List of global issues
List of environmental and other issues affecting life on Earth
"Global issues" redirects here. For the global ideology, see
Globalism .
A global issue is a matter of public concern worldwide. This list of global issues presents problems or phenomena affecting people around the world, including but not limited to widespread social issues , economic issues , and environmental issues . Organizations that maintain or have published an official list of global issues include the United Nations, and the World Economic Forum.
Global catastrophic risks
Not all of these risks are independent, because the majority, if not all of them are a result of human activity.
United Nations list
The UN has listed issues that it deems to be the most pressing as of 2023[update] :[ 1]
Category
Issues
Relevant UN directives/initiatives
Africa
poverty , diseases , desertification , malnutrition , regional conflict
Office of the Special Adviser on Africa , African Union , New Partnership for Africa’s Development , United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur
Ageing
ageing population , demographic transition
Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing , United Nations Principles for Older Persons , Proclamation on Ageing , International Year of Older Persons
AIDS
Prevention of HIV/AIDS , HIV and pregnancy , HIV/AIDS denialism
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS , The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Atomic energy
nuclear weapons , nuclear waste
International Atomic Energy Agency , Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons , Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Big data for sustainable development
Applying ICTs to sustainable development
supporting and tracking the Sustainable Development Goals
Child and youth safety online
Fighting cyberbullying , online child abuse and human trafficking of children
Children
Child poverty , Child labour , Child abuse , Child mortality , Global education
Education First , United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme , Global Education First Initiative[ 2]
Climate change
Carbon footprint of the human race, Climate change mitigation
Kyoto Protocol , Paris Agreement , United Nations Climate Change conference
Decolonization
exploitation
United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization , United Nations Trust Territories , International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism
Democracy
democratization
Universal Declaration of Human Rights , International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights , UNDP , UNDEF , DPKO , DPA , OHCHR , UN Women
Disarmament
weapons of mass destruction , chemical and biological weapons , conventional weapons , landmines and small arms
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
Ending poverty
Measuring poverty
Sustainable Development Goal #1: No poverty
Food
world hunger , sustainable agriculture , food security , safety , food riots
Sustainable Development Goal #2: Zero hunger , Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme
Gender equality
Women's rights , global feminism
Commission on the Status of Women , Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
Health
maternal health , extreme poverty
Millennium Development Goals
Human rights
human rights violations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
International law and justice
war crimes , discrimination , state-corporate crime
International Law Commission , Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948), International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979), United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982), Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (1996), International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (1999), Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006)
International migration
Human migration
International Organization for Migration
Oceans and the Law of the Sea (cf. Water)
marine pollution , ocean governance
United Nations Conference on the Human Environment , Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter
Peace and security
United Nations peacekeeping , List of United Nations peacekeeping missions , Peacebuilding Commission
People with disabilities
discrimination , lack of universal design
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Population
overpopulation , world population
UNFPA
Refugees (cf. Humanitarian Assistance)
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA),
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Terrorism
Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism
Volunteerism
United Nations Volunteers
Water (cf. Oceans and the Law of the Sea)
water scarcity , water conflict , water privatization , water pollution
UN-Water , System of Environmental and Economic Accounting for Water , Water for Life Decade , International Recommendations on Water Statistics , United Nations Water Conference , Millennium Development Goals , International Conference on Water and the Environment (1992), Earth Summit (1992)
As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , the UN Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015) were superseded by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2016-2030), which are also known as The Global Goals . There are associated Targets and Indicators for each Global Goal .
World Economic Forum List
In keeping with their economy-centered view, the World Economic Forum formulated a list of 10 most pressing points in 2016:
[ 3]
Food security
Inclusive growth
Future of work/unemployment
Climate change
Financial crisis of 2007–2008
Future of the internet /Fourth Industrial Revolution
Gender equality
Global trade and investment and regulatory frameworks
Long-term investment /Investment strategy
Future healthcare
Global environmental issues
No single issue can be analysed, treated, or isolated from the others.[ 4] For example, habitat loss and climate change adversely affect biodiversity. Deforestation and pollution are direct consequences of overpopulation and both, in turn, affect biodiversity. While overpopulation locally leads to rural flight , this is more than counterbalanced by accelerating urbanization and urban sprawl. Theories like the world-system theory and the Gaia hypothesis focus on the inter-dependency aspect of environmental and economic issues. Among the most evident environmental problems are:[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8]
See also
References
Literature
External links