Gender inequality hurts women and girls, and it prevents whole societies from developing. When women are free, equal, and empowered, they are happier and healthier individually, and they contribute more to the lives of their families, communities, and countries.
The UN team in Serbia has long been dedicated to addressing gender inequality, so that no women or girl in Serbia is left behind. This effort has many facets, from ending child marriage to stopping domestic violence to promoting women’s health during COVID-19.
From the war in Ukraine, increased geopolitical tensions and unresolved conflicts to catastrophic natural events such as the devastating earthquake in Türkiye, the Europe and Central Asia region is facing profound and cross-cutting challenges curtailing progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
United Nations leaders in five South Asian countries have joined forces to strengthen regional cooperation on climate change, disaster response, emergency preparedness, and economic and social development.
Many Arab countries are already accelerating efforts around key transformations — from clean energy, food systems, to digitization, social protection reforms and economic diversification. We need to ramp up action around policies and investments that can drive transformative change.
The bottom-up approach taken worldwide to formulating the SDGs has indeed been unprecedented. In order to maintain this approach in monitoring and implementing the agenda, we need to ensure the population comprehends it. People need to understand the commitment and role of national and local government, how they can hold duty-bearers to account, and their own role and responsibility for the sustainable development of their communities.
