DESA News

Volume 18, No.09 - September 2014

Publications and websites


Technical reports

 

MDG Gap Task Force Report 2014: The State of the Global Partnership for Development

mdggap

To be launched on 18 September, the report serves to review the experiences of recent years in pursuing a global partnership for development. Its analysis is particularly important as the international community focuses on formulating the post-2015 development agenda.

The MDG Gap Task Force was created by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in May 2007 to improve monitoring of the global commitments contained in MDG 8, the Global Partnership for Development.

The main purpose of the Task Force is to systematically track existing international commitments and to identify gaps and obstacles in their fulfillment at the international, regional and country level in the areas of official development assistance, market access (trade), debt sustainability, and access to essential medicines and new technologies. The Task Force integrates more than 30 United Nations and other international agencies.

 

Mental Health Matters

In General Assembly resolution A/RES/50/81 the World Programme of Action for Youth, Member States were called upon to address health issues of young people. In this context, UNDESA has prepared a publication on the emerging issue of the Social Inclusion of Youth with Mental Health Conditions.

The publication raises awareness on the situation of youth with mental health conditions among relevant stakeholders and aims to start a global conversation regarding strategies for addressing the specific challenges faced by young people with mental health conditions. It underscores the critical need to move beyond treatment-oriented mental health programmes to include broader public health-inspired approaches that will ultimately foster the social and economic integration of youth with mental health conditions.

 

Statistical compilations

 

Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS Online

The Monthly Bulletin of Statistics presents current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories of the world.  It contains over 50 tables of monthly and/or bimonthly, quarterly and annual data on a variety of subjects illustrating important economic trends and developments, including population, prices, employment and earnings, energy, manufacturing, transport, construction, international merchandise trade and finance.

Vol. LXVIII – No. 7, July 2014

In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes quarterly and annual tables: Civil aviation traffic: passenger-km and cargo net ton-km; Total exports and imports by countries or areas: volume, unit value, terms of trade and purchasing power of exports, in US dollars; World exports by provenance and destination.

 

UN CountryStats

UN CountryStats, the data visualization APP based on the World Statistics Pocketbook, launched its newest update in August. The revised app, based on the 2014 edition of the Pocketbook, compares key economic, social, environmental and trade indicators for 217 countries and areas for the years 2005 to 2014. Indicators can be viewed as complete country profiles or visualised as bar graphs in country comparisons. Additional tools include the ability to save graphs as favourites and detailed definitions and sources for each indicator.

The World Statistics Pocketbook, 2014 edition, is an annual compilation of key statistical indicators prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

 

Meeting records

 

Report of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing

The General Assembly formally received on 18 August an expert report setting out options that can be weighed by Member States on ways to finance the United Nations-driven sustainable development agenda. The Report of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing outlines an analytical framework for financing sustainable development; proposes various policy options at the country level; and suggests advancing global partnerships for sustainable development.

 

Outreach material

 

Youth Flash Newsletter

Published by UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth, the August issue puts the spotlight on the International Youth Day. The newsletter is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.

Enable Newsletter

Prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, the July issue is now available featuring input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.

DESA NGO News

The latest issue provides the most up-to-date information on news and upcoming events of interest to civil society at UN headquarters in New York, Geneva and elsewhere. The newsletter is published by UN DESA’s NGO Branch

 

Discussion papers

 

Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 69

Prepared by UN DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the August issue is available online, putting the spotlight on the global equity markets, the creation of the New Development Bank by BRICS countries, and Argentina’s default on its sovereign debt.