such as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. It would be a tool for the multilateral system to support intergovernmental decisions and complement existing mechanisms. The United Nations is the only organization that can bring together all stakeholders in the event of complex global shocks and have them work together to best effect. It is time to take decisions that enable it to do so. These recommendations are now in your hands. I encourage you to consider them closely. I thank all the co-facilitators for their efforts to ensure Member States can discuss and examine the ideas in these briefs in detail. In conclusion, allow me to offer some reflections on the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting on the Summit of the Future in September. This must be a meaningful and ambitious meeting to sustain political momentum towards the Summit. [In addition], its fundamental objective is to agree on the scope and elements of the Summit of the Future, but in addition, this could also be a moment to agree on some concrete outcomes in areas where there is broad consensus. These policy briefs present a series of ideas to serve as inspiration and to provide clarity to facilitate the choices that are in the hands of Member States. I stand ready to support your decisions on the ministerial meeting and a meaningful Summit of the Future, building on the SDG Summit. I look forward to engaging with you further on the many proposals and issues in these two policy briefs, and especially to hear your views, your opinions, your comments, in order for us to be able to be more effective in the way we support the discussion among Member States preparing the decisions Member States must take in the Summit of the Future. Thank you. [END]

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Press Release

14 March 2023

LDC’s Need Commitment Now, Must Be at Centre of All Global Efforts

I am delighted to be with you for this closing session of the fifth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries. Allow me to start by paying tribute to our Qatari friends for their exemplary hosting. And for their unstinting commitment to the LDCs [least developed countries] over a turbulent two years. Twice we were thrown off course by the COVID-19 pandemic. But during that time, we never lost sight of the need for the world’s most vulnerable countries to have this global moment. A moment where the entire UN system, development partners, parliamentarians, the private sector and civil society, and especially our youth, all came together with one ambition: The determination to get the development journeys of the LDCs back on track, and to bring the Sustainable Development Goals back within their reach. Throughout this week we have seen what can be achieved through genuine partnership and multilateral dialogue. Each track -- youth, South-South cooperation, private sector, parliamentarians and civil society -- has contributed energy, vision and ideas for lasting change. The Doha Programme of Action represents a clear blueprint for recovery, renewal and resilience in the world’s most vulnerable countries. Taken together, the five key deliverables from the Doha Programme of Action -- an online university, a graduation support package, a food stock holding solution, an investment support centre, and a crisis mitigation and resilience building mechanism -- will answer key challenges facing the LDCs and set the path for a more prosperous, equitable future. The crisis mitigation and resilience building mechanism will also increase LDCs resilience to climate change through adaptation, early warning system improvement, and multi-stakeholder resilience-building measures. This will all help to safeguard hard-won development gains. But this success is not automatic. To achieve these deliverables, LDCs need massive financing -- at scale, and directed where it matters most. This is why the Secretary-General has called for reforms of the international financial architecture, coupled with a large-scale SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] Stimulus, which calls for a significant increase in financing for development to the tune of at least $500 billion a year. Importantly, the SDG Stimulus calls not only for additional resources, but for greater channelling of these resources towards long-term sustainable development outcomes and just transitions for all. This includes LDCs in particular, who remain at the heart of the sustainable development agenda. This plan, if backed up by necessary financing, could future-proof LDCs against some of the most intractable issues that are holding them back from fulfilling their potential and their aspirations. We have achieved a considerable amount already. From the adoption of the Doha Programme of Action last year, to the Conference here today -- progress is already apparent. From the Partner2Connect digital coalition, delivering digital transformation in LDCs, to the new partnerships announced at the Private Sector Forum -- we are seeing genuine commitment. But we must go further still. You do not need me to repeat the range of crises we are facing -- crises that hit LDCs hardest. What is needed now is a deep and longstanding commitment to the vision of the Doha Programme of Action. As we move forward to hugely significant events in 2023 -- the UN Water Conference, the Food Systems Stocktake, the SDG Summit in September and COP 28 [twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change], among others -- we must continue to prioritize the LDCs at the centre of these submits. If we are to have any hope of achieving the SDGs, we must put first those who are furthest behind on their development journeys. To this end, it is vital that the SDG Stimulus is agreed to by the G20 [Group of 20] in time for September’s Summit. Then in 2024, we look forward to the Summit of the Future, which will bring together Member States, UN agencies, civil society, academic institutions, the private sector, and youth to discuss Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow. This will be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate global action, recommit to fundamental principles, and further develop the frameworks of multilateralism so that they are fit for the future and support all people, everywhere. As we prepare to leave Doha, let us all remember that the Programme of Action is for the LDCs -- but it is a compact owned by the entire international community and a vehicle to take us closer to the achievement of the SDGs. The commitments and responsibilities do not stop and start with the signing of the documents or attending Conferences. They must be integral to our efforts towards 2030 and extend for the full decade. That message was delivered loudly and clearly by the Secretary-General to the UN principals who met here this week. LDCs cannot wait. They need commitment. They need action now. In a decade’s time, I am hopeful that the work we have started here this week we result in real and lasting change for millions of people. Let me close by emphasizing again my sincere thanks to everyone who has made this such a successful and meaningful Conference. My special appreciation to the USG of OHRLLS, Ms. Rabab Fatima [Under Secretary-General of the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States], and her team, particularly our young people who have joined in making this a success. We go forward with renewed hope and determination and commit to a decade of delivery for the LDCs. Thank you. [END]

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