Global Stories

The United Nations is marking its 75th anniversary at a time of great disruption for the world, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis with severe economic and social impacts. The regional UN75 commemoration jointly hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Office of...

Capgemini announced today that its new carbon reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as being in line with the level of reduction needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This is an important milestone towards the Group’s ambition of becoming a net zero business by 2030. Validation of its...

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday appealed to the Government of India to safeguard the rights of human rights defenders and NGOs, and their ability to carry out their crucial work on behalf of the many groups they represent. Bachelet expressed regret at the tightening of space for human rights...

Countries in the Asia-Pacific region have endorsed an action plan pledging to collectively step up regional cooperation for social protection – a timely move as governments are striving to protect people from unprecedented economic and social development setbacks wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The action plan was endorsed at the Sixth Session of the Committee...

An estimated one in six children or 356 million globally were living in extreme poverty before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and this is set to worsen significantly, according to a new World Bank Group and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) analysis. 'Global Estimate of Children in Monetary Poverty: An Update' notes that sub-Saharan Africa, with its...

Over the next decade, one of Asia's largest diversified real estate groups CapitaLand aims to spur ESG initiatives within the company. By 2030, the company intends to secure SGD 6 billion through sustainable finance such as sustainability-linked loans, green loans and green bonds. This is triple the SGD 2 billion it has raised to...

Mahindra & Mahindra is among the 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the world according to a recent ranking by The Wall Street Journal. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has been ranked 17th (the highest ranking for an automobile company, and the highest ranking for any Indian company) on this prestigious list. Ranking for Most Sustainably...

Committed to extending its CSR support to local communities, the Alstom Corporate Foundation has announced its final selection of projects from across the world for the 2020 cycle. With a budget of €1.9 million, Alstom Foundation received 167 project submissions from across the world and decided to fund 29 projects from its 2020-21 budget. Six...

The Body Shop India has partnered with Plastics for Change (PFC) India Foundation to ring in the festive season with a difference for female waste pickers. With Project N.A.R.I. (Nutrition - Ability – Retraining – Inclusion), The Body Shop acts true to its community roots and activist heritage through its support for female empowerment and...

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for well-functioning social protection systems in the region as never before. A new UN report released today reveals that despite their rapid socioeconomic ascent, most countries in the Asia-Pacific region have weak social protection systems riddled with gaps. About half of the region’s population has no social protection...

Capgemini Group revealed its Purpose which was developed in collaboration with its many stakeholders, and with the Group’s employees at the heart of the process. It now forms one of the fundamentals of the Group. The Purpose is: “Unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future” Capgemini Group believes that digital transformation should...

Hunger is about so much more than poverty, malnutrition or human development. This was highlighted by the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize that has been awarded to the World Food Programme (WFP), a United Nations (UN) agency, for its efforts to combat hunger, bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and preventing the use of...