Football is the world’s most popular sport, with unparalleled reach and the power to advance the SDGs. This discussion will bring together legends of Liverpool FC and Manchester United with Soccer Forward, the foundation of the US Soccer federation responsible for the social impact legacy of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US.
Speakers:
Lex Chalat, Executive Director, Soccer Forward
Rishi Jain, Director of Impact, Liverpool Football Club
Robbie Fowler, former Liverpool Football Club and England forward
Moderator:
Christine Cupo, Soccer Analyst, Host, CBS Sports
SDG Media Zone website: https://www.un.org/en/sdgmediazone
0:13 – Journaling gave this author a lifeline: To writer and speaker Suleika Jaouad, journalling is more than a hobby: it’s a lifeline. Through three bouts of cancer, her journals have allowed her to make sense of her experience, to stay creative, and to keep in contact with the people she loves. She was a guest on the World Economic Forum’s #MeetTheLeader podcast.
04:31 – World’s Largest Green Hydrogen Project: This factory in China uses energy from nearby wind and solar plants to generate clean #hydrogen, a key fuel for the energy transition. It could cut carbon emissions by 1.5 million tonnes annually – and already powers AI data centres using 100% renewable energy. Here, Envision CEO and Founder Lei Zhang describes this incredible hub of #energy innovation in the Inner Mongolian desert.
07:36 – Quantum Tech fighting climate change: Cutting methane emissions is one of the most effective ways to curb global warming – but most methane leaks go unnoticed. Traditional sensors can tell you there’s a leak nearby, but that’s about it. QLM’s quantum lidar cameras represent a vast step-up in capability. They can detect and measure methane emissions with pinpoint accuracy and at distances of up to 200 metres, giving industries a vital tool for tackling leaks.
08:59 – How the Iran Conflict hits the Economy: One month into the #Iran war, amid the humanitarian tragedy, clues are emerging about the wider economic fallout. As the world faces one of the most severe #energy and commodity shocks in recent history, the World Economic Forum convened a panel of leading chief economists, comprising Saad Rahim (Trafigura), Razia Khan (Standard Charter), Máximo Torero (FAO) and Ludovic Subran (Allianz), to discuss the far-reaching implications of the escalating Middle East war for the global #economy.
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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, Alexander De Croo, told reporters in New York that Syria is at a “pivotal moment” and stressed that as more than 1.6 million people have returned to Syria last year, there are increased “needs on housing, needs on government services, needs on jobs.”
De Croo, briefing jointly from Damascus with humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher, told reporters that “after a too long period of an atrocious war with too many casualties,” Syria is “at the moment where we can shift from purely humanitarian to also doing development work.”
He said returnees had “left often in dramatic circumstances” and providing services is “really crucial because if we’re not able to provide those services, well, actually people who had the intention to return might at some point make the choice to not return at all.”
The UNDP Administrator said the region “is in urgent need for a success story, and Syria could be a success story if we are able to stand on the side of the Syrian people and provide the services that are needed.”
He appealed to the international community “to do the necessary investment, support and advocacy for making sure that we can shift into development work.”
De Croo said the impact of the Iran war “is really reversing progress” in the region, pointing out a UNDP estimation “that it would lead to a scaling back of one-and- a-half-year of progress, an economic loss of 190 billion and more than 4 million people being pushed into poverty.”
For his part, Fletcher said, “there has been real progress in the last 15 months since I was here in December 2024, progress that has defied a lot of predictions and many expectations. And we have to build on that progress now, which means we accelerate the humanitarian work that we’re doing, including that vital mine clearance.”
Noting the launch of the United Nations 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Syria, Fletcher highlighted the importance of “this transition, this recalibration, as we face down the humanitarian response and phase up the development, resilience, long term recovery response.”
He said, “about 200,000 refugees or displaced people have crossed the border in the last 3 or 4 weeks. The vast majority, about 175,000 of those are Syrians coming home. But that leaves about 25,000 others, mainly Lebanese and of course, Palestinians. People who have often been displaced multiple times. So, while the government is preparing and is very focused on creating the conditions where they can close the camps within Syria, these are very, very significant numbers.”
The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Syria, launched today, identifies primary areas of intervention, including critical infrastructure, essential services, socio-economic resilience, institutional building, and mine and unexploded ordnance clearance.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East Khaled Khiari said that strengthened cooperation between the United Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is “imperative.”
Addressing the Security Council on its first-ever consideration of cooperation between the UN and the GCC, Khiari said, “This Council demanded the immediate cessation of all attacks by Iran against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. These attacks, condemned by this Council, must stop now. Escalating hostilities are posing an acute and rapidly growing threat to international peace and security.”
He also said, “Disruptions to maritime routes in the Gulf and surrounding waters are also having global economic repercussions. They heighten the risk of broader confrontation. All parties must respect freedom of navigation, which is a cornerstone of international maritime law. The United Nations system is fully mobilized to mitigate the consequences of this spiraling conflict. However, the most effective way to do so is clear: the fighting must stop now.”
He concluded, “The ongoing escalation and its consequences underline the urgent need for coordinated multilateral action. In this regard, strengthened cooperation between the United Nations and the GCC is imperative.”
A solemn ceremony took place today at the Beirut International Airport to pay tribute to three fallen peacekeepers from UNIFIL. They are Captain Zulmi Aditya Skandar, First Sergeant Mohammad Nur Ichwan, and Private First Class Farizal Rhomadhon.
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Middle East
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
Lebanon/Humanitarian
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Democratic Republic of the Congo
South Sudan
UN-GCC/Security Council
Stephen Lewis
Guinea-Bissau
International Days
Financial Contribution
MIDDLE EAST
Earlier this morning the Secretary-General spoke to you at the onset of the second month of the Middle East crisis, and he warned that we are on the edge of a wider war that would engulf the whole Middle East with dramatic impacts around the globe. He said that when the Strait of Hormuz is strangled, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable cannot breathe.
The spiral of death and destruction must stop, Mr. Guterres said, and diplomatic efforts deserve the space and support to succeed — anchored firmly in international law, including the Charter of these United Nations.
He said that he remains in close contact with the parties and is dispatching his Personal Envoy, Jean Arnault, to the region to support these efforts.
Once again, he told the United States and Israel that it is high time to stop the war and told Iran to stop attacking their neighbours.
Also, Jean Arnault, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on the Middle East conflict and its consequences, is finalizing arrangements to travel to the region. He will visit countries affected by the conflict and meet with authorities there. He also plans to meet the facilitators of the diplomatic track to discuss ways and means for the UN to contribute to efforts to bring about a comprehensive and durable settlement to this conflict.
UN INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON
Earlier today, in Lebanon, in Beirut, there was a solemn ceremony that took place at the Beirut International Airport to pay tribute to our three fallen peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). They are Corporal Farizal Rhomadon, Major Zulmi Aditya Iskandar and First Sergeant Muhammad Nur Ichwan. All are from the Indonesian Armed Forces, and they lost their lives in two incidents. One on March 29th and another on March 30th. And they lost their lives while bravely implementing their mandate and peacekeeping duties as part of UNIFIL. The three peacekeepers were posthumously awarded the UNIFIL and Lebanese Armed Forces medals in recognition of their dedicated service to UNIFIL’s mission in south Lebanon.
Meanwhile the picture on the ground remains concerning and bleak. UNIFIL reports continuing rocket fire towards Israel, and airstrikes and artillery shelling impacting several locations in southern Lebanon coming from Israel. The Israel Defense Forces have expanded their incursion into the area towards the west, with a tank and clashes seen in areas in Sector West, located about 12 kilometers north of the Blue Line.
The hostilities continue to endanger the peacekeepers. This morning one peacekeeper was wounded in the shoulder by a bullet at a UN position near Meiss Jebel in Sector East. UNIFIL immediately issued a stop-fire request. The peacekeeper received treatment in the positions on medical facility. The falling bullet likely originated from clashes between Hizbullah and the Israel Defense Forces in that area.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, the peacekeepers demanded that the Israel Defense Forces remove an Israeli flag they have erected near a UN position in Kafer Kela that is in Sector East. The flag undermines the perception of UNIFIL’s impartiality and risks drawing fire toward peacekeepers amid the ongoing clashes that we are seeing. The UN reminds all actors again of all their obligation to avoid any action that could put the lives of peacekeepers at further risk.
Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight
Families in #gaza struggle to protect their children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) amid war, displacement and the collapse of rehabilitation services. They say the challenge goes beyond addressing ASD to securing the bare minimum of safety and stability for their children.
The region needs a success story — #syria could be it, according to the administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) who briefed journalists from Damascus. Addressing to UN correspondents, De Croo and UN Humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher spoke about the situation in Syria and the launch of the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for the country this year.
