The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum will be held on 7 and 8 April 2021. The modalities of participation will depend on the evolving spread of COVID-19 and its impact on travel restrictions as well as considerations on the safety, health and wellbeing of participants.

The 59th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD59) will take place from 8 to 17 February in 2021.

The priority theme will be “Socially just transition towards sustainable development: the role of digital technologies on social development and well-being of all.”

Megatrends, including new technologies, rapid urbanization and migration, as well as demographic and climate change, have been dramatically shaping our world. In preparation for the Thirtieth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family, 2024 (IYF+30) the Division for Inclusive Social Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs aims to raise awareness of the above megatrends, their impact on families and responsive family-oriented policies to tackle their effects.

Ageism leads to poorer health, social isolation, earlier deaths and cost economies billions: report calls for swift action to implement effective anti-ageism strategies

Every second person in the world is believed to hold ageist attitudes – leading to poorer physical and mental health and reduced quality of life for older persons, costing societies billions of dollars each year, according to a new United Nations report on ageism.

In the run-up to the launch of the UN Global Report on Ageism, DESA is joining the Global Coalition on Aging, NYC Department for the Aging, and NYU Silver School of Social Work for an interactive discussion on how to tackle ageism and take concrete steps towards equity for all ages. Twelve experts from across industries will talk about the impact ageism has on the lives of New Yorkers and older adults around the globe. The event will take place on Tuesday, 16 March 2021 from 2:00 to 3:30pm ET.

Register here: bit.ly/3kCiky6

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to an unprecedented halt and upended societies, and its ramifications are expected to be long lasting. The crisis has also intensified or brought to the forefront other trends, including rampant and growing inequalities, the vulnerability in economies around the world and in our social protection systems, including health care, and the impact human development has on the natural world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and heightened glaring inequalities around the world, especially when it comes to income and wealth distribution, access to health care, protection under the law, and political inclusion. Persons with autism have long faced many of these inequalities, which have only been further exacerbated by the pandemic.

DESA joined a panel discussion on Building Back Better in post-pandemic Asia: Back to the future for older people? (9 March 2021), organized by HelpAge Asia Pacific and Asia Development Bank. Watch event here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knsCqfVlGiI&t=3387s

The shared experience of our global challenges brought to light even more through the pandemic, has proven that we can do more for our aging populations in connecting them to the benefits of ICT’s. The pandemic has exposed critical gaps in our health and care systems, our economies, our cities and communities, our built environments, and our societies – gaps that have had an outsized negative impact on the health and wellbeing of older persons.

In preparation for the 2021 session, the Permanent Forum will conduct informal virtual dialogues with Indigenous Peoples and Member State representatives.

For more information on the regional dialogue on the Arctic, please click here.

Photo by Aningaaq R Carlsen – Visit Greenland.