Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance
This new report, available through the United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN), provides an overview of 145 successful innovations in governance and public administration from 50 countries that received the United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA).
The compendium of “Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance” gives an overview of the UNPSA Programme and provides a description and brief analysis of the UNPSA Winners from 2012 and 2013. The success stories from the winners are presented following a precise scheme that highlights the problems, the solutions and the impacts of the initiatives. The compendium further underlines that by looking at the nature and content of the innovations which won the 2012 and 2013 United Nations Public Service Awards, one important aspect has become evident; innovations are taking place in public sector institutions and specifically within in areas which are directly linked to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable development.
The underling purpose of the publication is knowledge sharing and lessons learned about how public institutions from around the world have deployed innovative governance solutions. The successful programs have been an inspirational tool for those engaged in improving public sector performance.
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. 9, September 2014
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes quarterly and annual tables: Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex; Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value, volume indices and value; Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value; Exports by commodity classes and by regions: developed economies; and Selected series of world statistics.
Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System Revision 3
The publication is an international standard on the design and operation of an efficient and accurate vital statistics system at national level. It provides guidelines on collection, compiling and disseminating vital statistics. More specifically it contains (a) basic principles for a vital statistics system; (b) uses of vital statistics and civil registration records; (c) topics to be covered in a vital statistics system; (d) sources of vital statistics and how they function; (e) quality assurance in the vital statistics system and (f) strategies in improving civil registration and vital statistics systems in countries.
The publication is prepared for National Statistical Offices and civil registrars to assist them with their daily work on registering vital events, and on compiling and disseminating vital statistics. It also informs policy makers and the general public on the importance of vital statistics and hence further improving the vital statistics system.
2011 Energy Statistics Yearbook
The Yearbook is the fifty-fifth issue in a series of annual compilations of internationally comparable statistics summarizing world energy trends. Annual data for 224 countries and areas for the period 2008 to 2011 are presented on production, trade and consumption of energy: solids, liquids, gaseous fuels and electricity.
In addition, per capita consumption series are also provided for all energy products. Graphs are included to illustrate historic trends and/or changes in composition of production and/or consumption of major energy products. Special tables of interest include: international trade tables for coal, crude petroleum and natural gas by partner countries – providing information on the direction of trade; selected series of statistics on renewables and wastes; refinery distillation capacity and selected energy resources.
The Demographic Yearbook (DYB) Special Issue on Economic Characteristics
UN DESA’s Statistics Division has published the Tabulations of the DYB Special issue on Economic Characteristics. It contains the available economic characteristics data reported by the national statistical authorities to the Demographic Yearbook system, based on the population censuses conducted worldwide during the 2000 and 2010 rounds of censuses (1995 to present).
In particular, the tabulations present information on: (i) population by activity status, age, sex, and urban/rural residence; (ii) employed population by several characteristics such as status in employment, industry (ISIC), occupation (ISCO), age, sex and marital status; and (iii) population not economically active by functional category, age and sex.
These tabulations are available at:
Meetings records
TST issues briefs
This document is a compilation of issues briefs produced by the United Nations Technical Support Team in support of the General Assembly Open Working Group.
The Technical Support Team was established pursuant to paragraph 249 of the Rio+20 outcome document, the Future We Want. The TST is co-chaired by UN DESA and UNDP, with more than 40 entities from the United Nations system as members.
Outreach material
Youth Flash Newsletter
Published by UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth, the October issue puts spotlight on youth delegates at the 69th Session of the General Assembly. The newsletter is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
Sustainable Development in Action, Volume 2, Issue 9
The October issue of Sustainable Development in Action, published by UN DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, is available online featuring articles on: Transport and mobility essential for sustainable development; Recommendations for technology cooperation; Actions for SAMOA Pathway already underway; and General Assembly’s Second Committee discusses sustainable development.
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.
Working Papers
Towards a sustainable social model: Implications for the post-2015 agenda
Implementation of the Agenda 21 bifurcated into two tracks. While the economic and social development agenda gelled into the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the environmental protection agenda moved along a different track, represented by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), etc. This bifurcation also led to very different “domain configurations.” While there were some advantages of this bifurcation, it led to a conflict between the human development and the environmental goals. This paper presents a framework for bringing environment and development together in the post-2015 development agenda.
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 71
Prepared by UN DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the October issue states that the dollar has appreciated by about 10 per cent against the euro in the past three months and 9 per cent against the Japanese yen, while Western European economy continues to struggle. The briefing also examines the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which has disrupted trade and work in the crucial agricultural sector in the region.
