United Nations Department of Economic and Social AffairsDESA

The Office provides substantive support to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the General Assembly, including follow-up to major UN conferences and summits. It assists ECOSOC in the implementation and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, by fostering debate and innovative thinking, promoting consensus on ways forward, and coordinating efforts to…

The Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) seeks to provide leadership and catalyse action in promoting and coordinating implementation of internationally agreed development goals, including the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among other mandates, it hosts the secretariat for the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the central platform within the United Nations system for…

The Division was established in the earlier years of the United Nations to serve as the Secretariat of the then Population Commission, created in 1946. Over the years, it has played an active role in the intergovernmental dialogue on population and development, producing constantly updated demographic estimates and projections for all countries, including data essential…

The Division focuses on the role, functioning and capacities of public institutions in relation to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  Its work addresses critical issues related to public administration, public services and institutional architecture and capacities. It looks at how to advance public sector reform and improve service delivery, including for…

The Office provides secretariat support for follow-up to the agreements and commitments contained in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which builds on the Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development, and the delivery of the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  In this connection, the Office leads the…

The Division seeks to strengthen international cooperation for social development, particularly in the areas of poverty eradication, productive employment and decent work and the social inclusion of older persons, youth, family, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, persons marginalized from society and development. The main objective of the Division is to strengthen international cooperation for social…

The Division is a global centre for data on all subject matters, bringing to the world statistical information compiled by the entire UN system. It is committed to the advancement of the global statistical system, by compiling and disseminating global statistical information, developing standards and norms for statistical activities, and supporting countries’ efforts to strengthen…

The Division is the think-tank for development economics within UN DESA and the main development research unit within the United Nations. It contributes to strengthening the role of international cooperation in the economic and social development of all countries and to fostering countries’ effective integration into the world economy in the context of the UN…

The Secretariat is the UN DESA focal point on all forest policy and forest-based sustainable development issues. It promotes sustainable forest management based on the 2030 Agenda, the Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration, Forest Principles, Global Objectives on Forests, and the UN Forest Instrument. It provides substantive support to the annual sessions of the Forum,…

The Office provides strategic support to the effective translation of the outcomes of intergovernmental processes in the areas of economic, social and environmental development, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, into the Department’s operational programmes and capacity development work. It assists the Department in delivering integrated policy advisory services and other forms of capacity…