Highlights of the Secretary-General's main initiatives

https://www.un.org/annualreport/pdf/en/Full_Report.pdf

Upon taking office, I identified a number of challenges we must address in order to fulfill the vision of the Charter.

In some areas we have made progress, but elsewhere complex crises continue to elude solution.

Globalization has taken root, generating remarkable gains, yet too many people are unable to share in these benefits, and millions continue to live in extreme poverty. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — an integrated and universal framework — is our contribution to a fair globalization that leaves no one behind. The launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has generated coordinated efforts by Member States and civil society to alleviate poverty and build peaceful, prosperous and inclusive societies. Reform of the UN development system – the most comprehensive effort in decades – aims to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations to support Member States in pursuit of the SDGs.

Gender equality is central to leaving no one behind, but progress is generally slow and some parts of the world are moving backwards on legal protections and rights. The global gender pay gap is 23 per cent – underscoring persistent inequalities. Women make up more than half the world’s population and all of us lose when this vast wealth of skills in underutilized or ignored.