FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)

The state of food and agriculture 2024. Value-driven transformation of agrifood systems. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2024; 171 p. ISBN 978-92-5-139140-2. The State of Food and Agriculture 2024 builds on the findings of the 2023 edition, delving deeper into the use of true cost accounting assessments of agrifood systems and identifying policy interventions aimed at transformation. Using updated global datasets, the report confirms previous estimates of the quantified hidden costs of agrifood systems and provides a detailed breakdown of the hidden costs associated with unhealthy dietary patterns and non-communicable diseases for 156 countries. These findings are analysed through the lens of six agrifood systems categories to consider various outcomes and hidden costs that require different policy interventions. Case studies offering in-depth assessments of country, local and value chain contexts illustrate the economic, social and environmental impacts of current practices to guide policy interventions.

Global status of salt-affected soils. Main report. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2024; 240 p. ISBN 978-92-5-139307-9. FAO’s Global Map of Salt-Affected Soils reveals that over 1381 million hectares, 10.7 percent of global land, are affected, with Australia, Argentina and Kazakhstan among the most impacted countries. Increasing aridity and water demand amplify soil degradation risks, particularly in developing regions. Climate change and water scarcity threaten agricultural productivity, with substantial crop yield losses observed in saline areas. Halophytes and salt-tolerant crops provide a foundation for saline agriculture, yet many salt-affected soils remain unprotected and inadequately regulated. FAO’s INSAS (International Network of Salt-Affected Soils) underscores the need for updated data, harmonized salinity measurements, and sustainable management practices, with enhanced training and policy frameworks. Mitigation strategies like improved drainage, soil amendments, and the cultivation of salt-tolerant plants are recommended. Key recommendations include scaling sustainable practices, investing in salt-tolerant crop markets, improving data collection and water quality monitoring, conserving ecosystems, and fostering cross-sector collaboration.

Realizing the right to food in a changing world. The Right to Food Guidelines: 20 years on and beyond. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2024; 82 p. ISBN 978-92-5-139419-9. The fourth report on the status of FAO’s Right to Food Guidelines commemorates 20 years of progress since their adoption by the FAO Council in November 2004. It explores how the Guidelines have evolved to address global challenges, strengthened international human rights frameworks, and tackled barriers to food security. By emphasizing a human rights-based approach, the report highlights the roles of states, individuals, civil society, and private entities in advancing this vital agenda. The report concludes with actionable recommendations, and calls for sustainable, inclusive solutions to end hunger and malnutrition.

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)

Synthetic content and its implications for AI policy: a primer. Paris: UNESCO Publishing 2024; 41 p. ISBN 978-92-3-100727-9. The deployment of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) models, particularly generative AI, has sparked discussions regarding the creation and use of synthetic content and its impact on individuals, societies, and economies. This note contributes to shed light on what “synthetic content” may mean and consist of, explores the different ways in which it can be generated and used and proposes a taxonomy that encompasses synthetic media and deepfakes, among others. The taxonomy aims to systematize key characteristics, enhancing understanding and informing policy discussions. Key findings highlight both the potential benefits and concerns associated with synthetic content in fields like data analytics, environmental sustainability, education, creativity, and mis/disinformation and point to the need to frame them ethically, in line with the principles and values of UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Finally, this note ends with several policy considerations informing the conversation about how to put these powerful technologies at the service of individuals and societies.

JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

The urgency of now: AIDS at a crossroads. Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 2024; 300 p. The global AIDS response is at a crossroads: success or failure will be determined by which path leaders take today. The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads shows that the decisions leaders make this year will determine whether countries can achieve the 2030 target of ending AIDS as a public health threat and ensure progress beyond 2030. The report shows that, right now, the world is not on track to succeed, and the inequalities that drive the HIV pandemic are not being addressed sufficiently. It shows that due to the lack of progress on prevention, global numbers of new HIV infections are not declining fast enough, and in three regions of the world numbers of HIV infections are rising. It shows that almost a quarter of people living with HIV are not receiving lifesaving treatment, and consequently, a person dies from AIDS-related causes every minute. This report provides a summary of progress against the 2025 targets that were developed with the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026.

Global AIDS monitoring 2025. Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 2025; 216 p. This document is a detailed compilation of indicators, and a suite of questions on national policies and their implementation. The indicators and policy questions are designed to enable the best use of available data at the national level, to standardize reporting from different HIV epidemics and sociopolitical contexts, and to enable aggregation at the global level. UNAIDS is working with key organizations under the umbrella of the Monitoring Technical Advisory Group (MTAG) to harmonize the indicators to match international standards. Over the past 20 years, the indicators used for global monitoring have evolved as our collective knowledge of effective HIV responses and the barriers to this have improved. This will continue in the coming years. The indicators are reviewed annually and revised by the UNAIDS MTAG.

ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)

Health at a glance: Europe 2024. State of health in the EU cycle. Paris: Organization for Economic Co-operation and European Commission 2024; 233 p. ISBN 978-92-64-58300-9 (PDF). The 2024 edition of Health at a Glance: Europe examines the major challenges facing European health systems in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report includes two thematic chapters. The first chapter provides a comprehensive examination of health workforce shortages in Europe, a long-standing problem exacerbated by the immense strain the pandemic placed on health systems. It explores the factors behind these shortages and proposes policy strategies to attract, train and retain the workforce needed to build resilient health systems. The second chapter reviews the most recent trends in the health of Europe’s ageing population. With life expectancy continuing to rise and the share of the population over 65 growing steadily, the chapter discusses priorities to promote healthy longevity to reduce demands on health and long-term care systems. The remaining chapters provide a comparative overview of the latest data on health status, risk factors and health system performance across the 27 EU member states, 9 EU candidate countries, 3 European Free Trade Association countries and the United Kingdom.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO)

Mind the AI divide: shaping a global perspective on the future of work. Geneva: International Labour Organization and United Nations 2024; 24 p. ISBN 9789211066524 (PDF). This report, co-authored by the United Nations and the International Labour Organization, addresses the critical issue of the uneven adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications for global equity, fairness, and social justice. Disparities in access to digital infrastructure, advanced technology, quality education, and training are deepening existing inequalities, particularly as the global economy shifts towards AI-driven production and innovation. Less developed countries risk being left behind, exacerbating economic and social divides. The report stresses the importance of targeted and concerted efforts to bridge this digital divide to ensure AI’s potential to foster sustainable development and alleviate poverty. It highlights the role of the workplace in AI adoption, where productivity gains and improved working conditions can be achieved with the right conditions, including digital infrastructure, skills, and a culture of social dialogue. Promoting inclusive growth requires proactive strategies to support AI development in disadvantaged regions, enhance digital infrastructure, build AI skills, and ensure good quality jobs along the AI value chain. International collaboration in AI capacity building is crucial to create a more equitable and resilient AI ecosystem, unlocking opportunities for shared prosperity and human advancement worldwide. This report calls for continued collaborative efforts to shape global AI governance, uphold human dignity and labour standards, and expand economic opportunities for all.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)

World malaria report 2024. Addressing inequity in the global malaria response. Geneva: World Health Organization 2024; 318 p. ISBN 978-92-4-010444-0 (electronic version) ISBN 978-92-4-010445-7 (print version). The world malaria report, published annually by the World Health Organization (WHO), offers an in-depth analysis of trends in malaria control and elimination across the globe. This year’s report draws on 2023 data from 83 malaria endemic countries and presents trends in malaria morbidity and mortality globally and by region, as well as progress towards the milestones and targets of the WHO Global technical strategy for malaria 2016-2030 (GTS). It tracks investments in malaria programmes and research, advancements and gaps across all intervention areas (including prevention, diagnosis, treatment and elimination) and biological threats. This year’s report introduces, for the first time, a dedicated chapter emphasizing the need for a more inclusive and effective response, with a focus on reaching the populations most vulnerable to malaria. Groups at high risk of a malaria infection include children under five, women and girls, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, persons with disabilities, and people in remote areas with limited healthcare access.

Global report on infection prevention and control 2024. Geneva: World Health Organization 2024; 210 p. ISBN 978-92-4-010398-6 (electronic version) ISBN 978-92-4-010399-3 (print version). This second global report on infection prevention and control (IPC) provides updated evidence on the harm caused to patients and health workers by health care-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and presents an updated global analysis of the implementation of IPC programmes at the national and health care facility levels across all WHO regions. The report highlights also recent landmark political and implementation documents, which indicate directions, actions, indicators and targets for countries and the international IPC community to help them to progress in the implementation and improvement of IPC. The report is the result of a cross-cutting and multidisciplinary effort involving staff at WHO headquarters and in regional offices, as well as key partners in the field of IPC. It includes information and data from many sources, including the scientific literature, WHO global databases, WHO surveys using standardized tools, as well as WHO publications and reports published by other institutions. It also includes a compilation of data and information providing overviews of IPC at the global and regional levels and by country income level, with examples of IPC implementation at both country and facility level. management services that handle antibiotic waste.

Guidance on global monitoring for diabetes prevention and control: framework, indicators and application. Geneva: World Health Organization 2024; 89 p. ISBN 978-92-4-010224-8 (electronic version) ISBN 978-92-4-010225-5 (print version). The Guidance on global monitoring for diabetes prevention and control provides a comprehensive framework to support countries in tracking and managing diabetes prevention, care, and outcomes. This document outlines indicators across 4 domains: health system determinants, service delivery, risk factors, and outcomes/impacts. The guidance helps countries align their monitoring efforts with WHO’s global diabetes targets, Global Diabetes Compact, and relevant global NCD targets. The guideline emphasizes the importance of collecting, analysing, and utilizing data to inform policy and resource allocation. Specific indicators measure aspects like access to essential medications, prevalence of key risk factors, and control of blood glucose and blood pressure. Each indicator includes detailed metadata, which outlines definitions, data sources, and methods of estimation, ensuring standardized data collection and reliable comparisons across countries. Through structured monitoring, the framework aids countries in evaluating their diabetes interventions, identifying gaps, and prioritizing resources. The guidance encourages adaptation to national contexts, emphasizing the integration of innovative data collection methods and digital technologies to improve data quality and accessibility.