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The cost of everyday life has risen sharply in recent years, leaving many working people struggling to make ends meet. Yet economies have continued to grow and productivity has increased. So why aren’t workers always seeing the benefits in their incomes?

explores the low-pay, low-productivity jobs trap and explains why better jobs can themselves help drive economic growth. He also looks at how artificial intelligence could widen existing inequalities, the challenges facing small and medium-sized enterprises, and what policymakers can do to ensure that productivity gains translate into better jobs, higher incomes and improved living standards.

How can global investment create opportunities for everyone? The (25–27 October) brings world leaders to Doha to turn capital into lasting development.

A young person finding their first job. A small business expanding. A farmer protecting their livelihood from drought. These are the real measures of development. The World Bank Group’s latest highlights how investments in education, healthcare, electricity and financial services are helping create opportunities worldwide. From renewable energy in Uzbekistan to small business financing in Ecuador, progress is taking shape. Yet shrinking aid budgets, rising debt and climate shocks threaten these gains. The challenge now is to turn institutional reforms into more and better-paid jobs, especially for those most at risk of being left behind.

At a time when digital transformation is reshaping economies worldwide, the (Seoul,19-22 October), focuses on how AI and digital technologies can create jobs, boost productivity and expand opportunity. The Summit highlights responsible AI, digital access, affordability and AI readiness as foundations for unleashing inclusive AI and digital solutions. Through practical examples across sectors, discussions examine how AI can strengthen businesses, improve public services and help countries translate technological innovation into tangible development results for people and communities.

Higher borrowing costs are draining developing countries’ resources, limiting spending on health, education and other essential development priorities.

The will explore how global investment in AI, clean energy and critical minerals can support inclusive development.

Surviving a crisis is only the beginning. A child still needs a school, a farmer safe land and a family a place to call home. Yet more than 160 million people lack the support they need to rebuild their lives. UNDP is working to close the gap between emergency relief and long-term recovery, restoring services and livelihoods while crises are still unfolding. From clearing dangerous land in Ukraine and Syria to supporting businesses in Afghanistan and housing in Gaza, the goal is to help communities regain stability, rebuild local economies and prepare for a future beyond crisis.

In Saint Lucia, solar power helped a fishers’ cooperative survive financial strain after Hurricane Beryl. In Georgia, Shorena Chapurishvili says electricity has brought life and hope back to her remote village. And in Belize, women solar engineers are bringing clean power to homes and businesses. These are among thousands of locally led projects supported by the GEF Small Grants Programme. More than 30,000 grants over three decades have put resources into communities’ hands, helping them protect forests, embrace clean energy and strengthen livelihoods. The lesson: small investments can give local knowledge the power to create lasting change.

For farmers in Armenia’s Ararat Valley, families in Uzbekistan’s drought-strained Aral Sea region and communities relying on glacier-fed rivers in the Kyrgyz Republic, climate change is reshaping the water they depend on every day. Retreating glaciers, erratic rainfall and drought threaten crops, electricity, health and livelihoods. With the United Nations Development Programme support, the three landlocked countries are putting water at the heart of climate adaptation—improving irrigation, protecting river basins, strengthening water management and planning for future shortages. The goal is practical: safeguard the water that keeps communities, farms and economies going.

A loan helped Yahia open a kiosk in Egypt. Training and solar-powered equipment enabled Jayalakshmi to start a tailoring business in India. In Cuba, Caridad turns goat’s milk into cheese alongside her daughters, while in Malawi, Emmanuel is developing technology to make rural electricity more affordable. Around the world, the United Nations Development Programme supports people with the tools they need to build livelihoods, from grants and microloans to training and equipment. These stories show that decent work is about more than earning an income: it can bring dignity, independence and opportunity, strengthen families and communities, and help people build their own path out of poverty.

A new  expands economic measurement beyond GDP, tracking well-being, equity, inclusion, sustainability, resilience, and data gaps worldwide.

Across the Global South, countries are sharing innovative solutions to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. On 12 September, the International Day for South-South Cooperation highlights this growing solidarity and marks the launch of the , a voluntary, UN-facilitated platform for more inclusive and innovative development. Watch the launch of the Global Alliance today at 10 a.m. (New York time).

In rural Haiti, IFAD’s blue economy investments strengthen coastal livelihoods, restore mangroves, support sustainable fishing and help local entrepreneurs build resilience amid climate and economic crises.

For Enkhjin Gereldash and her family, cashmere is both a way of life and a vital source of income. Born into a herding family in Mongolia, Enkhjin grew up helping her parents manage their livestock and sustainably harvest cashmere from hundreds of goats each year. Their story reflects a sector that supports around 190,000 herder households but faces mounting pressure from land degradation and climate change. Through partnerships connecting herders, processors and international markets, efforts are underway to build a more sustainable cashmere supply chain. Enkhjin now works for a Mongolian processing company, pursuing her ambition to help make Mongolian cashmere a globally recognized brand.

The World Bank’s finds that artificial intelligence could help meet the jobs needs of 1.2 billion young people in developing countries by boosting productivity and services, but warns that without deliberate action, it could deepen inequality and exclusion.