This year, the International Human Solidarity Day (IHSD) is celebrated under the theme “Moving together as one: Solidarity as the foundation of the UN development agenda beyond 2015”. IHSD serves to remind us about the importance of solidarity for the achievement of the international agreements on social development, including programmes of action of international conferences and multilateral accords.

Cooperatives have been contributing to sustainable development and have accumulated tremendous experience in this regard. They have strengthened the push for economic diversification and inclusive development. Cooperatives empower people while protecting the planet, and are an effective vehicle in delivering inclusive and sustainable development. They have demonstrated their power to provide livelihoods for people at the grassroots or local levels while showing concern for the community and its resources. There are 2.6 million cooperatives worldwide which employ 12.6 million people.

DSPD is currently conducting a study of cooperatives throughout the world, presently placing its focus on cooperatives in China and India.

A database will be prepared showing consolidated and sector-level data on cooperatives across industries. The data will include as many cooperative sectors as possible (e.g., financial services, agriculture, credit unions, social and public services, commercial sales and marketing, housing, utilities).

To gather the data, the study will use existing data sources both from government ministries and cooperative associations.

The biggest problem facing young people around the world — in developing and developed countries — was unemployment and underemployment, youth representatives told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) as it concluded its general discussion on social development, with lively contributions from a number of delegates, many of whom had grown up alongside the Millennium Development Goals.

The theme of this year's 24th commemoration of the International Day of Older Persons (IDOP2014) is "Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for All". The day will highlight the core principles that anchor the post-2015 development agenda that leaves no one behind, and will also draw attention to how different groups deal successfully with ageing issues, toward ensuring inclusiveness. UNDESA DSPD and the NGO Committee on Ageing are celebrating the 2014 International Day of Older Persons. The commemoration will be held on Thursday, 9 October 2014 from 10:00 a.m.

The Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) was established by the General Assembly on December 2010. The working group focuses on strengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons, by considering the existing international framework of the human rights of older persons and identifying possible gaps and how best to address them, including by considering, as appropriate, the feasibility of further instruments and measures.

The new report of the Secretary-General on the "Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing” focuses on two issues that have been singled out as critical to the well-being and human rights of older persons within the framework of both the second review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and the working sessions of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, namely, addressing age-based discrimination and neglect, and abuse and violence.

A new report by the United Nations labour agency warns of a youth jobs crisis in both developed and developing countries, with young people aged 15 to 24 finding it increasingly difficult to obtain decent employment and future prospects are dim.

Young environmental leaders from 18 developing countries are meeting at a United Nations backed workshop in Germany this week to showcase their own, innovative solutions for sustainable development, ranging from eco-tourism to eco-friendly cooking fuel.

On September 7th, the UN Programme on Youth is hosting a side-event on youth with disabilities in cooperation with the NGO Leonard Cheshire Disability, the Secretariat to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNICEF and UNESCO.