United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

UN DESA advises Member States/Governments on implementing the policies and programmes developed at UN conferences back in their home countries. It assists interested Governments in translating policy frameworks developed in UN conferences and summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance, helps build national capacities.

UN DESA, generates, analyzes and compiles a wide range of official economic, social and environmental data and information on which Member States draw to review common problems and to take stock of policy options. The Department produces a host of flagship publications and major intergovernmental reports, which are essential to UN negotiations and global policy decisions e.g. the Sustainable Development Goals Report and the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR).

UN DESA facilitates major global conferences and summits, as mandated by UN Member States. UN DESA serves as the secretariat for the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the main United Nations platform on sustainable development, and it has a central role in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level. In 2018 the HLPF reviewed in-depth SDG 6 on water and sanitation. Currently UN DESA supports the implementation of the “International Decade (2018–2028) for Action – Water for Sustainable Development” and related UN Conference on the midterm review which will take place 22 – 24 March 2023 in New York. UN DESA also supports interagency coordination on water and sanitation by designating the UN-Water Secretary and providing policy advise.