From the climate crisis to the digital divide and women’s empowerment, we’re taking a look back at another unprecedented year. 10. Shared Futures: Youth perceptions on peace in the Western Balkans Across the Western Balkans, young people share a core of common hopes and dreams.

By Elina Järvelä, Innovative Finance Specialist, and Yaera Chung, Innovations for Data and Civic Engagement specialist; UNDP in Europe and Central Asia It’s 2021. People and ideas are traveling faster than ever before, social and political movements are quickly self-organizing, and decision-making has accelerated due in part to the heightened…

What do these women have in common? They’re all leaders in some way, spanning a wide variety of careers and countries and being role models for those women who will come after. “There is no such thing as a man’s or a woman’s profession” When she was young, Rafika Musaeva…

From gender equality to human rights, climate change to economic empowerment, we covered a lot of ground this year. But of course one topic was on everyone’s mind: the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a clear indicator of how the pandemic and its impacts spread across all of our work here at…

by Ainura Bekkoenova, Zana Idrizi The severe impact of the pandemic across the globe has exposed flaws of social, economic and political models, challenged our societies, tested our collective humanity, and aggravated inequalities. As the lack of social protection measures persisted, pre-existing inequalities, injustices and gaps in human rights protection…

by Kristina Jazinka Nikolic, Head of Experimentation at the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Serbia Digital nomads are people who choose where they live and work, since their employment is mainly virtual, changing locations often. Their jobs cover a wide range…

5 key areas to pay close attention in the 2020 Kyrgyz elections by Louise Chamberlain, UNDP Resident Representative to the Kyrgyz Republic Boasting a reputation as the only parliamentary democracy in Central Asia and a country with considerable…

Over the last few years, Kyrgyzstan has been working on making itself a destination sought after by travelers. The idea is to appeal to adventure seekers, not just those interested in a trip around the countryside. The natural environment is stunning, and the landscapes provide spectacular and intense hiking, rafting…

by Dafina Gercheva, Resident Representative at UNDP Ukraine Editor’s note: As we move from immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic to talking about recovery, we are given a chance to return with a greener, more sustainable future — one that will require all hands on…