Introduction by Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs

NEW YORK - The world continues to be faced with the grim realities and the inescapable impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which, as of today, has no clear end in sight.

As the global community grapples with what began as a health crisis and quickly escalated to a calamitous social and economic crisis, deep fault lines are felt in almost every aspect of our societies…

UN DESA Highlights 2020-2021 provides a quick look into the many efforts undertaken by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to foster transformation towards the just, inclusive and sustainable vision for the future as enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNDESA’s Annual Highlights report is a tool to communicate the contributions of the Department to the realization of internationally agreed development goals and shared social, economic, and environmental aspirations.

It showcases the Department’s role in gauging trends, building capacities, and shaping solutions. UN DESA Highlights 2020-2021 covers activities over the period of the 75th Session of the General Assembly (September 2020 – August 2021).

Seven (7) thematic chapters showcase how UN DESA tailored its work to effectively address the impact of the overlapping crises brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also showcases six (6) cross-cutting approaches used by the Department to attain the expected results.

To download the full report, visit: https://cdn.un.org/desa/Highlight_Report_2020-2021.pdf