Attachments
Introduction
Opening by the Secretary-General
I am enormously proud of the staff of the United Nations, who are operating and delivering on their mandates in a fractured and sometimes dangerous world. Despite the obstacles in their way, their commitment to a better, brighter future shines through in all that they do. Their resolve is to achieve results for the people of the world and to deliver the help and the hope that every person deserves – and that the human family needs today, more than ever.
The past year(1) has tested humanity in every way. Crises and challenges have placed the better future people want and need further out of reach. Conflicts, deepening poverty and inequality, hunger and poor economic prospects for developing countries are being made worse by widening geopolitical divides and mistrust. The climate emergency reached terrifying new heights, with 2023 being the hottest on record. Human rights abuses, discrimination against minorities, women and girls, rising extremism and a surge of hate speech online and in the streets are sowing discord and mistrust across communities, countries and entire regions.
The urgent business of rescuing the Sustainable Development Goals and the fight against climate change has been stalled by a lack of sufficient investment and political will. Many developing countries are drowning in debt and lack the necessary resources to invest in a sustainable future for their people.
“At every step, our Organization and our personnel will continue to stand in solidarity with the people of the world through these trying times, as we seek to forge a more peaceful, healthy, equal and prosperous future together.”
António Guterres, Secretary-General
Achievements of the United Nations family in 2023
The United Nations Secretariat is part of the wider United Nations family, with over 100 bodies and organizations, including some 30 agencies, funds and programmes (see chart on page 110 for all entities in the United Nations system). Every year, the United Nations supports hundreds of millions of people with over $60 billion in assistance.
- Food security 152M people received food assistance to improve their food security
- Children 133M children vaccinated against measles, including 32M+ in emergency situations
- Water and sanitation 36M people gained access to safe water that is available when needed
- Health and well-being 15M refugees, asylum seekers and others of concern in 77 countries received essential health services
- Climate action 178M hectares of protected area created or received improved management in 56 countries
- Peace and security $203M approved in 36 countries and territories for peacebuilding initiatives
- Human rights 56 countries supported, to significantly increase the protection and promotion of human rights in selected human rights areas
- Women 92 law-making processes supported during adoptions, revisions or repeals, to advance gender equality in 23 countries
- Livelihoods 9M people in fragile contexts supported with jobs and livelihoods
(1) In line with the regular budget of the United Nations Secretariat, the reporting period is from 1 January to 31 December 2023. Given the peacekeeping budget period from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, and the presentation of the report to the General Assembly in September, a few key highlights from the first months of 2024 are also included.