Since June 2024, UN DESA has partnered with the UN Office of Information and Communications Technology and Accenture to develop SDG Chat. As the first proposal approved by the UN Secretariat’s Cross-functional Working Group on Generative AI, this tool uses GenAI to provide a single, intuitive interface for UN DESA’s SDG resources. By making critical data easily accessible, SDG Chat fosters global engagement and serves as a prime example of how public-private partnerships can accelerate sustainable development.
Speakers:
– Ms. Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General, UN DESA
– Ms. Lan Guan, Chief AI & Data Officer, Accenture
– Lambert Hogenhout, Chief of Data and AI, UN OICT
Moderator: Martha Barreneche, Youth Advocacy & Well-being International Specialist, UN Youth Office
War is Mary Maker’s earliest memory. Born in South Sudan and named Niriak — meaning "war" — she spent her youth living and working in one of the world’s largest refugee camps. Now a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, she is raising her voice on behalf of those she left behind, helping refugee students land scholarships to top universities.
“I want to be seen. I want to be heard. I want to be acknowledged. I want to be at the table, making decisions and feeling like a part of something. Are you able to see us? Are you? Are you able to go beyond the news and really understand that this is someone like you?”
After her family fled to safety, Mary built a new life of opportunity through education and hard work – finding her feet, and her voice, on stage. In this episode, she shares how she overcame a childhood marred by death and conflict, and how theater became both her refuge and her path forward.
Following reports of Iranian violations of Yemeni airspace and Saudi airstrikes at Sana’a International Airport to prevent Iranian planes from landing, Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari (13 Jul) called for de-escalation in order to “advance safe, predictable and sustainable civilian air access, among other priorities.”
Addressing an emergency meeting of the Security Council requested by the Yemeni government, Khiari said, “Yemen and the wider region cannot afford another cycle of escalation” and called on all actors “to constructively engage in negotiations under United Nations auspices.”
He noted that the parties had negotiated an agreement in May to release over 1,600 conflict related detainees, “the largest such release agreed since the start of the conflict in Yemen” which “demonstrates that mutually acceptable agreements remain achievable even amid complex and challenging circumstances.”
Unilateral measures, Khiari said, “will not bring Yemen closer to peace. On the contrary, they risk entrenching divisions, accelerating fragmentation and heightening the danger of renewed escalation and military confrontation.”
He urged all parties “to reduce tensions and address their differences through dialogue,” as well as to “refrain from measures that could undermine prospects for peace.”
Khiari said, “the United Nations remain committed to supporting the Yemenis in restarting a political process to end the conflict in Yemen, as noted by the Special Envoy and many members of this Council in previous meetings, regional de-escalation can create a more conducive environment for reviving the Yemeni political process.”
War is Mary Maker’s earliest memory. Born in South Sudan and named Niriak — meaning "war" — she spent her youth living and working in one of the world’s largest refugee camps. Now a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, she is raising her voice on behalf of those she left behind, helping refugee students land scholarships to top universities.
“I want to be seen. I want to be heard. I want to be acknowledged. I want to be at the table, making decisions and feeling like a part of something. Are you able to see us? Are you? Are you able to go beyond the news and really understand that this is someone like you?”
After her family fled to safety, Mary built a new life of opportunity through education and hard work – finding her feet, and her voice, on stage. In this episode, she shares how she overcame a childhood marred by death and conflict, and how theater became both her refuge and her path forward.
[00:00] Introduction
[00:48] The meaning behind her name
[02:15] War as her earliest memory
[07:20] The journey to Kakuma refugee camp
[11:50] Early life in the camp
[14:40] Hope through education
[19:06] Discovering her love of theater
[23:15] Loss, grief, and raising her sisters
[28:52] Being back at Kakuma looking for hope
[30:55] The TEDx talk that changed everything
[35:56] What keeps Mary awake at night
[43:31] “The exceptional refugee”
[46:37] Closing remarks
Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #UnitedNations #AwakeAtNight #Refugees #UNHCR
About Awake at Night
Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change.
Nelson Mandela International Day on 18th July commemorates Mandela’s birthday and his lifetime of service to humanity. This year’s theme reminds us that it is still in our hands to combat poverty and inequality.
More information:
https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/building-legacy-nelson-mandela
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
High-Level Political Forum
Iran
Passing of the Former Emir of Qatar
Yemen
UNIFIL
Occupied Palestinian Territory
El Niño
Venezuela
Ukraine
Afghanistan
The Global Higher Education Symposium II
Briefings Tomorrow
HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the Opening of the Ministerial Segment of the High-Level Political Forum. He told the Member States that we have made important progress on the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals. He pointed to lower child and maternal mortality; greater access to social protection, safe drinking water, sanitation, electricity and the internet; faster declines in harmful practices like child marriage; and exponential growth in renewable energy.
But Mr. Guterres warned that our journey has faced some major setbacks in recent years, and we’re now entering the toughest stretch of our journey. He said that the world is now far from meeting SDG 6, with about 2.2 billion people still lacking safely-managed drinking water, and 3.5 billion lacking safely-managed sanitation.
The Secretary-General added that artificial intelligence must reduce inequalities and mitigate the environmental impacts, and not multiply them.
And, lastly, the Secretary-General said that we need urgent action to close the SDG financing gap, which now stands at over $4 trillion annually.
IRAN
In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern at the serious escalation and renewed military confrontations in the Gulf region, including the Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the attacks by the United States on Iran, and the attacks by Iran on targets in neighbouring countries. These attacks must all stop, he said.
Mr. Guterres calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid further escalatory action and take immediate steps to, in fact, de-escalate.
The Secretary-General reiterates that a return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences, for the peoples of the region, for international peace and security, and for the global economy. He further reaffirms the need for the restoration of the full freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Secretary-General urges Iran and the United States to urgently resume negotiations and to address outstanding issues through diplomacy.
Speaking of diplomacy, I can confirm that, on his first visit to Iran, the officer-in-charge of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jean Arnault, met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi. Mr. Arnault outlined the UN efforts for the implementation of resolution 1701 and his understanding of the challenges ahead. He sought the views of Iran on the situation, and the support that countries in the region can provide to the Lebanese aspirations to peace, to sovereignty and to territorial integrity.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-13
Opening the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Secretary-General António Guterres said, “our mission is clear: to accelerate progress at scale and speed.”
Guterres addressed the ministerial segment of the Forum today (13 Jul) in New York. The UN chief warned that the world is now entering the toughest stretch of its journey. Conflicts are multiplying.
He reiterated, “the ceasefires in Gaza, Lebanon, and the Gulf region must be fully established and respected. And the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law must be respected.”
Guterres noted that crisis by crisis, the Sustainable Development Goals are drifting further out of reach. Just 36 per cent of the 139 assessable SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress, and 15 per cent have gone into reverse.
He highlighted that need to accelerate progress at scale and speed, by “investing in the proven tools of poverty reduction — from education to universal health coverage, energy security, and adaptive social protection systems. By adopting policies that promote decent work, gender equality and technological access. By grounding progress in human rights. And by protecting our planet through climate action, biodiversity conservation and a just transition to renewable energy.”
Guterres also said, driven by overconsumption, pollution and climate change, the world is using freshwater faster that it can be replenished, with permanent, irreversible effects on many river basins, lakes, aquifers and freshwater ecosystems.
He said, “governments, the private sector, businesses and communities must work together to fill gaps in finance, innovation, infrastructure, capacities and governance,” adding “they must join forces and leverage resources to build accountable, equitable, and inclusive institutions that secure clean water and sanitation for all, manage conflicting demands on water, and address the growing risks stemming from unsustainable water use and climate change.”
The UN chief also stressed, “Artificial Intelligence must reduce inequalities and mitigate the environmental impacts — not multiply them.”
On partnerships, Guterres reiterated, “we must recognize that governments cannot act alone,” adding “development requires all hands on deck — businesses, development banks, innovators, civil society, community leaders and young people. And it requires south-south cooperation, so countries can benefit from shared development expertise and experience without limiting the need for north-south cooperation to continue.”
With fewer than five years remaining to achieve the SDGs, this panel discussion provides a candid assessment of our global trajectory based on The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026. Speakers will highlight the tangible gains achieved through purposeful global action, demonstrating that SDG implementation successfully transforms lives at scale. However, the core of the discussion will address the severe headwinds stalling systemic progress. Panelists will unpack how escalating conflicts, slowing economic growth, climate chaos, rising debt burdens, and declining aid have created deeply uneven and insufficient outcomes. The session will outline solutions on what is needed to help accelerate the SDGs before 2030.
Speakers:
– Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for DESA
– Shantanu Mukherjee, Acting Director, UNSD
– Sarah Hendriks, UN Women Director of Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division
Moderator: Chelsea Miller, Global strategist, advisor, and CEO of CPM Global
Press Conference by Anacláudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN-Habitat; Ambassador Erastus Ekitela Lokaale, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations; and Shirley Pryce, Jamaica Household Workers Union, GROOTS Jamaica, Huairou Commission and Member of the UN-Habitat Advisory Group on Gender Issues. They briefed on Renewing Commitments on Sustainable Cities and Communities and the launch of the SDG 11 Global Synthesis Report 2026.
UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach said, “adequate housing is the foundation of sustainable cities and communities. Housing is not only about shelter, it determines access to transport, employment, education, healthcare, public space and economic opportunities.”
The world is off track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) on sustainable cities and communities, ten years after its adoption, according to the SDG 11 Global Report 2026, launched by UN-Habitat during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
Prepared with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), UNDRR, WHO, UNODC, UNESCO, UNEP and other partners, the report presents the United Nations system’s joint assessment of progress towards achieving SDG 11.
The report identifies the global housing crisis as one of the greatest barriers to sustainable urban development. Today, more than three billion people lack access to adequate housing, including over 1.1 billion living in informal settlements and slums.
The UN-Habitat Executive Director said, “this report reminds us that housing crisis is fundamentally a crisis of inequality. The people most affected are often those facing multiple forms of exclusion, including women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, migrants, displaced populations, indigenous people, and residents of informal settlements.”
She continued, “addressing these inequalities requires more than building houses. The report calls for in-situ upgrading of slums and informal settlements in partnership with communities. Residents must be recognized as co-producers of solutions with investments that improve housing, security, infrastructure, public transport, public spaces and resilience without displacement.”
Rossbach highlighted that the report “demonstrates that climate related disasters are becoming an increasingly central urban challenge. Encouragingly, countries are strengthening resilience planning more national urban policies meet international standards, and an increasing number of countries have aligned national and local disaster risk reduction strategies.”
She added, “141 countries have national disaster risk reduction strategies, and 116 countries report aligned local strategies. However, planning must now translate into implementation through safer housing, resilient infrastructure, risk informed land use and stronger local preparedness.”
The Executive Director said, “the report concludes with a call for renewed commitment during the remaining years of the 2030 agenda,” reiterating the need for “greater investment, especially in adequate housing, stronger political leadership, improved urban governance and a renewed commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind as cities continue to grow.”
Ambassador of Kenya Erastus Ekitela Lokaale also spoke to reporters. He said, “for Kenya, these findings resonate deeply, guided by our Constitution and the bottom-up economic transformation agenda.”
He continued, “we have placed affordable housing, integrated urban planning and resilient infrastructure at the centre of our national development priorities through the Affordable housing program, informal settlement upgrading initiatives, expanded urban infrastructure and investments in sustainable mobility. We are working to ensure that urbanization becomes a driver of economic opportunity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.”
For her part, Shirley Pryce of Jamaica Household Workers Union and a member of the UN-Habitat Advisory Group on Gender Issues said, “housing is much more than a roof over our heads or four walls. Housing is dignity. It’s safety. Housing is health. Housing is opportunity. It is where children learn, where families recover, where a person finding security and where resilience begins.”
“Haiti’s crisis has become deeper, more complex and more urgent,” said Youri Saadallah, Global Emergency Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council, following a mission to Haiti.
Briefing reporters in New York from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he said 6.4 million people, more than half the country’s population, require humanitarian assistance, and only one in ten public health facilities with inpatient capacity are fully operational nationwide.
“Speaking not only as a humanitarian, but also as a father and, quite frankly, as a human being, the situation we witnessed is unacceptable,” Saadallah said. “The strongest message we heard was that people no longer feel safe. They are being stripped of [their] dignity. Women and children are bearing the brunt of this crisis. Sexual violence, including collective rape, is rampant. There is a disturbing sense that such abuses are becoming normal.”
Saadallah said armed groups have expanded in Port-au-Prince and infiltrated displacement sites. “One mother told us that she has to sleep on top of her daughter every night to keep her safe,” he said. “And sadly, this story is only one among the many we heard throughout our visit.”
He added that the recruitment and use of children by armed groups increased by 200 per cent, and grave violations against children rose by 21 per cent in 2025 compared to the previous year. “One community center we visited removed all glass from its windows because staff fear that severely traumatized children may use the shards from these glass windows to harm themselves,” he said. “That’s the reality within the country.”
Maria Moita, Director of the Department of Humanitarian Response and Recovery at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said nearly 1.5 million people are internally displaced, the highest number ever recorded due to violence in Haiti.
“Port-au-Prince remains the epicenter of Haiti’s displacement crisis,” Moita said. “Schools have become shelters. Communities have been uprooted. Safe space is almost non-existent in Haiti. Displacement sites are extremely congested. There is no space to sleep or live with dignity. There’s no space to install the most basic services, such as latrines or cooking areas. People are living on top of each other. Privacy is non-existent and therefore protection needs are immense.”
Moita said the displacement crisis extends beyond Haiti’s borders. “In Ouanaminthe and Belladère we witnessed a human impact of large-scale deportations from Dominican Republic. Humanitarian partners reported 600 to 700 forced returns every day through Ouanaminthe alone, many people are arriving with nothing. Many have already fled violence inside Haiti before they were deported.”
Saadallah and Moita are part of a group of Emergency Directors, including UN agency representatives and representatives of large NGOs, who undertook a mission to Haiti.
