Only 15% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and even where vaccines are available, access and uptake are impeded by gender-related barriers and inequities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed governments towards digital interventions to enhance the efficiency, resilience, and inclusivity of public services, but these efforts still need to focus on understanding citizen data and translating insights into decision-making.

As post-COVID cities build back better, tackling the corruption that impedes progress on urban issues will require a sustained ethos of care, community spirit, and selflessness that emerged during the pandemic.

UNU research on ten indicators of water security reveals that dozens of African countries have made gains over the past three to five years, but nearly half have made no progress and the continent as a whole progressed only by one percent.

The realisation of gender equality is a key component of the global development agenda, and essential if the water sector is to contribute to the achievement of SDGs 1, 5, 6, and 10.

Recognising that women’s rights are human rights, a shared agenda between strengthening women’s reproductive health and building climate change resilience is needed to achieve a sustainable tomorrow and ensure that no one gets left behind.

Governments in low- and middle-income countries will need to sustain concerted efforts to prepare themselves for the legal and political challenges of upcoming pandemic treaty negotiations and to ensure the needs of their citizens are not left on the periphery.

The introduction of additional benefits in 2021 will be fundamental to protecting poor households in sub-Saharan Africa as they face a continuing COVID-19 crisis, slow vaccination campaigns, and generally low levels of social protection.

UNU research in the context of COVID-19 indicates that governments must shape social protection and small business support policies that protect informal workers from the consequences of the pandemic.

Monitoring wastewater for COVID-19 provides real-time community insights into viral spread, offering an early warning system for outbreaks and enabling timely preventative and coping measures.

The political leadership of the world’s most powerful, polluting states should seize the opportunity to act on their promises today, not only accelerating their action on climate, but seeing the value of the proposals in the UN Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda initiative.

Global leaders at COP26 need to understand what is at stake for each nation and build trust to achieve a successful outcome.

By looking at environmental outcomes to estimate the impact of cooperation on CO2 transport emissions, a new study provides evidence which local governments can use to initiate action that addresses urban environmental concerns.