The past year has been one of deep and interlocking crises
that are growing in scale and severity. The coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) pandemic persists and, with less than 20 per cent of
people in low-income countries vaccinated, recovery is uneven.
The war in Ukraine has caused distress for millions of people in
and far beyond the country and has amplified the effects of the
climate crisis and long-standing inequalities around the world. All
these challenges transcend borders and can be solved only with
forceful collective action.
Through my report on Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), we
launched and carried forward longterm recommendations,
proposing solutions at the national, regional and global levels, to
build a more equal, resilient and sustainable world, based on the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable
Development Goals and underpinned by human rights. It contains
proposals on ways to strengthen social cohesion and solidarity,
prevent and manage crises and tackle ongoing and new threats to
security. In response, Member States have endorsed the
proposals that can move forward immediately, and they are fully
engaged on those where further work and dialogue are needed to
deliver on Our Common Agenda.
Throughout the year, the United Nations, as a platform for
international cooperation and solidarity, convened stakeholders
and drove global advocacy and cooperation to reduce poverty,
tackle climate change and propel energy and digital
transformation, reform food systems, reduce inequality and
mobilize resources and action coalitions for the acceleration and
expansion of sustainable development investments at scale to get
countries back on track. Collectively across the United Nations
system, we offered policy options and solutions, helped to shape
strategies and amplified the voices of those on the front lines and
those marginalized.