The support will be provided in the framework of the “Advanced cross-river capacities for trade” (AdTrade) project, implemented by UNDP with financial support provided by Sweden and the United Kingdom. The grant competition “Joint exports through innovation and association” is open for project proposals to be submitted by producers and processors from both banks of the Nistru river, who are willing to create joint partnerships with importers/distributors from abroad to increase competitiveness of provided products and supplied services, to modernize the technological process and to promote exports. The selected project proposals will be awarded grants of up to US$75,000 each to procure innovative equipment and machinery. The winning partnerships will benefit from business development consultancy. The projects submitting a proof of EU importer’s interest (shop chain, distributor, etc.) for the improved product, which will be obtained by the respective partnership because of using the requested equipment shall be admitted to the call. The application forms and the contest participation requirements, as well as the criteria for assessing project proposals are available here. The deadline for submitting applications is 13 August 2021,16:00. Under the “Development of support and advocacy capacities of the business support organizations” grant competition, AdTrade Project will select at least five projects developed and submitted by consortia established by business support organizations from both banks of the Nistru river. The winning projects will benefit from financial assistance of up to $40,000 each to identify the needs and to provide the necessary support to the private sector, to enhance the public-private dialogue, to formulate feasible policy solutions for improving business environment on both banks of the Nistru river, etc. The competition will focus mainly on enhancing women’s business associations from the Transnistria region, which would represent the needs of their members – women-entrepreneurs, including women with disabilities. The application forms and the contest participation requirements, as well as the criteria for assessing project proposals are available here.The deadline for submitting applications is 16 August 2021, 16:00. The grant competition for advancement of women’s and girls’ access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in Transnistria region envisages to select two pilot initiatives for digital literacy and access facilitation to STEM among women and girls from the left bank of the Nistru river, especially the ones from disadvantaged groups. Project proposals will be accepted from consortia of civil society organizations and academia, schools, or representative of private sector from both banks of the Nistru river. The winning proposals will benefit from grants up to $30,000 each. The application forms and the contest participation requirements, as well as the criteria for assessing project proposals are available here. The deadline for submitting applications is 18 August 2021, 16:00. The grant competition “Acceleration of export companies’ potential” is meant for companies from both banks of the Nistru river needing assistance to increase their competitiveness and export potential in line with the European standards and norms. Assistance will be provided over a period of 24 months by specialized national and international companies/organizations, experts’ teams, and the costs will be covered by AdTrade project for the following types of services: accessing new markets, marketing, sales, promotion of products, participation in exhibitions and fairs, increasing productivity, adoption of quality standards, sanitary and phytosanitary certification of products, etc. The application forms and the contest participation requirements, as well as the criteria for assessing project proposals are available here. The deadline for submitting applications is 12 August 2021, 16:00. Over the next weeks, the AdTrade Project will organize information sessions regarding the participation requirements and application to the grant competitions. The grants’ assistance provided by Sweden and the United Kingdom in the framework of the UNDP “Advanced cross-river capacities for trade” (AdTrade) project will contribute to improving the business environment, creating working places and establishing partnerships, hence allowing the enterprises from both banks of the Nistru River to overcome the negative impact of the pandemic crisis, while the companies from the left bank of the Nistru river would get the possibility to access the trade mechanisms available on the right bank, to increase their knowledge and skills, as well as to increase their trade volumes and diversify sale markets.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve heard a lot about global solidarity. Unfortunately, words by themselves will not end the pandemic – or curb the impact of the climate crisis. Now is the moment to show what solidarity means in practice. As G20 Finance Ministers meet in Venice, they face three crucial solidarity tests: on vaccines, on extending an economic lifeline to the developing world, and on climate.      First, vaccines. A global vaccination gap threatens us all. While COVID-19 circulates among unvaccinated people, it continues to mutate into variants that could be more transmissible, more deadly, or both.  We are in a race between vaccines and variants; if the variants win, the pandemic could kill millions more people and delay a global recovery for years. But while 70% of people in some developed countries are vaccinated, that figure stands at less than 1 per cent for low-income countries. Solidarity means delivering on access to vaccines for everyone – fast. Pledges of doses and funds are welcome. But let’s get real. We need not one billion, but at least eleven billion doses to vaccinate 70 % of the world and end this pandemic. Donations and good intentions will not get us there. This calls for the greatest global public health effort in history. The G20, backed by major producing countries and international financial institutions, must put in place a global vaccination plan to reach everybody, everywhere, sooner rather than later. The second test of solidarity is extending an economic lifeline to countries teetering on the verge of debt default. Rich countries have poured the equivalent of 28 percent of their GDP into weathering the COVID-19 crisis. In middle-income countries, this figure drops to 6.5 percent; in least developed countries, to less than 2 percent. Many developing countries now face crippling debt service costs, at a time when their domestic budgets are stretched and their ability to raise taxes is reduced. The pandemic is set to increase the number of extremely poor people by some 120 million around the world; more than three-quarters of these ‘new poor’ are in middle-income countries. These countries need a helping hand to avoid financial catastrophe, and to invest in a strong recovery. The International Monetary Fund has stepped in to allocate $650 billion in Special Drawing Rights – the best way to increase the funds available to cash-strapped economies. Richer countries should channel their unused shares of these funds to low and middle-income countries. That is a meaningful measure of solidarity. I welcome steps the G20 has already taken, including the Debt Service Suspension Initiative and Common Framework for Debt Treatment. But they are not sufficient. Debt relief must be extended to all middle-income countries that need it. And private lenders must also be brought into the equation. The third test of solidarity concerns climate change. Most major economies have pledged to cut their emissions to net zero by mid-century, in line with the 1.5 degree target of the Paris Agreement. If COP26 in Glasgow is to be a turning point, we need the same promise from all G20 countries, and from the developing world. But developing countries need reassurance that their ambition will be met with financial and technical support, including $100 billion in annual climate finance that was promised to them by developed countries over a decade ago. This is entirely reasonable. From the Caribbean to the Pacific, developing economies have been landed with enormous infrastructure bills because of a century of greenhouse gas emissions they had no part in.   Solidarity begins with delivering on the $100 billion. It should extend to allocating 50 percent of all climate finance to adaptation, including resilient housing, elevated roads and efficient early warning systems that can withstand storms, droughts and other extreme weather events. All countries have suffered during the pandemic. But nationalist approaches to global public goods like vaccines, sustainability and climate action are a road to ruin.    Instead, the G20 can set us on the road to recovery. The next six months will show whether global solidarity extends beyond words to meaningful action. By meeting these three critical tests with political will and principled leadership, G20 leaders can end the pandemic, strengthen the foundations of the global economy, and prevent climate catastrophe.

June 25, 2021, ROME – The UN Food Systems Summit has revealed the 15 action areas with more than 50 solution clusters that will serve as a key element to underpin discussions at the Pre-Summit gathering in Rome, Italy from July 26-28. Each action area, developed by more than 500 members of the Summit’s five Action Tracks, represents a cluster of game-changing propositions that aim to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by transforming entire food systems. The solutions, published on the online Summit Community, are an extensive menu of possible actions expected to support Member States as they work through national pathways for food systems transformation. They will also help inspire new coalitions and commitments from governments and their partners in all constituencies to support delivery of these pathways around the world, many of which will be formalised and announced at the UN Food Systems Summit in September in New York. The solutions were refined from more than 2,000 ideas proposed during 18 months of dialogues, surveys and open fora with Indigenous Peoples, youth, producers, researchers, NGOs and governments, and represent key areas to address some of the world’s most pressing issues, from hunger and poverty to climate change. Among the game-changing solutions are initiatives to reimagine school meals programmes as well as proposals to include the cost of a healthy diet when calculating poverty lines. A Global Food Safety Indicator to monitor and reduce foodborne illness will also be considered along with a Responsible Meat initiative to incorporate environmental performance, working conditions and animal welfare into production and consumption. Initial ideas for new partnerships include an Indigenous Peoples Food Systems Trust, a Coalition for African Youth in Agriculture, and a Food and Land Net Zero Country Alliance, in which countries would commit to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from food and land use by 2050. Other solutions include the development of deforestation-free supply chains, and subsidies redirected towards sustainable production and consumption. The Food Systems Pre-Summit is being held in Rome under the leadership of the Secretary-General and in partnership with the Government of Italy from July 26 to July 28 before the Summit in September. Journalists can register for news updates from the Summit here and apply for accreditation for the Pre-Summit here. For more information, contact FSScommunications@un.org   About the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit The UN Food Systems Summit was announced by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on World Food Day last October as a part of the Decade of Action for delivery on the SDGs by 2030. The aim of the Summit is to deliver progress on all 17 of the SDGs through a food systems approach, leveraging the interconnectedness of food systems to global challenges such as hunger, climate change, poverty and inequality. More information about the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit and list of Advisory Committee and Scientific Group members can be found online: https://www.un.org/foodsystemssummit

New York, 6 July – More countries and communities are recognizing the need to bolster efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in light of the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on people around the world according to The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021, released by the United Nations today. The decisions and actions taken during the next 18 months will determine whether pandemic recovery plans will put the world on a course to reach the globally agreed-upon goals that aim to boost economic growth and social well-being while protecting the environment. According to the report, which tracks global efforts to achieve the SDGs, COVID-19 has caused a major disruption to people’s lives and livelihoods. While progress to achieve the SDGs had been slow even before the pandemic struck, an additional 119-124 million people were pushed back into poverty in 2020. An equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs were lost, and the number of people suffering from hunger, which was already climbing before the pandemic, may have increased by 83-132 million. The pandemic has exposed and intensified inequalities within and among countries. As of 17 June 2021, around 68 vaccines were administered for every 100 people in Europe and Northern America compared with fewer than 2 in sub-Saharan Africa. Up to 10 million more girls will be at risk of child marriage as a result of the pandemic over the next decade. The collapse of international tourism disproportionally affects Small Island Developing States. The economic slowdown in 2020 had done little to slow the climate crisis. Concentrations of major greenhouse gases continued to increase, while the global average temperature was about 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels, dangerously close to the 1.5°C limit established in the Paris Agreement. Global flows of foreign direct investment fell by 40% in 2020 compared to 2019. The pandemic has brought immense financial challenges, especially for developing countries – with a significant rise in debt distress. The 2030 Agenda, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Goals, to improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. According to the Report, to get the SDGs back on track, governments, cities, business and industries have to use the recovery to adopt low-carbon, resilient and inclusive development pathways that will reduce carbon emissions, conserve natural resources, create better jobs, advance gender equality and tackle growing inequities. “We are at a critical juncture in human history. The decisions and actions we take today will have momentous consequences for future generations,” said Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General of the | United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. “Lessons learned from the pandemic will help us rise to current and future challenges. Let us seize the moment together to make this a decade of action, transformation and restoration to achieve the SDGs and make good on the Paris Climate Agreement.” Efforts to confront the pandemic have also shown immense community resilience, decisive action from governments, a rapid expansion of social protection, an acceleration of digital transformation; and a unique collaboration to develop life-saving vaccines and treatments in record time. According to the Report, these are solid foundations to build on to accelerate progress on the SDGs. Some additional key facts and figures: The global extreme poverty rate rose for the first time since 1998, from 8.4% in 2019 to 9.5% in 2020. Between 1 February and 31 December 2020, Governments around the world announced more than 1,600 social protection measures, mostly short-term, in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Pandemic-related shocks are likely to trigger a rise in stunting, which already affects more than one in five children. The pandemic has halted or reversed progress in health and poses major threats beyond the disease itself. About 90% of countries are still reporting one or more disruptions to essential health services. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schooling is a ‘generational catastrophe.’ An additional 101 million children and youth fell below the minimum reading proficiency level, wiping out the education gains achieved over the last two decades. The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected progress towards gender equality: violence against women and girls has intensified; child marriage is expected to increase; and women have suffered a disproportionate share of job losses and increased care work at home. 759 million people remained without electricity and one third of the global population lacked clean cooking fuels and technologies in 2019. An economic recovery is under way, led by China and the United States, but for many other countries, economic growth is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels before 2022 or 2023. The world fell short on 2020 targets to halt biodiversity loss and 10 million hectares of forest being lost each year between 2015-2020. While net official development assistance increased in 2020 to a total of $161 billion, this still falls well short of what is needed to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and to meet the long-established target of 0.7% of GNI. In 2020, 132 countries and territories reported that they were implementing a national statistical plan, with 84 having plans that were fully funded. Only 4 out of the 46 LDCs reported having fully funded national statistical plans. According to the Report, the recovery effort will also depend on the availability of data to inform policy making. Ensuring sufficient funding is available for data collection, both through the mobilization of international and domestic resources, will be critical to these efforts.  The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 can be found at: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2021/ ABOUT THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS REPORTS The annual reports provide an overview of the world’s implementation efforts to date, highlighting areas of progress and where more action needs to be taken to achieve the SDGs. They are prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with input from international and regional organizations and the United Nations system of agencies, funds and programmes. Several national statisticians, experts from civil society and academia also contribute to the reports. MEDIA CONTACTS: UN Department of Global Communications
Dan Shepard  | +1 212 963 9495| shepard@un.org       UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Yongyi Min  | +1 212 963 9293  | min3@un.org