Concluding their meeting in Washington DC, the US, Group of 20 (G20) foreign affairs, finance, environment and climate ministers, as well as central bank governors once again affirmed their determination to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy sources.

Countless challenges, such as conflicts, economic recession, hunger, and climate change, are weighing on people's lives in many countries. In their recent meeting in Pescara, Italy, Ministers responsible for Development from the Group of Seven (G7) expressed concern about the crisis holding back progress towards the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and called for global efforts to find solutions to address these problems.

The approval of the annual budget plays a crucial role in ensuring that the United Nations (UN) has the resources it needs to carry out the mission entrusted to it by the international community.

Various committee sessions took place in Vientiane, Laos on October 20, focusing on politics, socio-economic affairs, and the role of young parliamentarians, as part of the 45th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-45).

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) points out the paradox that hunger continues despite sufficient food production to meet the needs of more than the world’s population. Extreme weather events, persistent conflicts and economic shocks remain the main causes of and exacerbate food crises. This requires joint efforts to ensure global food security.

Along with population growth and increasing demands from the agricultural sector, the more severe impacts of climate change mean that the need to protect water resources is more urgent than ever.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and partners on October 11 attended the closing ceremony of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related meetings in Vientiane, and the handover of the ASEAN Chairmanship from Laos to Malaysia.

The 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and related summits under the theme “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience” officially opened in Vientiane on October 9.

The European Union (EU) faces a severe economic downturn following the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Germany, the continent’s economic engine, lags behind other developed industrial economies.

Many countries are grappling with rapidly aging population. As population aging becomes an irreversible global trend with significant impacts on economic and social sectors, nations face the urgent task of creating flexible policies to adapt to and make the most of this trend to build prosperous and sustainable societies.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused social media giants of pocketing billions of US dollars through the collection of personal information of users. The results of their investigation reveal that social media platforms prioritise profit, severely infringing on users’ personal information and privacy for the sake of advertising purposes.

The US, Australia, India and Japan have just held the fourth Quad Leaders' Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, the US.

A press conference was held on September 22 evening in Vientiane to announce the results of the 56th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Meeting and related meetings which took place from September 16-22 in Vientiane.

Geopolitical tensions, conflicts, poverty, pandemics, inequality, and climate change are challenges that put the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at risk of being out of reach. The 79th session of the UN General Assembly, highlighted by the High-level General Debate and the Summit of the Future, marks an important milestone in the global effort to find solutions to these thorny problems.