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United Nations Social Development Network

The United Nations Social Development Network (UNSDN) serves as a global platform for sharing experiences and good practices in social development that aim to assist Governments, UN agencies and Civil Society in the development of social development policies and practices. UNSDN was launched in August 2012 by the Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).

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Latest from Thematic Areas

Ageing

©UN Photo/John Isaac
Older women in the UNECE region are being left behind
Across Europe, North America, and Central Asia, one in five women are aged 65 years or older. By 2050, more than one-quarter of all women in the…

Cooperatives

Christine Fazili showcases her wares during the Jobs fair held in Kakuma
Empowering enterprise: Refugees and hosts thrive with business support services in Kenya
A stronger Chamber of Commerce and targeted business training supported by the ILO are boosting small enterprises for refugees and host communities…

Disabilities

Merve water the plants she tends, a hobby that brings her peace. Photo: IOM 2025/Mehmet Boran
Merve’s Quest to Hear and Be Heard in Türkiye
In a remote village in northeast Syria, a young girl named Merve was born with a profound challenge: significant hearing loss in one ear and no…

Employment

Image from ILO : Cambodian next generation of skilled workers gains international exposure ahead of ASEAN Skills Competition - Supported by the ILO/China Partnership Programme, Cambodian trainees and students completed intensive wall & floor tiling training in China.
Cambodian next generation of skilled workers gains international exposure ahead of ASEAN Skills Competition
Supported by the ILO/China Partnership Programme, Cambodian trainees and students completed intensive wall & floor tiling training in China.Phnom…

Families

CSocD63 IFFD Briefing and Awards 2025
The International Federation for Family Development (IFFD), in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Poland and the Philippines to the United…

Indigenous Peoples

© UNICEF/Anderson Flores Indigenous Peoples, like this girl from the K'iche' community in Guatemala, contribute their knowledge to combat climate change.
Indigenous Peoples Day highlights AI’s risks and opportunities
In honour of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 9 August, the UN hosted a virtual commemoration on Friday on the theme AI:…

Innovation & Technology

UNDP Uruguay A young girl uses a computer to study, highlighting the power of digital learning to open up new opportunities for children everywhere.
Health, education, opportunity at stake, amid stubborn digital gender divide
As transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence continue to reshape the global economy, millions of women and girls remain excluded…

Poverty Eradication

© CIAT/Georgina Smith A farmer in Kenya holds a seedling of a new bean variety.
Slight decrease in global hunger as inequalities widen, UN report reveals
28 July 2025: An interagency group of UN organizations released the flagship 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report,…

Social Inclusion

© UNDP Plastic waste washes ashore in the Maldives archipelago.
Plastic pollution treaty talks adjourn, but countries want to 'remain at the table': UNEP chief
15 August 2025 – Geneva: The international push for consensus on a legally binding deal to address plastic pollution concerns reached a stalemate on…

Sport for Development and Peace

© IOM/Haithm Abdulbaqi Young athletes in places like Yemen (pictured) can be trafficked by criminal networks.
Safety on and off the pitch: Closing down child trafficking in sport
Saido, a Somali refugee, started playing basketball when she entered the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Basketball was, for her, a way to access…

Women

© UNFPA Bangladesh Anima Akhter, 24, proudly introduces her seven-month-old son to UNFPA Representative Catherine Breen Kamkong during a community visit to Bodipur village.
Preparing for the next flood: Protecting women’s health in Bangladesh
Climate change has worsened monsoon flooding in Bangladesh, putting women of child-bearing age at risk – but the UN reproductive health agency (UNFPA…

Youth

How 5 young leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean are driving climate solutions | UNDP
How 5 young leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean are driving climate solutions
Young people all over the world are concerned with climate change’s projection, as the issue continues to worsen. Despite being concerned for their…