DESA News
Volume 17, No.12 - December 0
Publications and websites
Pre-release of the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2014
The first chapter on global economic outlook of the WESP 2014 will be launched on 18 December at 11 am in New York. A joint product of UN DESA, UNCTAD and the five United Nations regional commissions, this publication provides an overview of recent global economic performance and short-term prospects for the world economy and of some key global economic policy and development issues. One of its purposes is to serve as a point of reference for discussions on economic, social and related issues taking place in various United Nations entities during the year.
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. LXVII – No. 10, October 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the quarterly and bimonthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; 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.
National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables, 2012, Parts I, II, III, IV and V, ST/ESA/STAT/SER.X/50
The first National Accounts yearbook appeared in 1958 and contained data for 70 countries and territories. The National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables, 2012 (MADT 2012) contains 2001-2012 data for 204 countries and territories. The estimates for each country or area are presented in separate chapters, containing statistics on national accounts aggregates and detailed variables such as gross domestic product, national income, saving, household and government consumption expenditure, gross capital formation, exports and imports, value added, compensation of employees, operating surplus, etc.
Data are reproduced as they are reported by the countries in their respective national currencies. The MADT dataset has been updated with 2012 data on the UNdata Portal at: http://data.un.org/Explorer.aspx?d=SNA.
National Accounts Statistics: Analysis of Main Aggregates, 2012
ST/ESA/STAT/Ser.X/51
The National Accounts Statistics: Analysis of Main Aggregates, 2012 contains in the form of analytical tables a summary of the principal national accounting aggregates based on official national accounts data for more than 200 countries and areas of the world for the years 1970 to 2012. It also contains a section on the estimation methods used for compiling the data. It is prepared by UN DESA’s Statistics Division with the generous co-operation of national statistical offices and serves as a valuable source of information on the economic situation of countries and areas. The publication will be available in December 2013.
The tables of the publication include analysis of data on gross domestic product (GDP) by different structural components. The types of analysis presented are classified into the four major categories listed below:
- Analysis of the level of total and per capita GDP
- Analysis of the percentage shares of GDP by type of expenditure and gross value added by kind of economic activity
- Analysis of economic development expressed in term of real growth of GDP and its components by type of expenditure and gross value added by kind of economic activity
- Analysis of price development reflected by implicit price deflators of GDP
To download the time-series data:
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/selQuick.asp
http://data.un.org/Explorer.aspx?d=SNAAMA
The Demographic Yearbook (DYB) Special Issue on Household Characteristics
The Tabulations of the DYB Special issue on Household Characteristics has been published. The tabulations contain the available household characteristics data reported to DESA’s Statistics Division for the Population Censuses conducted worldwide during the 2000 and 2010 rounds of censuses. In particular, the datasets present information on: (i) population by type of living quarters, by relation to the reference person, by age and sex; (ii) on households by different characteristics such as age, sex and marital status of reference person, by size and by type of household.
The Demographic Yearbook 2012 (DYB 2012)
The DYB 2012 is the sixty-third issue in a series published by the United Nations since 1948. It contains tables on a wide range of demographic statistics, including a world summary of selected demographic statistics, statistics on the size, distribution and trends in national populations, fertility, foetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce. Data are shown by urban/rural residence, as available. In addition, the volume provides Technical Notes, a synoptic table, a historical index and a listing of the issues of the Demographic Yearbook published to date. This issue of Demographic Yearbook contains data as available including the reference year 2012.
Outreach material
Sustainable Development in Action – Issue 10, Volume 1
Published by UN DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, the latest issue highlights among others, the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals. The newsletter aims to highlight the work carried out by Member States, the UN Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable development and leading the way to the Future We Want.
Youth Flash Newsletter
Published by UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth, the October issue is available online with a feature article entitled “Youth partnerships and the United Nations: Reflections on the UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development Open Meeting with Youth”. The newsletter is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
DESA NGO News
The November issue published by UN DESA’s NGO Branch is available online and features among other things an article on how the UN is linking private, public partnerships to create climate change solutions. The newsletter 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.
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 60
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the November issue states that the global manufacturing production has improved, the economic recovery is strengthening in developed economies, and the public fiscal stimulus programmes have been a determinant factor in economic growth in many developing countries.
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. LXVII – No. 9, September 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the quarterly and annual tables: Earnings in non-agricultural activities by sex; Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and 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.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Meeting records
Internet Governance for Sustainable Human, Economic and Social Development
The publication documents the proceedings of the Seventh Annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Meeting. The meeting was convened in Baku from 6-9 November 2012 under the overall theme of “Internet Governance for Sustainable Human, Economic and Social Development”.
Outreach material
Sustainable Development in Action – Issue 9, Volume 1
The latest newsletter, published by UN DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, aims to highlight the work carried out by Member States, the UN, Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable development and leading the way to the Future We Want.
Read full issue: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=12&nr=668&menu=1532
Youth Flash Newsletter
September and October issues are available online. The newsletter is published by UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
Read full issue:
http://undesadspd.org/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2013/September.aspx
http://undesadspd.org/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2013/October.aspx
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 ‘High-Level Meeting on Disability and Development (HLMDD) 2013 – Special Issue’ is now available. The newsletter features input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
Read full issue: http://www.un.org/disabilities/latest.asp?id=169
DESA NGO News
The October issue published by UN DESA’s NGO Branch, 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.
Read full issue: http://csonet.org/index.php?menu=109
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 58 & 59
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, September and October issues are available online.
To download:
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb58.pdf
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb59.pdf
The MDG Gap Task Force Report 2013
The report, entitled, “The Global Partnership for Development: The Challenge We Face,” tracks delivery on commitments listed under Millennium Development Goal 8—the global partnership for development— including aid, trade, debt relief, access to essential medicines and access to new technologies.
“The picture is mixed,” Mr. Ban said. “We can do better. The best way to prepare for the post-2015 era is to demonstrate that when the international community commits to a global partnership for development, it means it and directs its resources to where they are most needed.”
To deepen the global partnership of UN Member States, international organizations, civil society, the private sector and others, the report makes many recommendations, including for stopping tax evasion, strengthening manufacturing safety standards, dealing with unsustainable debt and improving financial regulation and the rules for global trade, while also asking all partners to live up to their commitments already made in support of achieving the MDGs.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/mdg_gap/index.shtml
National Transfer Accounts (NTA)
The publication provides a coherent accounting framework of economic flows from one age group or generation to another, typically for a national population in a given calendar year. This manual presents the concepts, methods and estimation procedures to measure these flows over the life-cycle. The NTA estimates are useful to understand and analyse the implications of changing age structures for the fiscal sustainability of social programs, the accumulation of physical and human capital, economic growth, and familial support for children, youth and older persons.
National Transfer Accounts are consistent with the System of National Accounts (SNA), and provide measures by single years of age of the sources of income (labour, assets, receipt of public and private transfers), and the uses of income (final private and public consumption, transfer payments of individuals to their families and the government, and saving). The manual builds on work carried out for more than a decade by members of the NTA global network, reflected in the book Population Aging and the Generational Economy (Lee and Mason, editors and main authors, 2011).
This manual, produced as part of a UN Development Account project (ROA167), is meant to support capacity development efforts, assisting researchers from countries all over the world to construct National Transfer Accounts, and to interpret and analyse them for relevant policy issues.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/development/NTA_Manual.shtml
Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2013 Revision
The publication launched by UN DESA’s Population Division consists of global estimates of the number of international migrants for 232 countries or areas of the world. The estimates cover the years 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2013 and are disaggregated by age, sex and country of origin and destination. The publication is available as an online database. A website on www.unmigration.org, dedicated to the launch of this publication, also displays a wall chart, three fact sheets focusing on different aspect of the new estimates, and a press release, video and statement of the Director from a press briefing.
Overall, the estimates show that more people than ever are living abroad. The number of international migrants worldwide has reached 232 million in 2013, up from 154 million in 1990. About 6 out of every 10 international migrants are living in the developed regions, or the global North. Although international migrants account for a small share of the total population (about 3 per cent), the effects of migration are much broader, since it affects migrants and non-migrants alike in countries of origin, destination and transit. Most international migrants are of working age and roughly half of them are women. The data also reveal that South-to-South movements were the most common form of migration around 1990. Since 2000, migration from South to North has become as common as migration between countries of the global South. In 2013, about 82.3 million international migrants who were born in the South are living as migrants in other countries of the South. About 81.9 million international migrants who originated in the South are now living in the North.
United Nations Member States and other stakeholders have made repeated calls for an improved evidence base on international migration. The Population Division has worked hard to respond to these requests and is hopeful that these new estimates will inform the High-level Dialogue in October and contribute to evidence-based policy-making and informed public debate.
For more information: http://esa.un.org/unmigration/wallchart2013.htm
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. LXVII – No. 8, August 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the quarterly and bimonthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Earnings in manufacturing, by sex; Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Outreach material
Sustainable Development in Action – Issue 7, Volume 8
The latest newsletter, published by UN DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, aims to highlight the work carried out by Member States, the UN, Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable development and leading the way to the Future We Want.
Read full issue: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1672
DESA NGO News
The September issue published by UN DESA’s NGO Branch, 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.
Read full issue: http://csonet.org/index.php?menu=109
Youth Flash Newsletter
August issue features an article on “Young people celebrate International Youth Day 2013”. The newsletter is published by UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
Read full issue at: http://undesadspd.org/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2013/August.aspx
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. LXVII – No. 7, July 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the 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.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
2010 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles
The publication provides energy balances for 132 countries for the period 2007-2010 and electricity profiles for 180 countries for the period 2005-2010. The energy balances are snapshots of the annual energy flows in each country showing energy production, trade, transformation and consumption of energy products. They are presented in a common unit – Terajoules. The electricity profiles provide detailed information for each country on the production, trade and consumption of electricity, net installed capacity and thermal power plant input and efficiency.
The publication is bi-lingual (English and French) and will soon be available in printed and electronic (PDF format) versions.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/energy/balance/default.htm
2010 Energy Statistics Yearbook
The Yearbook is the fifty-fourth issue in a series of annual compilations of internationally comparable statistics summarizing world energy trends. Annual data for 215 countries and areas for the period 2007 to 2010 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 direction of trade; selected series of statistics on renewables and wastes; refinery distillation capacity; and selected energy resources.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/energy/yearbook/default.htm
Outreach material
Sustainable Development in Action – Issue 7, Volume 1
The latest issue features the High-level Political Forum (HLPF). Published by DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, the newsletter aims to highlight the work carried out by Member States, the UN, Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable development and leading the way to the Future We Want.
Read full issue: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1653
Enable Newsletter
Prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, the July issue features input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
Read full issue: http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/newsletter/july2013.doc
DESA NGO News
The August issue is now available online. The monthly newsletter is published by DESA’s NGO Branch, providing 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.
Read full issue: http://csonet.org/index.php?menu=109
Youth Flash Newsletter
July issue features an article on “Malala Day – the Phoenix Rises from the Ashes”. The newsletter is published by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
Read full issue at: http://undesadspd.org/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2013/July.aspx
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 57
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the August issue highlights the policy initiatives to deal with the slowing growth in emerging economies, the revised US GDP statistics and the drought conditions that is affecting Southern Africa.
Read full issue: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb57.pdf
Websites
Friends of the Chair Group on Broader Measures of Progress
On 25 July the Statistics Division launched a new website for the Statistical Commission Friends of the Chair Group on Broader Measures of Progress (FOC). The Group was established by the United Nations Statistical Commission at its forty-fourth session (26 February to 1 March 2013) as response to the request of the Rio+20 conference to launch a programme of work on broader measures of progress to complement GDP in order to better inform policy decisions. The new website will be continuously updated with new information and documents as they become available.
To browse: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/broaderprogress/
World Economic and Social Survey 2013
The world is faced with challenges in all three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. For instance, more than 1 billion people are still living in extreme poverty, income inequality within and among many countries has been rising and, at the same time, unsustainable consumption levels and production patterns have resulted in huge economic and social costs and may endanger life on the planet.
The World Economic and Social Survey 2013 contributes to the deliberations on addressing sustainable development challenges with a focus on three important cross-sectoral issues identified for action and follow-up at the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development: sustainable cities, food security and energy transformation.
For more information and to download in other languages:
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wess/index.shtml
Voluntary Commitments and Partnerships for Sustainable Development
An impressive list of commitments made by Governments, the private sector and philanthropies at the Rio+20 and other international forums have galvanized a wide range of interests into action on sustainable development. Issued by the Division for Sustainable Development, DESA, the report found that an array of thematically driven action networks, particularly on health, education, energy, transport, cities and green-economy policies, have proved useful in driving commitments, inspiring new partnerships, building capacity and aligning common goals in the drive towards “The Future We Want”, to which the outcome document from the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development aspires.
“I am encouraged by the more than 700 concrete commitments registered at the Conference, from Governments, business, industry, financial institutions and civil society groups, amongst others,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, stressed: “Voluntary commitments and partnerships are important contributions that are strengthening the implementation of sustainable development everywhere by allowing people from all parts of society to contribute.” He added: “Partnerships and voluntary commitments complement but do not substitute for Government responsibilities and inter-governmentally agreed commitments.”
A new Sustainable Development in Action registry launched to catalogue the 730 commitments made at the June 2012 Rio+20 Conference has now reached 1,382 commitments, valued at about $636 billion. The report says that while many of them are for projects that will take several years to realize, the commitments represent a sizable amount in global terms and are equivalent to nearly 1 per cent of the gross world product of about $70 trillion.
To download : http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1645
The Sustainable Development in Action registry: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1533
A Guidebook to the Green Economy Issue 4: A guide to international green economy initiatives
In this Issue 4, the focus turns to the various international initiatives that are supporting countries and stakeholders to implement the green economy worldwide by providing a range of services including information exchange, data management, capacity building, finance, and technology services. In doing so, it provides a resource guide to the various existing international green economy platforms, partnerships, programs, funds and other initiatives.
Published by the Division of Sustainable Development of DESA, the guidebook also aims to map out many of the key actors involved in implementing and supporting the various green economy initiatives, the key services that they provide to countries, and the geographical reach of these initiatives which are now spreading the green economy across the globe. The intent is to provide useful information to practitioners, countries and stakeholders which may assist with coordination and coherence and help countries find the support they need. As with the previous guidebooks, the review focuses on green economy and the related concepts of green growth and low-carbon development.
To download: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=400&nr=916&menu=35
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. LXVII – No. 6, June 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the quarterly and bimonthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex; Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value indices, volume indices and value; Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value; Selected series of world statistics.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Population and Vital Statistics Report
The United Nations Statistics Division issued the Population and Vital Statistics report in hard copy. This report, in this format, is published once a year, while the electronic version is updated every two weeks at the UNSD website. The report presents data on total, female and male population counts from the most recent population census, population estimates and number and rates of vital events – births, deaths and infant deaths – for all the countries of the world. These data are presented as reported by national statistical authorities to the United Nations Demographic Yearbook.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/
World Statistics Pocketbook, 2013 edition
The World Statistics Pocketbook, 2013 edition is an annual compilation of key statistical indicators prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Over 50 indicators have been collected from more than 20 international statistical sources and are presented in one-page profiles for 216 countries or areas of the world. This issue covers various years from 2005 to 2012. For the economic indicators, in general, three years – 2005, 2010 and 2011 – are shown; for the indicators in the social and environmental categories, data for one year are presented.
The topics covered include: agriculture, balance of payments, education, energy, environment, food, gender, health, industrial production, information and communication, international finance, international tourism, international trade, labour, migration, national accounts, population and prices. The technical notes contain brief descriptions of the concepts and methodologies used in the compilation of the indicators as well as information on the statistical sources for the indicators. Reference to primary sources of the data is provided for readers interested in longer time-series data or more detailed descriptions of the concepts or methodologies.
Note: The present World Statistics Pocketbook, 2013 edition (Series V, No. 37) is an update of the previous edition which was released in 2012 and entitled World Statistics Pocketbook 2011 (Series V, No. 36).
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pocketbook/
Outreach material
DESA NGO News
The July issue is now available online highlighting, among others, the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The monthly newsletter is published by DESA’s NGO Branch, providing 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.
Read full issue: http://csonet.org/content/documents/jul13e.htm
Enable Newsletter
Prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, the June issue is now available. The newsletter features input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
Read full issue: http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/newsletter/june2013.doc
Youth Flash Newsletter
June issue is now available featuring an article on Indigenous Youth. The newsletter is published by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
Read full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2013/June.aspx
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 55
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the July issue highlights the global financial turmoil, the significant capital outflows and sharp depreciation of domestic currencies in developing countries as well as the struggle of Western Europe to move out from recession. The briefing states also that large emerging economies will continue to face domestic vulnerabilities.
Read full issue: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb56.pdf
Launch of the Millennium Development Goals Report 2013
At the occasion of the opening of ECOSOC, the Secretary-General will officially launch the Millennium Development Goals Report 2013 in Geneva on 1 July. In addition, launching events are planned in more than 20 cities worldwide on or around 1 July.
With the deadline for the MDGs on the horizon, this year’s report examines where the targets have been met and where redoubled efforts are needed urgently to accelerate the progress. It also reveals that our attention needs to focus on disparities across geographical areas and social groups, which often do not surface in the analysis at the global level.
For more information and to download: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/reports.shtml
Launch of the World Economic and Social Survey 2013
The World Economic and Social Survey 2013 (WESS) will be launched in Geneva on 2 July. Shamshad Akhtar, ASG for Economic Development, and Willem Van Der Geest, Chief of Development Strategy and Policy Analysis Unit in DESA, will launch the report.
The WESS provides objective analysis of pressing long-term social and economic development issues, and discusses the positive and negative impact of corresponding policies.
For more information and to download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wess/index.shtml
World Population Prospects: the 2012 Revision
The report, launched by DESA’s Population division in June, notes that the population of developed regions will remain largely unchanged at around 1.3 billion from now until 2050. In contrast, the 49 least developed countries are projected to double in size from around 900 million people in 2013 to 1.8 billion in 2050.
“Although population growth has slowed for the world as a whole, this report reminds us that some developing countries, especially in Africa, are still growing rapidly,” said the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Wu Hongbo in a press release on the report in June.
For more information: http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm
Creating Universal Access to Safe, Clean and Affordable Transport
The transformative role of transport in realizing sustainable development is well understood and was acknowledged in The Future We Want , the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) as well as the report of the Secretary General’s High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
The report outlines key challenges and opportunities on sustainable transport; reviews the implementation of the Voluntary Commitments in their first year; presents a number of additional Voluntary Commitments with a focus on measuring; and defines transport sector’s role in the post-2015 development framework.
To download: http://slocat.net/sites/default/files/u10/slocat_status_report_rio_20-_june_19_2013.pdf
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. LXVII – No. 5, May 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the quarterly tables: Earnings in manufacturing, by sex; Total exports and imports by regions: quantum and unit value indices and terms of trade in US dollars.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Outreach material
Sustainable Development in Action – Issue 6, Volume 1
The latest issue is now available featuring the Third session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals. Published by DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, the newsletter aims to highlight the work carried out by Member States, the UN, Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable development and leading the way to the Future We Want.
Read full issue: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1637
Enable Newsletter
Prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, the May issue is available. The newsletter features input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
Read full issue: http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/newsletter/may2013.doc
Youth Flash Newsletter
May issue is available featuring an article on the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi, hosting the first in a series of Google+ Hangouts. The newsletter is published by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
View full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2013/May.aspx
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 55
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the June issue states that despite improved global financial conditions and signs of reduced short-term risks, the world economy continues to expand at a subdued pace. After markedly slower growth over the past two years, global economic activity is expected to slowly gain momentum in the second half of 2013, but growth will still remain below potential.
Read full issue: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb55.pdf
Working papers
The distributional effects of fiscal austerity
This paper examines the distributional effects of fiscal austerity. Using episodes of fiscal consolidation measures for a sample of 17 OECD countries over the period 1978-2009, we find that fiscal consolidation episodes have typically led to a significant and long-lasting increase in inequality. Tax-based consolidation episodes tend to have a larger and more persistent effect on inequality than spending-based consolidations. The evidence also shows that while fiscal consolidations have typically led to a fall in wage income, they have not had a significant effect on profit and rent income.
To download: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2013/wp129_2013.pdf
Websites
Enhanced DESA Website & e-Brochure
The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) launched a new website and e-Brochure that extends the current design with interactive multimedia features and accessibility from mobile devices.
The new site comes with an improved navigation structure and better incorporates latest developments on the Internet. Users have access to latest news, publications and events of the Department, and can interact with DESA through video messages and social media.
To browse: http://www.un.org/desa
World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2013
Global economic activity is projected to slowly gain momentum, but growth will continue to be below potential and employment gains will remain weak, says the UN report. The mid-year update notes that since late 2012, new policy initiatives in major developed economies have reduced systemic risks and helped stabilize consumer, business and investor confidence, but with very limited improvement on economic growth.
“The main priority for policy makers worldwide should be to support a robust and balanced global recovery, with a focus on promoting job creation,” said Shamshad Akhtar, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development.
Global growth has been revised slightly downward from the forecasts presented in the WESP in December 2012.
Growth of world gross product (WGP) is now projected at 2.3 per cent in 2013, the same pace as in 2012, before gradually strengthening to 3.1 per cent in 2014, supported by an expected pickup in activity in the United States.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/policy/wesp-2013-midyearupdate.html
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp2013/wesp13update.pdf
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. LXVII – No. 4, April 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the quarterly and bimonthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Total exports and imports by countries or areas: volume, unit value, terms of trade and purchasing power of exports, in US dollars.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Population and Vital Statistics Report 2013
The United Nations Statistics Division issued the Population and Vital Statistics report in hard copy. This report, in this format, is published once a year, while the electronic version is updated every two weeks at the UNSD website. The report presents data on total, female and male population counts from the most recent population census, population estimates and number and rates of vital events – births, deaths and infant deaths – for all the countries of the world. These data are presented as reported by national statistical authorities to the United Nations Demographic Yearbook.
Outreach material
DESA NGO News
The May issue is now available online highlighting among others the High Level Meeting of the General Assembly on human trafficking. The monthly newsletter is published by DESA’s NGO Branch, providing 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.
Read full issue: http://csonet.org/content/documents/may13.html
Sustainable Development in Action – Issue 5, Volume 1
The latest issue is now available featuring the Third Interactive Dialogue of the General Assembly on Harmony with Nature that took place at UN Headquarters on Monday 22 April. Published by DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, the newsletter aims to highlight the work carried out by Member States, the UN, Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable development and leading the way to the Future We Want.
Read full issue: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1631
Enable Newsletter
Prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, the April issue is now available. The newsletter features input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
Read full issue: http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/newsletter/april2013.doc
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 54
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the May issue states that the global economy continued to expand at a subdued pace in the first quarter of 2013. The euro area is still in a recession and the recovery has been feeble in most other developed countries. In addition, many emerging economies, including Brazil, China, India and the Russian Federation, are growing below pre-crisis levels and exhibiting major difficulties. The weak global demand is affecting the performance of trade and the evolution of world market prices for primary commodities.
Read full issue: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb54.pdf
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. LXVII – No. 3, March 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the quarterly and bimonthly tables: Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex; Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices; value; Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value; Selected series of world statistics.
For more information:
Online Monthly Bulletin of Statistics
Outreach material
DESA NGO News
The April issue is now available online and features news on the General Assembly’s efforts to boost interaction between UN and G20, the second session of Open Working Group on SDGs and the UNAOC and UNESCO campaign “Do One Thing to Support Cultural Diversity and Inclusion”. The monthly newsletter is published by DESA’s NGO Branch, providing 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.
Read full issue: DESA NGO News
Sustainable Development in Action – Issue 4, Volume 1
The launch of a sustainable transport action network and bridging knowledge and capacity gaps for sustainability transition – these are some of the topics addressed in the latest issue now available on the Sustainable Development website. Published by DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, the newsletter aims to highlight the work carried out by Member States, the UN, Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable development and leading the way to the Future We Want.
View full issue:
Sustainable Development in Action Newsletter
Youth Flash Newsletter
April issue is now available featuring an article on “United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Youth”. The newsletter is published by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
View full issue at:
Youth Flash Newsletter
Enable Newsletter
Prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, the March issue is now available highlighting the upcoming 6th session of the Conference of States Parties (COSP6) to be held from 17 to 19 July 2013. The newsletter features input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
Read full issue:
United Nations ENABLE
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 53
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the April issue sheds light on the renewed concerns about banking fragility in the euro area as well as the increase of capital inflows into emerging markets. The Briefing also highlights the new monetary stance disclosed by the Bank of Japan and the strengthening of the US housing market.
Download:
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 53
Meeting records
Advanced unedited version of the Report on the 15th session of the Committee for Development Policy
The report on the 15th session of the Committee for Development Policy, which was held from 18 to 22 March 2013 in New York, includes main findings and recommendations of the Committee on the following themes: the role of science, technology and innovation for achieving sustainable development (the theme of 2013 AMR); addressing the vulnerabilities and development needs of SIDS; emerging issues in international development in post-2015 era; issues related to the least developed countries, including proposed guidelines on new reporting requirements for graduating and graduated LDCs.
For more information:
Advanced unedited version of the Report on the 15th session of the Committee for Development Policy
Committee for Development Policy Background Paper No. 16, Science, technology and innovation for sustainable development
The CDP Background Paper argues that science, technology and innovation (STI) play a critical role in expediting transition to a sustainable mode of development. Latecomer nations suffer from several disadvantages as they attempt to catch-up with the technological leaders, but they can enjoy latecomer advantages, if appropriate strategies are formulated and executed.
One of the key concepts is leapfrogging, whereby the latecomers absorb what the technological leaders have to offer and leap to a new environment-friendly techno-economic paradigm. To facilitate such a leap, the current intellectual-property-rights regimes need to evolve to one that fosters technology diffusion and greater use of intellectual property.
For more information:
Background Paper No. 16, Science, technology and innovation for sustainable development
A renewed global partnership for development
The second report of the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 Development is now available on the UN System Task Team Website. Titled “A renewed global partnership for development”, the report assesses MDG8 and provides an overview of lessons learnt, including the Monterrey Consensus. It reviews new challenges and trends in the international development landscape and suggests possible contours, alternative formats and a robust accountability mechanism for a renewed global partnership.
Established by the Secretary-General in January 2012, the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda assembles more than 60 UN agencies and international organizations under its umbrella to provide analytical inputs to the post-2015 process. It is co-chaired by UN DESA and UNDP.
To download:
A renewed global partnership for development
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. LXVII – No. 2, February 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the quarterly and bimonthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Earnings in manufacturing, by sex; Total exports and imports by regions: quantum and unit value indices and terms of trade in US dollars.
For more information:
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS Online
2009 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles
The 2009 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles contains energy balances for about 115 developing countries, showing production, trade, conversion and consumption in energy units for all energy products; and electricity profiles for about 190 countries, providing detailed information on production, trade and consumption of electricity, net installed capacity and thermal power plant input for selected developing and developed countries.
For more information:
2009 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles
Outreach material
DESA NGO News
Information about the global plan adopted by the CSW57 to end gender-based violence and the fourth meeting of the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda held in Bali, are featured in the March issue. The online monthly newsletter is published by DESA’s NGO Branch, providing 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.
Read full issue: DESA NGO News
Sustainable Development in Action – Issue 3, Volume 1
The latest issue is now available online. Published by DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, the newsletter aims to highlight the work carried out by Member States, the UN, Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable development and leading the way to the Future We Want.
View full issue: Sustainable Development in Action
Youth Flash Newsletter
March issue is now available featuring an article entitled “Google+ Hangout with Youth Representatives and Expert Panelists Puts a Spotlight on Youth Migration”. The newsletter is published by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
View full issue at: Youth Flash Newsletter
Enable Newsletter
Prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, the February issue is now available highlighting the upcoming High-level Meeting on Disability and Development to be held in September. The newsletter features input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes and civil society.
Read full issue: United Nations ENABLE newsletter
Open Government Data for Citizen Engagement in Managing Development Guidance Toolkit (OGDCE Toolkit)
DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) has released the Open Government Data for Citizen Engagement in Managing Development Toolkit (OGDCE toolkit). The toolkit is a practical, easy-to-understand and easy-to-use set of guidelines for government decision makers to implement, evaluate and sustain open government data initiatives for citizen engagement.
The Toolkit introduces the concept of open government data, strategies for designing open data programs, steps for implementing, monitoring and evaluating the related programs, and ideas for sustaining the open data ecosystem. The Toolkit also provides checklists for assessing open government data readiness, options for open data platforms and information on open data formats.
Since open government data is a fast moving field, the Division welcomes contributions to the Toolkit from stakeholders and has released a working version on 27 February 2013 alongside the first edition.
For more information: OGDCE Toolkit
Online Survey on Promoting Empowerment of People
DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development conducted, from 8 August to 5 September 2012, a global online survey to gather inputs for consideration by the 51st session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD), which took place from 6 to 15 February 2013.
The survey enabled the public worldwide to respond to a set of questions that were related to the priority theme of CSocD on “Promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all”.
The responses collected and selected from the first question “Empowerment: What does it mean to you?” was published in a separate booklet.
The ten questions were the following:
1. When you hear the term “empowerment” what does it mean to you?
2. How would empowering people help achieve poverty eradication?
3. How would empowering people improve social integration, especially of people living in poverty, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples?
4. How could empowering people help achieve full employment and decent work?
5. What do you consider would be main barriers to the economic, social and political empowerment of people and social groups including people living in poverty, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and indigenous people?
6. Do you have any examples of successful empowerment of people, including specific social groups? Please indicate them.
7. What policies do you consider would further promote social, economic, political and legal empowerment of people, including social groups?
8. Do you consider that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), especially the Internet has an impact on empowerment? Can you give some examples?
9. How is empowerment related to inequality in societies?
10. Please provide any additional comments.
To download the full survey:
Online Survey on Promoting Empowerment of People
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 52
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the March issue sheds light on the US automatic spending cuts referred to as the “sequester”. The briefing also states that while China is setting out a GDP target of 7.5 per cent, India is boosting its budget spending.
Download: Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
Websites
Redesign of DESA’s Population Division website
The new redesign of DESA’s Population Division website, launched on 20 March, includes news, events and exciting features, through which both existing users and new visitors can gain a greater understanding of the Division’s activities and achievements.
“We are very excited to launch the redesigned website. Now it will be much easier for users throughout the global community to find the information they need, whether it is Member States seeking policy-relevant analysis or fact sheets, or members of the general public looking for data about population trends in their home countries,” said Mr. John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division.
To browse: Website of DESA’s Population Division
Towards a renewed global partnership for development
In March, the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 Development Agenda will publish its second report with recommendations on a global partnership for development in the post-2015 era. The report assesses MDG8 and provides an overview of lessons learnt, including the Monterrey Consensus. It reviews new challenges and trends in the international development landscape and suggests possible contours, alternative formats and a robust accountability mechanism for a renewed global partnership.
Titled “Towards a renewed global partnership for development”, the report will be available on the UN System Task Team Website. Established by the Secretary-General in January 2012, the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda assembles more than 60 UN agencies and international organizations under its umbrella to provide analytical inputs to the post-2015 process. It is co-chaired by UN DESA and UNDP.
For more information:
UN System Task Team
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. LXVII – No. 1, January 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the quarterly table: Total exports and imports by countries or areas: volume, unit value, terms of trade and purchasing power of exports, in US dollars.
For more information:
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics
Outreach material
DESA NGO News
The February issue features among other things the Google+ Hangout on sustainable development, the Committee on NGOs and the e-discussion on Building the future we want with science, technology and innovation (STI) and culture. The online monthly newsletter is published by DESA’s NGO Branch, providing 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.
Read full issue:
DESA NGO News
Sustainable Development in Action – Issue 2, Volume 1
The latest issue is now available on the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform website. The newsletter aims to highlight the work carried out by Member States, the UN, Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable development and leading the way to the Future We Want.
View full issue:
Sustainable Development in Action Newsletter
Youth Flash Newsletter
The February issue features an article on “Tracking the Promises on Youth Participation: UN High Level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda”. The newsletter is published by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
View full issue at:
Youth Flash Newsletter
Booklet on “Empowerment: What does it mean to you?”
Published by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, the booklet represents a collaborative effort, made possible by the answers received from people all over the world on the Empowerment theme.
A great number of young individuals, persons with disabilities, older persons, and people working for various institutions and organizations committed to social development issues, provided input. Their keen interest on empowerment was a testament to the constantly growing importance this topic has in society.
Download: Empowerment: What does it mean to you?
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 51
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the February issue states that a number of new policy initiatives adopted by major economies have measurably improved the situation in global financial markets. The report also highlights the increased depreciation of the yen against other major currencies, due to the new monetary policy stance in Japan.
Download:
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 51
Websites
Launch of website for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) conference
A new website has been launched for the 2014 Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), following up to Rio+20 Conference in June last year. The website contains a wealth of information on the upcoming event to be held in 2014 in Apia, Samoa.
To browse:
2014 Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) website
UN Task Team Thematic Think Pieces
Under its extended mandate from September 2012, the UN System Task Team established a new working group to provide analytical thinking and inputs on a renewed global partnership for development in the post-2015 development agenda. A set of think pieces has been prepared by various UN agencies, focusing on specific issues of relevance to the global partnership as well as on lessons learnt from MDG-8 and an overview of the various actors involved. A synthesis report of the papers will be published in March 2013. The papers can be accessed at: http://bit.ly/UCPFIt
For more information:
Preparing for the development agenda beyond 2015
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. LXVI – No. 12, December 2012
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the following quarterly and bimonthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex; Fuel imports of developed economies; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports; and Selected series of world statistics.
For more information: Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online
MDG Gender Chart 2012
The MDG Gender Chart 2012 was just released online. Co-produced by the Statistics Division and UN-Women every two years, the chart depicts the situation of women and girls in developing regions, as reflected in a number of MDG indicators. It is prepared with inputs from members of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDGs indicators.
The chart reveals that although there has been some progress in a number of the gender dimensions, more needs to be done, in every country and at every level, to achieve the pivotal third MDG and to reduce persisting levels of inequality based on sex, wealth, location, ethnicity and other markers of disadvantage.
For more information: MDG Gender Chart 2012
Outreach material
Youth Flash Newsletter
The January issue is now available featuring the story Connecting Youth to the Global Development Agenda, youth in action and more. The newsletter is published by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
View full issue at: Youth Flash Newsletter
Enable Newsletter
Prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, the January issue is now available highlighting the Status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), as well as the latest updates on coming events, publications and more. The newsletter features input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
Read full issue: United Nations ENABLE Newsletter
DESA NGO News
Featuring information on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, highlighting the importance of NGOs submitting quadrennial reports on time, as well as the people’s survey “My World”, the January edition is now available. The online monthly newsletter is published by DESA’s NGO Branch, providing 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.
Read full issue: DESA NGO News
Message Stick
Published by The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), the newsletter includes information on the International Expert Group Meeting: Indigenous Youth: Identity, Challenges and Hope on 29- 31 January, as well as the upcoming 12th Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues taking place on 20- 31 May.
Download: Message Stick
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 50
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the January issue states that the world economic prospects for 2013 is only slightly improving. While a full-blown fiscal cliff has been averted, significant uncertainties remain about the debt ceiling and fiscal sustainability in the long run. The report also calls for more forceful and concerted policy actions at both national and international levels to mitigate all the major risks.
Download:
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 50
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 49
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the November/December issue highlights the fiscal cliff looming for the United States, the economic situation in Japan that continues to deteriorate and the mild strengthening of economic activity in China.
Download: Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 49
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2013 (WESP)
On 18 December, the first chapter of the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP), the Global Economic Outlook, was pre-released in New York. According to the report, growth of the world economy has weakened considerably during 2012 and is expected to remain subdued in the coming two years. This pace of growth will be far from sufficient to overcome the continued jobs crisis that many countries are still facing.
With existing policies and growth trends, it may take at least another five years for Europe and the United States to make up for the job losses caused by the Great Recession of 2008-2009. The prospects for the next two years continue to be challenging, fraught with major uncertainties and risks slanted towards the downside.
The full report will be launched on 18 January.
Free download: World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP)
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.
In addition to regular monthly tables, the November 2012 issue (print as well as online) includes the following quarterly and annual tables:
12. Earnings in manufacturing, by sex.
38. Total exports and imports by regions: quantum and unit value indices and terms of trade in US dollars.
42. World exports by commodity classes and by regions.
For more information:
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS Online
Outreach material
Social Development Link Newsletter (SDLN)
The October issue is now available highlighting among other things the conclusion of the 5th session of the Conference of States Parties and an update on the System Wide Action Plan on Youth Survey which gathered over 13,500 online responses from 186 countries. An overwhelming majority of the respondents were under 30.
The newsletter, which is now published monthly by the Civil Society and Outreach Unit of the Division for Social Policy and Development, aims at providing a sharp and synthetic summary of major activities carried out by DSPD. The newsletter will serve as a link between DSPD and its major partners, from civil society actors to social development practitioners and scholars.
View full issue at:
Social Development Link Newsletter (SDLN)
Youth Flash Newsletter
The November issue is now available featuring a story by the UN Youth Delegate from Georgia. The newsletter is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes and from youth organizations around the world.
View full issue at:
Youth Flash Newsletter November 2012
Probabilistic Population Projections
This CD-ROM contains the 2nd Revision of Probabilistic Population Projections prepared by DESA’s Population Division. While the 1st Revision, published in early 2012, was based only on probabilistic projections of total fertility, this revision also includes probabilistic projections of life expectancy at birth for all countries that do not have a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections.
The probabilistic projections are based on the historical estimates of population by age and sex, fertility and mortality between 1950 and 2010 from the 2010 Revision of the World Population Prospects.
For more information:
Probabilistic Population Projections
Pre-launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2013
The chapter on global economic outlook of the WESP 2013 will be launched in New York on 18 December at 11 am at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium. A joint product of DESA, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the five United Nations regional commissions, it provides an overview of recent global economic performance and short-term prospects for the world economy and of some key global economic policy and development issues. One of its purposes is to serve as a point of reference for discussions on economic, social and related issues taking place in various United Nations entities during the year.
For more information:
World Economic Situation and Prospects
Statistical compilations
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics (Print and 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.
In addition to regular monthly tables, the October 2012 issue includes the following quarterly and bimonthly tables:
8. Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials.
36. Total exports and imports by countries or areas: volume, unit value, terms of trade and purchasing power of exports, in US dollars
For more information: Monthly Bulletin of Statistics
Demographic Yearbook 2011
Tables of the Demographic Yearbook 2011 are now available online. This Yearbook is the sixty-second issue in a series published by the United Nations since 1948. It contains tables on a wide range of demographic statistics, including a world summary of selected demographic statistics, statistics on the size, distribution and trends in national populations, fertility, foetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce. Data are shown by urban/rural residence, as available. In addition, the volume provides Technical Notes, a synoptic table, a historical index and a listing of the issues of the Demographic Yearbook published to date. This issue of Demographic Yearbook contains data as available including reference year 2011.
For more information: Demographic Yearbook
Meeting records
The Future We Want – Booklet
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – or Rio+20 – took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 20-22 June 2012. It resulted in a focused political outcome document – the Future We Want – which contains clear and practical measures for implementing sustainable development.
To download: The Future We Want – Booklet
Outreach material
DESA NGO News
The November issue is now available online highlighting events including the dialogue between the President of the 67th Session of the General Assembly and Civil Society, as well as a day of informal discussions on the development of a new generation of development goals. The online monthly newsletter is published by DESA’s NGO Branch, providing 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.
Read full issue: DESA NGO News
Youth Flash Newsletter
The latest issue of Youth Flash is now available online and features a story on Georgia establishing the Youth Delegate Programme. The newsletter is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organizations around the world.
Read full issue: Youth Flash Newsletter
Enable Newsletter
The November issue is now available putting spotlights on the many events being arranged to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December. It also highlights the work of the General Assembly’s Third Committee. The ENABLE Newsletter is prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
Read full issue: ENABLE Newsletter
Websites
Most recent site additions and updates
New updates have been included in the Forty-fourth session of the Statistical Commission website. The Commission is scheduled to be held at United Nations Headquarters, New York from 26 February to 1 March 2013 in the United Nations Secretariat Building. All meetings will be held in the Conference Room 3 (Temporary North Lawn Building).
For more information: 44th session of the Statistical Commission
Main documentation site:
Documents for the forty-second session of the Statistical Commission
New York, 22 – 25 February 2011
Others
United Nations at a Glance
Published by the Department of Public Information, this book explains what the UN does, how the UN does it, who the actors are, and when historical milestones occurred. Illustrated with photos and stories from the field, the guide examines the work of the UN in international peace and security, economic and social development, human rights, and humanitarian action.
For more information: United Nations at a Glance
LINK Global Economic Outlook
Four years after the eruption of the global financial crisis, the world economy is still in a precarious situation. Growth has weakened considerably during 2012 and the prospects for the next two years continue to be challenging, fraught with a number of uncertainties and risks slanted towards the downside. The report proposes a different policy approach, moving away from the current emphasis on fiscal austerity to focus on short and long-term measures to stimulate jobs growth.
Read the full report: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/proj_link/documents/linkreportfall2012.pdf
Websites
Launch of the redesigned version of the Support Measures Portal for Least Developed Countries
The new interactive platform compiles and catalogues information about LDC-specific international support measures provided by development partners. It allows users to learn about what the measures are, who the main suppliers are, and how they can access to these resources. Users can also participate in discussions, make comments, present views, ask questions and highlight their own experience.
To access the portal: http://esango.un.org/ldcportal/
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. LXVI – No. 9, September 2012
In addition to regular monthly tables, this issue includes the following quarterly and annual tables:
12a. Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex.
18. Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices; value.
19. Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies.
37. External trade conversion factors.
39. Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value.
41. Exports by commodity classes and by regions: developed economies.
51. Selected series of world statistics.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Outreach material
DESA NGO News
The October issue is now available online highlighting the post-2015 development agenda and featuring a brief FAQ sheet on this process. It also features information on procedures of relevance for civil society organizations and NGOs requesting ground passes in New York, as well as the work sessions of the Second and Third Committees. The online monthly newsletter is published by DESA’s NGO Branch, providing 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.
To access the issue: http://csonet.org/content/documents/oct.html
Social Development Link Newsletter
Published monthly by the Civil Society and Outreach Unit of the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD), the latest issue is now available. It aims to provide a sharp and synthetic summary of major activities carried out by DSPD. It also serves as a link between DSPD and its major partners, from civil society actors to social development practitioners and scholars.
View full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Newsletters/SDLNewsletter/October2012.aspx
Youth Flash Newsletter
The latest issue of Youth Flash is now available online, highlighting among other things the 2nd International Youth Leadership Academy (IYLA) and how 29 committed young people traveled to attend the event in Istanbul. The newsletter is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organizations around the world.
View the full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2012/October.aspx
Enable Newsletter
The September-October issue is now available. ENABLE Newsletter is prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society. It highlights among other things how many and which countries have ratified the convention.
View full issue at: http://www.un.org/disabilities/
SPFII on Twitter
As part of on-going online outreach efforts, the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is now on Twitter. For updates, follow @UN4Indigenous.
Meeting records
Adoption of the Resolution on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in 2014
The sixty-sixth session of the UN General Assembly adopted the Draft Resolution A/66/L.61, which was orally amended and agreed upon, on the Organization of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly, to be known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.
For details: social.un.org/index/IndigenousPeoples/WorldConference.aspx
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the latest October briefing puts spotlight on stalling economic activity in developed countries which has caused the growth of world trade to slow significantly, continued economic uncertainty in the eurozone and the enactment of significant reforms by the Government of India.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb48.pdf
Launch of the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform (SDKP)
This new website has been launched by DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development following-up to Rio+20. The platform contains information on the past 19 years of normative and analytical work of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), a wealth of content from the preparatory process of Rio+20, and is the go to place for Rio+20 follow-up.
To browse: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.html
Technical reports
MDG Gap Task Force Report 2012: The Global Partnership for Development: Making Rhetoric a Reality
“Do not place the burden of fiscal austerity on the backs of the poor,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community, as he launched the MDG Gap Task Force Report 2012 in New York on 20 September. In its 2012 Report, the MDG Gap Task Force has had difficulty identifying areas of significant new progress towards delivering on commitments to the Global Partnership for Development, and for the first time there are signs of backsliding.
The volume of official development assistance (ODA) fell for the first time in many years, obstacles to exports from developing countries are on the rise, and numerous developing countries are facing debt difficulties. With less than three years until 2015, there is no apparent commitment by donor Governments to reverse the trend in time, and it is likely that fewer MDGs will be reached in fewer countries as a result.
Download report: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/mdg_gap/index.shtml
Read the story Significant MDG gains risk slowing under declining aid
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. LXVI – No. 8, August 2012
In addition to regular monthly tables, this issue includes the following quarterly and bimonthly tables:
8. Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials
12. Earnings in manufacturing, by sex
38. Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Meeting records
Secretary-General’s Report on International Migration and Development
In resolution 65/170, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of that resolution at its sixty-seventh session. The report was also to include organizational details of the 2013 High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, including possible themes.
The first section of the report includes recent data on migratory patterns by origin and destination. The information allows for an assessment of the scope of international migration from developing countries, providing a critical underpinning to the debate on international migration and development. It describes recent levels of remittance transfers, including evidence on the costs of transferring remittances, and highlights recent activities to safeguard the rights of migrants and to combat irregular migration. It also discusses gaps in protecting and assisting migrants, including “stranded migrants” and people who move in the context of environmental change.
The second section synthesizes recent efforts of the UN system to enhance partnerships, coordination and cooperation, including through the Coordination Meeting on International Migration and the Global Migration Group. It contains a review of the support provided by the Group to Member States, including the Global Forum on Migration and Development.
The third section contains proposals for the organization of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, to be convened by the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session in 2013. It also contains a suggested structure and format for the event, as well as possible themes, preparatory activities and outcomes.
The report concludes with a set of concrete recommendations to enhance the benefits of migration and to reduce its negative impacts on development and recounts the steps that are being taken to prepare for the 2013 High-level Dialogue.
For more information: http://www.unpopulation.org/
Outreach material
Social Development Link Newsletter (SDLN)
The August-September issue is now available online. The newsletter, which is now published monthly by the Civil Society and Outreach Unit of the Division for Social Policy and Development, aims at providing a sharp and synthetic summary of major activities carried out by DSPD.
As its title shows, the newsletter will serve as a link between DSPD and its major partners, from civil society actors to social development practitioners and scholars.
View full issue at:
http://social.un.org/index/Newsletters/SDLNewsletter/AugustSeptember2012.aspx
Youth Flash Newsletter
The August-September issue is now available featuring the story “Empowering Young Australians”, by Ella Fisher. The newsletter is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organisations around the world.
View full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2012/AugustSeptember.aspx
ENABLE Newsletter
The June-August issue is now available. ENABLE Newsletter is 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, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society. It highlights among other things how many and which countries have ratified the convention.
View full issue at: http://www.un.org/disabilities/
DESA NGO News
The September issue is now available. The online monthly newsletter 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.
View full issue: http://csonet.org/content/documents/sept.html
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The latest issue states that the weak demand in Europe is directly affecting the growth prospects of many developing countries and economies in transition by reducing demand for their exports. The briefing also highlights the initiation of the European Central Bank (ECB) programme of “outright monetary transactions”, through which it would buy sovereign debt of eurozone countries with maturities of one to three years.
Download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb47.pdf
MDG Gap Task Force Report 2012: The Global Partnership for Development: Making Rhetoric a Reality
To be launched the third week of September, the report notes that out of the 23 donors that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee (OECD/DAC), 16 reduced their aid in 2011. This was mainly as a result of fiscal constraints due to the current economic crisis, negatively affecting their official development assistance (ODA) budgets.
The MDG Gap Task Force was created by the UN Secretary-General to improve the monitoring of the global commitments contained in MDG 8, the Global Partnership for Development. Its main purpose is to systematically track existing international commitments and to identify gaps and obstacles at the international and country level in the areas of official development assistance, market access (trade), debt sustainability, access to essential medicines and new technologies.
The Task Force integrates more than 20 UN agencies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the OECD, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO). UNDP and DESA are the lead agencies in coordinating the work of the Task Force.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/mdg_gap/index.shtml
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. LXVI – No. 7, July 2012
In addition to regular monthly tables, this issue includes the following quarterly and annual tables:
36. Total exports and imports by countries or areas: volume, unit value, terms of trade and purchasing power of exports, in US dollars
40. World exports by provenance and destination
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Meeting records
Report on the Eleventh Session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA)
The Report and Resolution on the Eleventh session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA), which was held fon 16-20 April 2012, and the Provisional Agenda for the next CEPA meeting in April of 2013 were recently adopted at ECOSOC’s annual substantive session which ended on 27 July, 2012. The main issues of the resolution for consideration by the Council were:
- To take note with appreciation of the conclusions and recommendations of the report of CEPA in its eleventh session on local public governance and administration for results, particularly the special emphasis on the role of citizens’ engagement, human capital development, including training and education of public servants, and fair allocation of resources in strengthening governance at all levels, particularly the local level.
- To invite CEPA in the framework of the preparations for its twelfth session, to study the effect of specific practices in responsive and inclusive public governance on development, bearing in mind the need to promote high standards of public sector integrity, transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness, at national and local levels, to promote equal access to public services, and provide opportunities for all people to participate in the conduct of public affairs; and requests the Committee to convey the outcome of the study to the Council through its twelfth report in April 2013 with a view to assisting the process of preparing for deliberations on a post-2015 development agenda.
- To invite Member States and other institutional donors to consider contributing to the relevant trust funds of DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management, for extending its capacity building programmes and outreach activities, as appropriate. Additionally, the resolution requests the Secretariat to: a) increase the scope and depth of its online and offline capacity development training and to further develop its Public Administration Country Studies (UNPACS), b) give due recognition to innovative public sector initiatives by Member States through the promotion and strengthening of the UN Public Service Day and Public Service Awards, c) support the development of the UN Public Administration Network (UNPAN) for partnership-building, knowledge dissemination and the exchange of best practices and lessons learned in the area of public administration, and d) assist the implementation of the Geneva Plan of Action.
For more information:
http://www.unpan.org/DPADM/CEPA/11thSession/tabid/1505/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The latest issue notes that severe drought affecting large parts of the United States is having a damaging impact on crops and pushing up world food prices. The briefing also states that in response to slowing domestic growth and heightened uncertainty over the global outlook, monetary authorities in emerging economies are increasingly moving towards a more supportive policy stance.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb.shtml
Websites
UN Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda
The UN Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda website, prepared by DESA’s Division for Development Policy and Analysis, includes all the information, publications and key resources related to the UN System Task Team which aims to coordinate preparations for the development agenda beyond the MDG deadline of 2015 and support the work of the High-level Panel that the Secretary-General has appointed.
To browse: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/untaskteam_undf/index.shtml
World Statistics Pocketbook 2011
The World Statistics Pocketbook 2011 is the thirty-first in a series of annual compilations of key statistical indicators prepared by DESA’s Statistics Division. Over 50 indicators have been collected from more than 20 international statistical sources and are presented in one-page profiles for 216 countries or areas of the world.
This issue covers various years from 2000 to 2011. For the economic indicators, in general, three years – 2000, 2005 and 2010 – are shown; for the indicators in the social and environmental categories, data for one year are presented. The topics covered include: agriculture, balance of payments, education, energy, environment, food, gender, health, industrial production, information and communication, international finance, international tourism, international trade, labour, migration, national accounts, population and prices.
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. LXVI – No. 6, June 2012
In addition to regular monthly tables, this issue includes the following quarterly and bi-monthly tables:
8. Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials
12a. Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex
18. Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices; value
19. Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies
37. External trade conversion factors
39. Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value
51. Selected series of world statistics
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Meeting records
Report of Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development
The outcome report on the conference which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 20-22 June 2012 acknowledged that, as part of a “Common Vision”, democracy, good governance and the rule of law, at the national and international levels, as well as an enabling environment, are essential for sustainable development, including sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development, environmental protection and the eradication of poverty and hunger. It reaffirmed that to achieve sustainable development goals, institutions at all levels need to be effective, transparent, accountable and democratic.
With respect to the institutional frameworks for sustainable development, the report recognized that effective governance at the local, subnational, national, regional and global levels, representing the voices and interests of all is critical for advancing sustainable development and that the strengthening and reform of the same should not be an end in itself, but a means to achieve sustainable development. The divisions’ work programme on governance is consistent to the areas raised in the outcome report and DPADM will make further reference in a bid to strengthen the same.
For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/
Outreach material
Social Development Link Newsletter (SDLN)
The July issue is now available online highlighting the ECOSOC sessions including the Development Cooperation Forum as well as the International Day of Cooperatives 2012. The newsletter is published by the Civil Society and Outreach Unit of DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD), is now available. It aims at providing a sharp and synthetic summary of major activities carried out by DSPD and serve as a link between DSPD and its major partners, from civil society actors to social development practitioners and scholars.
For more information: http://social.un.org/index/Newsletters/SDLNewsletter/July2012.aspx
Youth Flash Newsletter
The July issue is now available featuring the story “Youth: a Hot Topic at the UN”, presenting the activities of DESA in keeping youth issues sizzling. The newsletter is a service of the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) Focal Point on Youth to help keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organizations all over the world.
For more information: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2012/July.aspx
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The July issue highlights the deceleration of international trade which mirrors weakening global demand, reduced industrial production and interconnected slowdowns among trading partners resulting from macroeconomic uncertainties and policies in developed countries. The briefing also highlights the progress made in EU bank recapitalization and growth pact as well as the slowing growth in Brazil and India.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb45.pdf
Working papers
Should global goal setting continue, and how, in the post -2015 era?
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were introduced to monitor implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration which set out a vision for inclusive and sustainable globalization based on human rights principles. This paper critically assesses the MDG experience including their policy purpose, ethical commitments, political origins, and consequences. It proposes that post-2015 goals should be based on principles of equity, sustainability and human security and address key contemporary challenges such as climate change, unemployment, inequality and global market instability.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2012/wp117_2012.pdf
Websites
Launch of a new web portal: United Nations Social Development Network (UNSDN)
DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) has launched a new web portal (as a pilot project) called United Nations Social Development Network (UNSDN) to share knowledge and good practices among social development professionals worldwide on ageing, civil society, cooperatives, disability, employment, family, indigenous peoples, poverty, social integration, technology and youth.
UNSDN is uniquely positioned to disseminate information and knowledge produced by the United Nations system in the area of social development, particularly on the three core issues of poverty eradication, employment generation and social integration. UNSDN will act as a major interface between DESA’s work in the area of social development and that of its partners involved in advancing the global social development agenda.
To browse: http://unsdn.org/
Publications in other languages
The following publication has been translated into Russian and Spanish:
Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services 2010 (MSITS 2010)
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.M/86/Rev.1, Sales No.: 10.XVII.14
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htm
Website additions and updates
Online updates to “2011 International Trade Statistics Yearbook Volume I – Trade by Country” provides an overview of the world trade in 2011 and detailed information on the merchandise trade of 174 countries (or areas).
For more information: http://comtrade.un.org/pb/
UN e-Government Survey recognized
The Economist Intelligence Unit published “Smart policies to close the digital divide: Best practices from around the world” and have mentioned the UN E-Government Survey and quoted Haiyan Qian on improved access due to mobile technology.
The report, based on extensive desk research and wide-ranging interviews with experts from more than ten developed and emerging-market countries, presents best practices that have been adopted by governments and the private sector globally to bridge digital divides.
For more information:
http://www.unpan.org/DPADM/Home/tabid/420/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Two major publications will be released starting with the Millennium Development Goals Report 2012 on 2 July, followed by the World Economic and Social Survey 2012 on 5 July. A wealth of additional publications and reports are also available online.
Launch of the Millennium Development Goals Report 2012 on 2 July
The Millennium Development Goals agreed to by world leaders over a decade ago have achieved important results. Working together, governments, the United Nations family, the private sector and civil society have succeeded in saving many lives and improving conditions for many more.
The world has met some important targets — ahead of the deadline, including the ones presented below:
- Extreme poverty is falling in every region
- The poverty reduction target was met
- The world has met the target of halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water
- Improvements in the lives of slum dwellers in urban areas
- The world has achieved parity in primary education between girls and boys
- Many countries facing the greatest challenges have made significant progress towards universal primary education
- Child survival progress is gaining momentum
- Access to treatment for people living with HIV increased in all regions
- The world is on track to achieve the target of halting and beginning to reverse the spread of tuberculosis
- Global malaria deaths have declined
For more information: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Default.aspx
Launch of the World Economic and Social Survey 2012 on 5 July
The World Economic and Social Survey (WESS) to be launched on 5 July provides objective analysis of pressing long-term social and economic development issues, and discusses the positive and negative impact of corresponding policies.
The report analyses current and proposed mechanisms for innovative development finance and highlights mechanisms that can 1) increase the scale of development financing available and 2) provide stable and predictable financing to enhance sustainable development.
The Survey confirms the potential of innovative development financing to mobilize substantial resources for international priorities, but concludes that realizing this potential requires strong political will to follow through on available proposals as well as transparency in the allocation and management of those resources.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wess/index.shtml
Live webcast from official launch of the WESS 2012 on 5 July at 11 am EST
Other technical reports
Global Economic Outlook (GEO) Report
This report presents short-term prospects for the global economy in 2012-2013, highlighting major risks and uncertainties.
The report draws on inputs from the experts of Project LINK, and analysis of staff in the Global Economic Monitoring Unit (GEMU) of the Development Policy and Analysis Division (DPAD) of UN DESA.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/proj_link/documents/geo201206.pdf
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. LXVI – No. 5, May 2012
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Earnings in manufacturing, by sex and Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services 2010 (MSITS 2010) ST/ESA/STAT/SER.m/86 Rev.110.XVII.14
The Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services 2010 (MSITS 2010) addresses the needs of a variety of producers and users of such statistics. While it is primarily a guide for statistical compilers, it is also a useful tool for governments and international organizations that use statistical information in connection with international negotiations on trade in services. Furthermore, it can aid enterprises and others that need to monitor developments in international services markets.
The revised Manual provides a more detailed classification of services delivered through conventional trade between residents and non-residents than is contained in BPM6. This Extended Balance of Payments Services (EBOPS 2010) classification has been revised in line with existing statistical frameworks.
The most significant change was the introduction of ‘Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others’ and ‘Maintenance and repair services, n.i.e.’ as two new components and the removal of ‘Merchanting’ from ‘Other business services’. The Manual includes a treatment of local delivery of services through foreign commercial presence and takes a further step towards linking these two systems.
The Manual provides clarifications on inward and outward FATS, and also describes the links between FATS and the international supply of services. It includes a new chapter discussing “modes of supply” described in GATS through which services can be delivered, and elaborates recommendations for a statistical treatment of these modes.
Correspondence tables will be provided as online documents between EBOPS 2010 and the Central Product Classification version 2.0, (CPC Ver. 2.0); and the GATS Services Sectoral Classification List (W120). The annex presenting the nature and purpose of the Tourism Satellite Account has also been updated. A new analytical annex will be provided online.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/tradeserv/TFSITS/manual.htm
Statistical Yearbook, Fifty-fifth issue
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.S/31, B.12.XVII.1
The Statistical Yearbook is an annual compilation of a wide range of international economic, social and environmental statistics on over 200 countries and areas, compiled from sources including UN agencies and other international, national and specialized organizations.
The 55th edition contains data available to the Statistics Division as of 31 December 2011 and presents them in 60 tables on topics such as: agriculture, forestry and fishing; communication; development assistance; education; energy; environment; finance; gender; international merchandise trade; international tourism; labour force; manufacturing; national accounts; population; prices; and science and technology.
The number of years of data shown in the tables varies from one to ten, with most tables covering the period up to 2009 or 2010. Accompanying the tables are technical notes providing brief descriptions of major statistical concepts, definitions and classifications.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/syb/
2010 International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Vol. II
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.G/59, E.12.XVII.3
The 2010 International Trade Statistics Yearbook (2010 ITSY), Volume II – Trade by Commodity, contains detailed tables showing international trade for 258 individual commodities (3-digit SITC groups) and eleven world trade tables covering trade values and indices up to the year 2010.
The information contained in Volume II is based on data provided by 141 countries (areas), representing 97.3% of world trade of 2010. Volume II has been compiled approximately six months after the submission of Volume I (in November 2011) as the preparation of these tables requires and benefits from the additional country data which, normally, become available later in the year.
Volume I – Trade by Country, has been compiled and made available in May 2011 to allow for an advanced release of an overview of international merchandise trade in 2010 and for a much earlier publication of the available 2010 country (area) data. All tables of Volume II are made available electronically shortly after the completion of the manuscript. Volume II contains updated versions of the two world trade tables A and D published in Volume I.
Beginning with the 2008 edition, the International Trade Statistics Yearbook is published in a redesigned format in respect to the presentation of data for individual countries (Volume I) as well as trade in a particular commodity (Volume II). For more detailed data, users are requested to go directly to UN Comtrade (http://comtrade.un.org/) which is the source of the information presented in the yearbook and which is continuously updated.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/trade/default.htm
2009 Energy Statistics Yearbook
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.J/53, B.12.XVII.10
The 2009 Energy Statistics Yearbook is the fifty-third 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 2006 to 2009 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 direction of trade, selected series of statistics on renewables and wastes, refinery distillation capacity and a table on selected energy resources.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=460
Population Facts 2012/3 “Migrants by origin and destination: The role of South-South migration”
Knowing where international migrants originate from is essential to understanding the international migration and development nexus: in particular, information about the country of birth of international migrants is necessary to assess the impact of international migration on the sending countries. The fact-sheet aims to provide comprehensive evidence on this subject, based on a new set of estimates of the international migrant stock for over 200 countries and territories for the years 1990, 2000 and 2010. These estimates are consistent with the estimates of the global migrant stock, which are regularly updated by the United Nations Population Division.
The fact-sheet highlights the fact that international migration between developing countries (“South-South migration”) constitutes about one-third of global migration, about the same proportion as international migration from developing to developed countries (“South-North migration”). A further finding is that the increase in the migrant stock in the developed countries from 1990 to 2010 was largely fuelled by international migrants from the South.
To download: www.unpopulation.org
Meeting records
Report of the Committee for Development Policy on its fourteenth session (E/2012/33)
The report is now available in all six official UN languages. In the report, the Committee addressed the following themes: productive capacity and employment; the international development strategy beyond 2015; the triennial review of the list of least developed countries; and strengthening the process of smooth transition of countries graduating from the category of least developed countries.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/cdp/cdp_reports_ecosoc.shtml
Outreach material
Social Development Link Newsletter (SDLN)
The June issue of the newsletter, published by the Civil Society and Outreach Unit of DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD), is now available. It aims at providing a sharp and synthetic summary of major activities carried out by DSPD and serve as a link between DSPD and its major partners, from civil society actors to social development practitioners and scholars. This issue highlights the high-level thematic debate that took place in May regarding the state of the world economy; Rio+20; the concluding session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues; and the job crisis affecting youth.
For more information: http://social.un.org/index/Newsletters/SDLNewsletter/June2012.aspx
Youth Flash Newsletter
The June issue is now available. The newsletter is a service of the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) Focal Point on Youth to help keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organizations all over the world. This issue features news stories on the participation of around 3,000 young people from around the world at the Youth Blast – Youth Conference for Rio+20 on 7-12 June, as well as other Rio+20 related events.
For more information: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2012/June.aspx
Enable Newsletter
The May issue of the newsletter is now available. It is 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, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society. It presents the status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD), informing about the number of countries which have ratified [115 countries]. It also provides a heads-up prior to the Fifth Session of the Conference of States Parties, which takes place in New York on 12-14 September and for which a provisional agenda is now available.
For more information: http://www.un.org/disabilities/latest.asp?id=169
Working papers
Learning from the past: Which of the past/current development strategies are best suited to deal with the ‘quadruple crisis’?
During the last decade, the world economy has experienced a worsening in financial stability, food prices, income inequality and environmental conditions. Seven development strategies are evaluated to determine which could help solve ‘quadruple crisis’.
These strategies are assessed using a common methodology which first documents the economic, social, environmental and food security policies adopted, and then assesses their outcomes using 11 performance indicators. The strategies are then ranked on the basis of their overall success score. While all strategies produced some positive results, the East Asian Miracle and the new Latin American development approach generated the greatest number of favourable outcomes.
To download: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2012/wp116_2012.pdf
Reason, Empathy, and Fair Play: The Climate Policy Gap
To achieve the greatest possible human welfare, the Stockholm Environment Institute’s Climate and Regional Economics of Development (CRED) model calls for rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to keep cumulative 21st century carbon dioxide emissions below 2,000 Gt.
It is explained why as some other models claim very slow emission reductions are best. Three changes are made to the basic assumptions of the well-known DICE model to include the most recent estimates of economic damages from climate change, express greater concern about the well-being of future generations, and expect rich countries to invest in emissions and poverty reduction in poorer countries.
To download: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2012/wp113_2012.pdf
Discussion papers
June issue of the Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
This issue presents the highlights of the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2012: Update as of Mid-2012 report. Despite some scattered signs of improvement in recent months, the world economic situation and prospects continue to be challenging. After a marked slowdown in the course of 2011, global economic growth will likely remain tepid in 2012, with most regions expanding at a pace below potential. The WESP Update per Mid-2012 projects that world gross product (WGP) will grow by 2.5 per cent in 2012 and 3.1 per cent in 2013, following growth of 2.7 per cent in 2011. This constitutes a slight downward revision from the forecasts presented in the WESP) 2012 in January. Downside risks for further weakening of global economic conditions remain unabatedly high.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb44.pdf
May issue of the Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
This issue covers recent events affecting the world economy such as the effects of major developed countries’ quantitative easing policies on the rest of the world, the $430 billion increase in IMF resources as well as the troubling situation in a number of other countries. The seigniorage effects of the quantitative easing policies of the United States, Europe and Japan have increased greatly over the course of the crisis and are estimated to be around $3 billion—at the expense of the countries holding dollars, euros and yen as reserves. Unemployment continued its upward drift in Europe, reaching almost 11 per cent.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb43.pdf
Websites
Redesigned website of DESA’s Division for ECOSOC Support and Coodination (OESC)
The new and improved site includes news, events and exciting features, through which both existing users and new visitors can gain a greater understanding of the Division’s activities and achievements.
To browse: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/oesc/
Launch on 7 June of the World Economic Situation and Prospects, Mid-2012
The latest report shows that despite some signs of improvement, the world economic situation and prospects continue to be challenging. After a slowdown in 2011, global economic growth will likely remain moderate in 2012, with most regions expanding at a below-potential pace. Due to restrained growth, the jobs crisis continues, with global unemployment still above its pre-crisis level and unemployment in the euro area rising rapidly.
The euro area debt crisis remains the biggest threat to the world economy. A worsening of the crisis would likely be associated with serious turmoil on financial markets and a sharp rise in global risk aversion, leading to a decrease in economic activity in developed countries, which would impact upon developing countries and economies in transition.
A further sharp rise in global energy prices may also have a negative impact upon global growth. National and international concerted policies should be put in place on many issues to break out of the vicious cycle of deleveraging, rising unemployment, fiscal austerity and financial sector fragility in developed economies. Breaking this cycle requires policy shifts away from fiscal austerity and towards more counter-cyclical fiscal stances oriented to job creation, which are better coordinated across the major economies and concentrated with continued expansionary monetary policies in developed countries, financial sector reforms and improved development assistance for low-income countries.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/publications/index.shtml
Statistical compilations
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS Online
The Monthly Bulletin of Statistics has been released and presents current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories around the world. The Bulletin contains over 50 tables of monthly and/or bimonthly, quarterly and annual data on a variety of subjects showing important economic trends and developments, including population, prices, employment and earnings, energy, manufacturing, transport, construction, international merchandise trade and finance.
Vol. LXVI – No. 4, April 2012
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials, Total exports and imports by countries or areas: volume, unit value, terms of trade and purchasing power of exports, in US dollars.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for WaterST/ESA/STAT/SER.F/100
The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water, commonly referred to as SEEA-Water, is a framework for the organization of physical and economic information in support of water policy design and evaluation. The SEEA-Water is a subsystem of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), which provides the internationally agreed framework for measuring the interactions between the economy and the environment in line with the concepts, definitions and classifications of the System of National Accounts.
After a thorough global consultation process, the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) adopted the SEEA-Water. Along with its adoption, the UNSC also encouraged its implementation by the Member States.
The UNSC is a functional Commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations that brings together the Chief Statisticians from the Member States. As such, the UNSC is the highest decision making body for international statistical activities, especially in setting statistical methodological standards and their implementation at the national and international level.
National Accounts Statistics: Analysis of Main Aggregates, 2010 ST/ESA/STAT/SER.X/47
The publication is the forty-first issue of this publication and includes a summary of the main national accounting aggregates based on official national accounts data from more than 200 countries and areas, covering 1970 through to 2010.
This issue also includes a section on the estimation methods used for compiling data and is prepared by the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations in cooperation with national statistical offices. Tables include analysis of data on gross domestic product (GDP) by different structural components. They are classified into:
1) analysis of the level of total and per capita GDP;
2) analysis of the percentage shares of GDP by type of expenditure and gross value added by kind of economic activity;
3) analysis of economic development expressed in term of real growth of GDP and its components by type of expenditure and gross value added by kind of economic activity, and
4) analysis of price development reflected by implicit price deflators of GDP.
National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables, 2010, Part I, Part II, Part III, IV and Part V
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.X/46
The publication contains detailed official national accounts estimates for 198 countries or areas of the World from 1999 to 2010. It is a valuable source of information on the state and structure of economies worldwide. The estimates for each country or area are presented in separate chapters and each country chapter also contains a write-up on the methodology and data sources used to compile the estimates. A summary of the SNA conceptual framework, classifications, definitions, is also included in the publication.
The publication contains statistics on gross domestic product by expenditure at current and constant prices and the relations among product, income, saving and net lending; value added by kind of activity at current and constant prices, and output, gross value added and fixed assets by industry; classification of consumption expenditure of general government, households, and non-profit institutions serving households according to purpose; production account through the financial account for the institutional sectors; and cross classification of gross value added by industry and institutional sector.
The time-series data can also be downloaded from http://data.un.org/Explorer.aspx?d=SNA.
Populations and Vital Statistics Report, Series A Volume LXIV
The Population and Vital Statistics Report is now available in print. The report includes data for countries or areas based upon population size (total, male, and female) from the latest available census, and the number and rate of vital events (live births, deaths, and infant deaths) provided by national statistical authorities to the Demographic Yearbook of the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The publication also includes estimated mid-year population by major area and region for 2009 and 2010 which was prepared by the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Outreach material
Rio+20 Newsletter: Making it Happen
Volume 3, Issue 5 of the ‘Rio+20: Making it Happen’ newsletter includes two feature articles entitled ‘Rio+20 Partnerships Forum: Seeking actions to build-up further cooperation’ and ‘Five more days to negotiate the Outcome Document: 29 May to 2 June’ alongside information on registration for Rio+20, how to join the Rio+20 Dialogues, voluntary commitments, and much more.
For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/newsletter.html
Enable Newsletter
The March issue of the ‘ENABLE’ newsletter is now available. ENABLE is 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, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
View full issue at: http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/newsletter/april2012.doc
United Nations Youth Flash
The April issue of ‘United Nations Youth Flash’ is now available. UN Youth Flash is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to help keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organizations all over the world.
View full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2012/May.aspx
Working papers
Financial sector compensation and excess risk-taking—a consideration of the issues and policy lessons
This working paper assesses the ways in which the structure and scale of financial sector compensation can generate incentives for excess risk taking.
On balance, the asymmetries and skewed pay-off systems within the structure of financial sector compensation are widely believed to generate incentives for excess risk-taking. While illustrating this proposition with recent examples, the paper also argues that pay structures and scales may have interacted to increase the incentives for risk-taking. The increase in financial sector pay – especially variable pay – witnessed in major financial centres since the 1980s, likely served to strengthen their asymmetrical nature by increasing the size of gains relative to losses. Thus, pay structures and magnitudes need to be viewed together.
To download: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2012/wp115_2012.pdf
Financing small-scale infrastructure investments in developing countries
This working paper proposes a new approach for financing a frequently-neglected area in economic development, namely that of small-scale infrastructure. Small-scale infrastructure can be thought of as the “last mile” of infrastructure projects. While there is a need for more air and seaports, railroads and highways, in developing countries, these alone do not allow people and goods to reach their final destinations. Local feeder roads are needed to connect homes, farms and factories to the national transportation system. Likewise small crop bulking stations are needed to facilitate the storage of crops before they are sent to larger warehouses and processing facilities. Local markets are needed to provide the end of the retail distribution system. Small-scale power generators are needed to fill the gaps remaining in the national power grid. Small-scale processing facilities such as a powered hammer mills are needed to provide the first stage of processing for industrial value chains.
In most developing countries there is a shortage of long-term, local-currency financing for small-scale infrastructure projects at the local level. This working paper proposes the use of project finance as a means to attract financing from domestic banks and institutional investors for small-scale projects. Donors can act as a catalyst by providing technical assistance to develop projects and credit enhancement to help overcome common challenges and attract commercial financing.”
To download: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2012/wp114_2012.pdf
Mobile applications
UN CountryStats app: for iPhones and iPads (Download free of charge)
Adapted from the print version of the World Statistics Pocketbook, the UN CountryStats app for iPhones and iPads is available for download free of charge from the App store. Data on various key economic, social and environmental indicators for 216 countries and areas can be viewed in table format for each individual country, and comparisons of up to three countries at a time can be made, by indicator, and displayed as bar graphs.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=442
Websites
ECOSOC new website
The Economic and Social Council launched a new website with multimedia content, graphics and useful resources about ECOSOC upcoming events.
To browse: http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/
Launch of the Integrated Implementation Framework website
The Secretary-General will launch the website of the Integrated Implementation Framework (IIF): ‘Tracking Support for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)’ at an informal meeting of the General Assembly on 6 June 2012 at 10:00AM in Conference Room 4 (NLB).
As a follow-up to the High-Level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in 2010 and as announced by the Secretary-General at the G20 Leaders’ Session on Development in November 2010, the Secretary-General proposed an initiative to better track the commitments made in support of the MDGs. The IIF was endorsed by the United Nations System Chief Executive’s Board (CEB) and is currently being developed as a web-based tool. It will provide detailed information regarding the progress on commitments made at international forums and elsewhere towards the achievement of the MDGs. It will serve as a one-stop resource for policymakers, academics, researchers and civil society interested in what governments and the international community have done and are doing in support of the achievement of the MDGs by 2015. With less than three years left before the target year, the site will provide a reality check for all those involved and will hopefully assist in identifying remaining gaps.
The MDG Gap Task Force, which is chaired by DESA and UNDP and composed of agencies from the entire UN system and the OECD, has made significant progress in setting up the IIF in close collaboration with OICT.
World Urbanization Prospects, the 2011 Revision
The report, published by the Population Division of DESA, states that Africa’s urban population will increase from 414 million to over 1.2 billion by 2050 while that of Asia will soar from 1.9 billion to 3.3 billion. According to the report, both regions together will account for 86 per cent of all increases in the world’s urban population.
According to Sha Zukang, USG of DESA and Secretary-General of Rio+20, “The launch of the World Urbanization Prospects is timely because world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, civil society organizations and other groups, will come together to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet. We expect world leaders to come up with concrete action plans to realize sustainable cities for the future we want.” he said.
To download: http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/pdf/WUP2011_Highlights.pdf
More information: http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/index.htm
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. LXVI – No. 3, March 2012
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex; Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices; value; Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value; Selected series of world statistics.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
International Recommendations for Water Statistics
The International Recommendations for Water Statistics (IRWS) was developed to assist countries establish and strengthen information systems for water, which in turn support the design and evaluation of better water policies. In particular, these recommendations: (a) support the collection, compilation and dissemination of internationally comparable water statistics in countries; (b) support the implementation of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounts for Water (SEEA-Water); and (c) provide the necessary information for deriving coherent and consistent indicators, enabling comparisons over time and between countries from an agreed list of data items.
The IRWS consolidates the experiences and practices of countries and international organizations in the field of water statistics, and was developed in close collaboration and consultations with many countries and international experts. Following this process, the IRWS was adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) at its forty-first session in February 2010.
The UNSC is a functional Commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations that brings together the Chief statisticians from the Member States. As such it is the highest decision making body for international statistical activities, especially the setting of statistical standards, the development of concepts and methods and their implementation at the national and international level.
Outreach material
Rio+20 Newsletter: Making it Happen, Volume 3, Issue 4
“We need to mobilize public support around the world for the vision of finally building a sustainable world that guarantees the well-being of humanity, while preserving the planet for future generations,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Over 130 Heads of State, Vice Presidents, Heads of Government, and deputy Prime Ministers are currently inscribed on the speakers list for the Rio+20 Conference, from 20-22 June. Read more in our latest issue of the Rio+20 Newsletter – Making it Happen.
View full issue at: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/newsletter.html
Monthly briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The April issue covers, among other things, the continuation of developed countries’ policies of quantitative easing. The central banks of the United States, the European Union and Japan have taken a number of steps such as lengthening the maturity of their holdings, providing loans at low rates and continuing asset purchase programmes. Industrial output has slowed in a number of countries across the world such as Brazil, Croatia, Japan, Serbia and Viet Nam. China’s trade deficit increased in the first two months of the year. An easing of food prices from their highs in 2011 has helped to slow inflation, particularly in the Commonwealth of Independent States and East Africa. In the developed world, there are some signs pointing to modest recovery in the US, but growth has slowed in Australia and New Zealand and the growth prospects for the EU remain depressed. Another development is that Hungary may be one of the first countries to face EU financial sanctions due to a budget deficit above the agreed threshold.
View full issue at: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb42.pdf
Enable Newsletter
March issue is now available. ENABLE Newsletter is 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, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
View full issue at: http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/newsletter/march2012.doc
United Nations Youth Flash
April issue is now available. The newsletter is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organisations around the world.
View full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2012/April.aspx
Social Development Link Newsletter
The April issue is now available online. The newsletter, which is now published monthly by the Civil Society and Outreach Unit of the Division for Social Policy and Development, aims at providing a sharp and synthetic summary of major activities carried out by DSPD.
As its title shows, the newsletter will serve as a link between DSPD and its major partners, from civil society actors to social development practitioners and scholars.
View full issue at : http://social.un.org/index/Newsletters/SDLNewsletter/April2012.aspx
Working papers
The Imprudence of Labour Market Flexibilization in a Fiscally Austere World
This paper assesses the effects of combining fiscal austerity with flexibilization policies aimed at reducing labour costs and increasing competitiveness. Core to our analysis is a global perspective where the aggregation problem is fully taken into account. We derive a stylized macroeconomic framework of distributive and demand dynamics. We show that even in export-led regimes, after considering global feedbacks, flexibilization policies do not lead to higher income and employment. Rather, the end result is contractionary. Over time, the world economy is essentially wage-led and responds positively to coordinated Keynesian stimuli.
To download: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2012/wp112_2012.pdf
Mobile applications
UN CountryStats
Statistics Division’s first app – the new UN CountryStats app for iPhones and iPads – became available for download from the App Store on 1 March. Adapted from the print version of Statistics Division’s World Statistics Pocketbook 2010, this data visualisation tool offers free-of-charge portable access to key economic, social and environmental indicators for 216 countries and areas. It’s easy-to-use interface enables users to view country profiles in table format as well as to compare indicators for several countries and years at a time, display them as bar graphs, and save them as favourites. The indicators covered are those which have been compiled by the United Nations Statistics and Population divisions, the statistical services of United Nations specialized agencies and other international organisations and institutions.
To download: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/un-countrystats/id505192468?mt=8
Publications in other languages
Launch of the Chinese Edition of the “United Nations E-Government Survey 2012: E-Government for the People”
More than 200 senior officials from the central and local ministries responsible for e-government and information technology in China, research and academia institutions engaged in e-government, as well as several industry representatives, attended the launch of the Chinese language edition of the “United Nations E-Government Survey 2012: E-Government for the People” in Beijing, China, on 26 March 2012.
For more information: http://www.unpan.org/Library/MajorPublications/UNEGovernmentSurvey/
PublicEGovernanceSurveyintheNews/tabid/651/mctl/ArticleView/
ModuleId/1555/articleId/30717/Default.aspx
United Nations E-Government Survey 2012
The 2012 edition of the United Nations E-Government Survey: E-Government for the People has been launched and is now available. The sixth in the series, it sheds light on the global state of e-government development and provides options on how best to move forward. It particularly examines the institutional framework for e-government and finds that the presence of a national coordinating authority can help overcome internal barriers and focus minds on integrated responses to citizen concerns. According to the 2012 survey rankings, the Republic of Korea is the world leader (0.9283) followed by the Netherlands (0.9125), the United Kingdom (0.8960), Denmark (0.8889), and the United States (0.8687).
In its first edition in 2003, the survey found 18 countries had no web presence. However, in 2012 survey, only 3 countries were identified to have no web presence. The 2012 Survey also argues that e-government provides public administrators with powerful tools for grappling with problems of social equity and the digital divide. The caveat is that governments must find effective channels of communication that fit national circumstances while also taking steps to increase usage of online and mobile services in order to realize their full benefit to citizens.
For more information: http://www.unpan.org/e-government
Click to read the 2012 Survey
Click to view the world e-government rankings
United Nations Model Double Taxation Convention between Developed and Developing Countries: 2011Update
The United Nations Model Double Taxation Convention between Developed and Developing Countries: 2011 Update was officially launched on 15 March 2012. The launch featured panel presentations and distribution of the e-publication, as well as promotional materials. The UN Model can be downloaded from the Financing for Development website and its printed version will be available later this year.
It is important for countries that seek assistance in the negotiation and implementation of modern bilateral double tax treaties reflecting their current circumstances and policy priorities. The Model recognizes that to avoid double taxation of investment, the country where the investment takes place and country of the investor often share taxing rights.
To download: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/documents/UN_Model_2011_Update.pdf
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. LXVI – No. 2, February 2012
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Earnings in manufacturing, by sex; Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions 2010 (IMTS 2010)
The International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions 2010 (IMTS 2010) provides a comprehensive methodological framework for collection and compilation of international merchandise trade statistics in all countries, irrespective of the level of development of their statistical system.
The conceptual framework of IMTS 2010 reflects both the multipurpose nature of these statistics and concern for availability of the adequate data sources and data compilation procedures. IMTS 2010 follows an integrated approach to economic statistics including the use, as applicable, of common concepts, definitions, classifications and data compilation strategies.
It is intended primarily for the producers of international trade statistics; particularly the staff of national statistical offices and/or customs involved in the collection and compilation of merchandise trade statistics, but may be also useful to researchers and other users interested in better understanding the nature of trade statistics.
Meeting records
The Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development
Task Group on E-government, comprising twelve agencies, of which DESA through DPADM is a key member, presented its Report to the UN Statistical Commission at its forty-second session held from 28 February to 2 March in New York. The Commission endorsed the set of globally comparative e-government core indicators proposed in the Task Group’s Report and asked for its wide circulation so that countries and other agencies can use this as a reference. The indicators are: (i) proportion of persons employed in central Government organizations routinely using computers; (ii) proportion of persons employed in central Government organizations routinely using the Internet; (iii) proportion of central Government organizations with a local area network (LAN); (iv) proportion of central Government organizations with an Internet; (v) proportion of central Government organizations with Internet access, by type of access; (vi) proportion of central Government organizations with a Web presence; (vii) selected Internet-based online services available to citizens, by level of sophistication of service.
To read the official report: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/doc12/2012-12-ICT-E.pdf
Outreach material
Rio+20: Making it Happen
12 March 2012 marked one hundred days until world leaders gather in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to renew political commitment to a sustainable future. This milestone was welcomed in the official newsletter of the Conference, Rio+20: Making It Happen, when it launched a special issue last week devoted to social media and recognizing its in promoting greater connectivity around the values of sustainable development.
In parallel, global stakeholders, Major Groups and UN system partners coordinated an online campaign to share messages of support for Rio+20 and highlight a few of the most important themes and objectives of the Conference. The special issue of Rio+20: Making It Happen was also the first to be published entirely online and in a fully peer-based format. Stakeholders can now share articles from the newsletter and post their comments and reactions.
Rio+20 is anticipated to be one of the largest gatherings in UN history – a fact owed in part to the impact of social media in disseminating information and engaging the public.
To view full issue: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=12&nr=355&menu=23
Enable Newsletter
The latest issue is now available. ENABLE Newsletter is 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, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
View full issue at: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?PID=312
United Nations Youth Flash
The March issue is now available. The newsletter is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organisations around the world.
View full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/YouthFlashNewsletter/2012/March.aspx
Financing for Development Newsletter
Newsletter 2012/3 on the outcome of the ECOSOC Special Event on International Tax Cooperation (New York, 14-15 March 2012), covering the launch of 2011 Update of the United Nations Model Double Taxation Convention.
View full issue at: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/tax/2012ICTM/Newsletter_2012_3_15mar12.pdf
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The March issue covers recent events affecting the world economy such as the rising oil price — which may complicate the global recovery — and the agreement on a second rescue package for Greece. Across the rest of the world, conditions remain mixed. Inflation improved slightly in some East African countries and China lowered its 2012 growth target from 8.0 to 7.5 per cent. India and Brazil both showed slower growth overall in 2011, while the economies of Japan and the EU contracted in the 4th quarter. European financial institutions took another €529 billion in 3-year loans as part of a second round of the Longer-Term Refinancing Operation (LTRO).
For more information:
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 41
On 9 February, DESA’s UN Forum on Forests Secretariat launched the Forests for People book as part of the special event marking the closing of the International Year of Forests 2011. It celebrates the interconnections between people and forests and promotes greater understanding of their economic, environmental and social values. The 300-page fully illustrated publication is a collaborative effort between the UNFF Secretariat and Tudor Rose publishing.
The book includes articles from 75 authors from 35 countries, showcasing best practices in sustainable forest management from governments, members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and stakeholders at the local, national and regional levels.
Forests for People features statements from Ministers, and the heads of Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) and other international organizations. Their commentaries draw upon experiences around the world, reflecting how people are changing their interaction with forests to improve their sustainability. The book also features a foreword by Ms. Jan L. McAlpine, Director of the UNFF Secretariat, who also authored an article highlighting activities conducted during the International Year of Forests 2011 and its legacy. The informative publication features photos and graphics which help illustrate the multiple values of forests and present a snapshot of sustainable forest management in action.
Tudor Rose is a professional publishing and marketing company based in London, UK, that has collaborated on a variety of publications for the United Nations since 1999, including amongst others UNESCO, UN International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and UN International Year of Freshwater.
For more information:
International Year of Forests 2011
Limited copies of the book are available upon request by contacting the UNFF Secretariat at forests@un.org.
Technical reports
Disability and the Millennium Development Goals
Released in December 2011, the report Disability and the Millennium Development Goals: A Review of the MDG Process and Strategies for Inclusion of Disability Issues in Millennium Development Goal Efforts, examines the MDGs and its relation to disability issues with a view to impact the post-2015 development agenda.
The MDGs represent a concerted effort to address global poverty. Yet there is a striking gap in the current MDGs, where persons with disabilities – the 15 per cent of the global population, who live with one or more physical, sensory, intellectual or mental health impairments – are not mentioned in any of the 8 Goals or its 21 targets and indicators, nor in the Millennium Declaration, itself.
For more information: UN Enable
Global Survey of ICT in Parliaments 2012
In 2008 and 2010, UN DESA, through the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, jointly published the first and second edition of the World e-Parliament Report. Praised by many parliaments, organizations and research centres, these reports have helped to advance a shared knowledge base among the parliaments of the world, to guide parliaments in modernizing their processes and to promote international debate on ICT in Parliament.
The recommendations and findings presented in the World e-Parliament Reports were based on the results of surveys conducted by the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament. The first survey in 2007 received responses from 105 parliamentary assemblies. In 2009, the number of responses reached 134.
In preparation for the World e-Parliament Report 2012, the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament is conducting a new survey which will allow to measure progress of e-parliament including the changes due to recent technological developments. The results of the survey will be of significant benefit to the world community of parliaments, which is increasingly using technology to enhance transparency and reach out to the public at large.
For more information:
Global Survey of ICT in Parliaments
World e-Parliament Reports
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. LXVI – No. 1, January 2012
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly 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.
For more information: Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online
Demographic Yearbook 2009-2010
The Demographic Yearbook 2009-2010 is the sixty-first in a series published by the United Nations since 1948. It contains tables including a world summary of selected demographic statistics, statistics on the size, distribution and trends in national populations, fertility, foetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce. Data are shown by urban/rural residence, as available. In addition, the volume provides Technical Notes, a synoptic table, a historical index and a listing of the issues of the Demographic Yearbook published to date.
The Demographic Yearbook 2009-2010 presents demographic statistics for two reference years: 2009 and 2010 in an effort to make it as up to date as possible. Consequently, for this issue the annual questionnaires were modified and extra worksheets were added, so that data for the latest two available reference years could be reported by the National Statistical Offices.
To accommodate the presentation of the statistics for two reference years, in population and vital statistics tables presenting time series, the available data for reference years 2009 and 2010 are presented side by side. As for the detailed population and vital statistics, two sets of tables, one referring to 2009 and the other referring to 2010, are displayed one after the other.
For more information: Publications of UN DESA’s Statistics Division
Publications in other languages
The following publication has been translated into Arabic:
Measuring the Economically Active in Population Censuses: A Handbook ST/ESA/STAT/SER.F/102
For more information: Publications of UN DESA’s Statistics Division
Publications on international migration
The following publications are released by the Population Division of DESA:
Meeting records
Report of the Seminar on “Challenges and Opportunities of Participatory Governance in North African countries: Engaging Citizens and their Organizations in Public Development Affairs through Adequate Institutions”
The report on the seminar held on 20-21 October in Rabat, Morocco, is being released and it aims at disseminating information assisting governments, civil society and the private sector to further reflect on effective and viable participatory approaches and institutions that may contribute to further foster development in North Africa.
The seminar was organized by UN DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), with the support of the Kingdom of Morocco.
The report highlights the need for participatory governance as a key concept with specific and high value for the citizens and States of the North African region. Its prerequisites include: access to information and enhanced transparency; interactive processes of public administration to enhance participatory democracy; institutionalization of social accountability; fight against corruption; and capacity building for governments and citizens on interactive processes. The report also emphasizes the need for a greater awareness of the potential of ICT to spearhead a culture of openness, transparency and stronger citizen engagement.
The report finally reflects participants’ call to the United Nation to support participatory approaches, support and accompany the transition phase in North Africa.
For more information: DPADM seminar report
Documentation for the forty-fifth Commission on Population and Development
Documentation for the forty-fifth Commission on Population and Development is now available on the CPD website (including advance, unedited versions).
For more information:
Documentation for the forty-fifth Commission on Population
Outreach material
Rio+20 Newsletter Focuses on Jobs
On 14 February, the UNCSD newsletter Rio+20: Making It Happen released a special issue focusing on green and decent jobs, one of the seven emerging issues identified in the zero draft of the Rio+20 outcome document. Today nearly 200 million people are unemployed, however 1.3 billion do not earn enough to lift themselves and their dependents out of poverty. As job creation remains a vital part of economic recovery, green and decent jobs can play a critical role in protecting the environment, promoting social inclusion and aiding in a transition to a low-carbon economy. Also in this issue: important deadlines, the launch of the 2011 World Youth Report, an e-Discussion with ECOSOC, news from Major Groups, and upcoming events.
For more information: Rio+20: Making it Happen
DESA NGO News
The latest issue highlights the 2012 regular session of the Committee on NGOs, the ECOSOC E-Discussion on Jobs, the Commission for Social Development, Third Intersessional Meeting of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, the 45th session of the Commission on Population and Development, the 11th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the 2012 Resumed Session of the Committee on NGOs and Rio+20 Conference.
The online monthly newsletter 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.
For more information: DESA NGO News
Working papers
Super-cycles of commodity prices since the mid-nineteenth century
Decomposition of real commodity prices suggests four super-cycles during 1865-2009 ranging between 30-40 years with amplitudes 20-40 percent higher or lower than the long-run trend. Non-oil price super-cycles follow world GDP, indicating they are essentially demand-determined; causality runs in the opposite direction for oil prices. The mean of each super-cycle of non-oil commodities is generally lower than for the previous cycle, supporting the Prebisch-Singer hypothesis. Tropical agriculture experienced the strongest and steepest long-term downward trend through the twentieth century, followed by non-tropical agriculture and metals, while real oil prices experienced a long-term upward trend, interrupted temporarily during the twentieth century.
To download: DESA Working Paper No. 110
Is the Distribution of Foreign Aid MDG-sensitive?
This paper examines whether Official Development Assistance (ODA) is disproportionately allocated to countries that need to make the most progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We expect MDG-sensitive distribution of foreign aid – or a good donor-recipient match – to be guided by the principles of the Global Partnership for Development. When we apply the MDG-sensitivity criteria for aid allocation, the results indicate that ODA allocation since the Millennium Declaration has become more MDG-sensitive – ODA is given to countries that need it most. While such trends in aid disbursements are commendable, total aid flows, however, fall short of promised levels.
To download: DESA Working Paper No. 111
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 39
This issue highlights several economic trends that developed in 2011. Over the course of the year, the momentum for economic growth faltered progressively, especially in developed countries, where unemployment remained elevated.
For more information:
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 39
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 40
The February issue covers recent events affecting the world economy such as the Long Term Refinancing Operation (LTRO) by the European Central Bank (ECB). Conditions around the world remain mixed, with slower growth appearing in a variety of countries. Financial markets have regained some stability recently, but credit remains tight in the real sector. Also, EU leaders agreed to a new fiscal compact enhancing fiscal discipline which must be ratified by a two-thirds majority later this year.
For more information:
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 40
Websites
Global Gender Statistics Programme
The new website of the Global Gender Statistics Programme provides a platform for the dissemination of materials and information in the field of gender statistics. It also provides a forum for the Inter-agency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics to access and share information on their various areas of activity.
To browse: Global Gender Statistics Programme
World Youth Report 2011: youth perspectives on the pursuit of decent work in changing times
The World Youth Report, to be officially released on 6 February, explores the transition of young people from schools and training institutions into the labour market, a phase marking a critical period in the life cycle. The current employment scenario for young people, worsened by the global economic crisis, poses an urgent challenge with long-term implications for both young people and society as a whole.
For the first time, the 2011 edition of the World Youth Report is largely dedicated to the voices of young people themselves. The report is based on contributions from youth and representatives of youth-led organizations to an e-discussion, in which they shared their own views, experiences and recommendations on preparing for, entering, and remaining active in the workforce. The 2011 edition of the report is also the first to be produced in an interactive website that allows readers to engage on youth employment issues: how young people are experiencing and addressing employment challenges; where and how young people are succeeding in employment; how youth employment interacts with social practices; and what Governments can do to help prepare young people in the transition from education to work.
The report aims to shed light on such complex issues, while bringing the voices of young people themselves into fora where youth issues are discussed and acted upon. The report will be officially launched at a side event to the Commission on Social Development on 6 February, at 1:15-2:30 pm in Conference Room 7 (NLB), bringing together main contributors to the report as well as representatives from Member States, the UN system, youth and the private sector.
For more information: http://www.unworldyouthreport.org/index.php
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2012
The report, released on 17 January, is now available online. According to this flagship publication, the global economic growth started to decelerate on a broad front in mid-2011 and is estimated to have averaged 2.8 per cent over the last year. This slowdown is expected to continue into 2012 and 2013. The UN baseline forecast for the growth of world gross product (WGP) is 2.6 per cent for 2012 and 3.2 per cent for 2013, which is below the pre-crisis pace of global growth.
The report is also available now in Kindle, Nook and iBook.
Statistical compilations
2010 Revision of the World Population Prospects
Volume II: Demographic Profiles
This report presents the highlights of the results of the 2010 Revision of the official United Nations population estimates and projections prepared by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. The 2010 Revision constitutes the twenty second round of the global population estimates and projections produced by the Population Division since 1951.
The 2010 Revision breaks new ground in the production of population projections. It is the first standard Revision to include projections up to 2100 for all countries and areas of the world. Previous Revisions presented country projections only for the period ending in 2050. In order to extend the projection period to 2100, a new method for the projection of fertility had to be developed. The method used in the 2010 Revision is based on the advances made in projecting fertility since the 2000 Revision, advances that have been combined with a probabilistic approach to yield the future paths of fertility used in producing the medium variant of the 2010 Revision. The standard output of the 2010 Revision does not, however, include fully probabilistic projections. The standard output of the 2010 Revision includes only the usual projection variants and scenarios included in other Revisions of World Population Prospects.
To download:
http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Documentation/pdf/WPP2010_Volume-II_Demographic-Profiles.pdf
In addition, the Population Division has now made available the country profiles in individual pdf-files for each country and all major regions of the world. The profiles can be found at:
http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Multiple-Figures/multiple-figures_1.htm
Rural Population, Development and the Environment 2011
The wall chart, prepared by UN DESA’s Population Division, presents the latest data available for 15 indicators of rural population, land use, development and environment. It provides estimates at the national, regional and world levels.
For more information: http://bit.ly/RuralPopWallChart
Urban Population, Development and the Environment 2011
The wall chart, prepared by UN DESA’s Population Division, presents the latest data available for 15 indicators of urban population, living conditions in urban settlements and economic development. It provides estimates at the national, regional and world levels.
For more information: http://bit.ly/UrbanPopWallChart
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. LXV – No. 12, December 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of UN officials; Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex; Fuel imports of developed economies; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports; and Selected series of world statistics..
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Outreach material
Rio+20: Making it Happen
Demographic trends are placing more pressure on water-stressed regions than ever before. With the global population expected to increase by up to 50 per-cent in the next fifty years, sustainable management of water resources will present a significant development challenge. In Volume 2, Issue 24, the Rio+20: Making it Happen newsletter focuses on water, one of the seven priority issues that the Conference will address. Also in this issue, news from the 66th session of the UN General Assembly as it wraps up the work of its main session, important deadlines for Rio+20, and the updated negotiating schedule for the UNCSD.
DESA NGO News
The latest issue highlights the 2012 regular session of the Committee on NGOs and its work ahead as well as the five-year action plan outlined by the Secretary-General to build “the future we want”. It also spotlights the fact that 740 ECOSOC NGOs need to submit their quadrennial reports in 2012, and that an updated list of all 3,536 organizations in consultative status was published late last year. The online monthly newsletter is issued monthly in electronic format to suscribers in English, French and Spanish, providing 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.
For more information: http://csonet.org/?menu=124
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The December issue of the Monthly Briefing of the World Economic Situation and Prospects, No. 38, highlights the grim prospects for the world economy in the coming year. The most pressing challenge is the continued jobs crisis and the declining prospects for economic growth, especially among developed countries. In this context, fiscal austerity measures can only hamper recovery by curtailing aggregate demand in the short run with negative effects on employment and incomes.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_mb/wesp_mb38.pdf
Working papers
Beyond market access: Trade-related measures for the least developed countries. What strategy?
This paper assesses the effectiveness of non-tariff special and differential treatment (SDT) offered exclusively to the least developed countries by WTO agreements. SDTs are inefficient in at least four aspects. First, they are not easily accessed as they require a certain level of institutional capacity. Second, when accessible they either need to be complemented by other policy interventions or are offset by measures taken elsewhere. Third, some do not respond to LDC needs. Fourth, many are too vaguely defined to provide concrete benefits. Effectiveness can be enhanced by increased LDC ownership and improved policy coherence by trading and development partners.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/papers/2011/outline.shtml#109
Policy briefs
Can a protracted slowdown be avoided?
UN DESA Policy Brief No. 36, by Oliver Paddison and Rob Vos of DPAD/DESA, states that the world economy is teetering on the brink of another major downturn. As in 2008, economic woes in the major developed economies are weakening economic prospects around the world. There are multiple concerns, but policymakers throughout Europe and the United States are mainly fixated on reducing large fiscal deficits and public debt. The concerns are serious, and the ongoing sovereign debt crises in the euro zone have been a source of continuous turmoil in financial markets.
For more information: http://dev.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/publications/policy_briefs/policybrief36.pdf
Technical reports
Launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2012
On 17 January, the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2012 (WESP) will be launched in multi-city locations around the world. The first chapter of the report on the “Global economic outlook”, pre-released on 1 December 2011, reveals that persistent high unemployment, the euro area debt crisis and premature fiscal austerity have already slowed global growth and factor into the possibility of a new recession.
The forecast has been significantly downgraded compared to six months ago and predicts that, at best, the global economy will “muddle through” with the growth of world gross product (WGP) reaching 2.6 per cent in the baseline outlook for 2012 and 3.2 per cent for 2013, down from 4.0 per cent in 2010. 2012 is projected to be a make-or-break year in terms of proceeding with slow economic recovery or falling back into recession.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/index.shtml
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXV – No. 11, November 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or annual basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Earnings in manufacturing, by sex; Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade; World exports by commodity classes and by regions.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Meeting records
Newsletter on the Fifth High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, which took place on 7-8 December in New York, and published by FfDO/DESA, is now available. The two-day event included a series of plenary meetings chaired by the Acting President of the General Assembly, at which ministers and high-level officials were able to make formal statements.
View full issue at:
Outreach material
Rio+20: Making it Happen
As disasters threaten lives and development efforts, the latest issue of Rio+20: Making it Happen focuses on disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, one of the seven priority issues that the Conference will address. It also highlights the Fifth Meeting of the Secretary-General’s High-level Global Sustainability Panel and a Workshop on Partnerships for Rio+20, both held in New York. The newsletter also announces the publishing of “Issues Briefs” on “Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Building” and “Regional, National and Local Levels of Sustainable Development.”
United Nations Youth Flash
The November issue is now available featuring the story “The Time of Now” by Benson Saulo, an Australian Youth Delegate. The newsletter is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organisations around the world.
View full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth.aspx
DESA NGO News
The newsletter, which is a monthly service of the DESA NGO Branch of the UN, includes a brief summary of news and upcoming intergovernmental meetings of interest to NGOs. The latest issue highlights that preregistration and accreditation to the Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio +20, is now open. It also provides details on the procedures for ECOSOC NGOs requesting annual UN ground passes. Other news featured include on the UN’s first report on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and on the discussions that have begun on the Rio+20 outcome.
View full issue at: http://csonet.org/?menu=124
Pre-launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2012
The first chapter of the WESP 2012 on “The Global Outlook” will be launched in New York on 1 December.
The WESP is a joint product of DESA, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the five United Nations regional commissions. It provides an overview of recent global economic performance and short-term prospects for the world economy and of some key global economic policy and development issues. One of its purposes is to serve as a point of reference for discussions on economic, social and related issues taking place in various United Nations entities during the year.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/wess/wesp.html
World Fertility Report 2009
This report, published by the Population Division, is the third in the series of the analysis of reproductive behaviour worldwide. It discusses levels and trends of fertility, the timing of childbearing, marriage, contraceptive use and national policies with respect to fertility and childbearing for 196 countries or areas.
The data presented are obtained from civil registration statistics, population censuses and nationally representative sample surveys. Information on national policies is obtained mainly from the responses of Governments to periodic United Nations inquiries and official sources of information on government policies and programmes. This report comes with online data and metadata on a comprehensive set of indicators on fertility, nuptiality, contraceptive use and national policies related to childbearing for 196 countries or areas.
To download: http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WFR2009_Web/Main.html
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXV – No. 10, October 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or annual basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; 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.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
2010 International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Volume I, Trade by Commodity
The 2010 International Trade Statistics Yearbook (2010 ITSY), Volume I – Trade by Country presents an analytical and condensed view on the trade performance of a total of 175 countries (or areas) with the 2010 data on imports and exports by commodity and trading partner provided for 93 countries (areas), representing approximately 74% of world trade of 2010.
Volume I – Trade by Country is compiled early in 2011 (in May 2011) to allow for an advanced release of an overview of international merchandise trade in 2010 and for a much earlier publication of the available 2010 country (area) data. Volume II – Trade by Commodity contains the detailed tables showing international trade in main commodity groups and is finalized approximately six months after the completion of Volume I as the preparation of those tables requires additional country data which, normally, become available later in the year. Volume II contains also updated versions of the two world trade tables published in Volume I.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=448
Online Publication of Demographic Yearbook 2009-2010, 61st Edition
This issue is the sixty-first in a series published by the United Nations since 1948. It contains tables including a world summary of selected demographic statistics, statistics on the size, distribution and trends in national populations, fertility, foetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce. Data are shown by urban/rural residence, as available. The Demographic Yearbook 2009 – 2010 presents demographic statistics for two reference years: 2009 and 2010 in an effort to make it as up to date as possible.
To accommodate the presentation of the statistics for two reference years,in population and vital statistics tables presenting time series, the available data for reference years 2009 and 2010 are presented side by side. As for the detailed population and vital statistics, two sets of tables, one referring to 2009 and the other referring to 2010, are displayed one after the other.
The Demographic Yearbook 2009-2010 is now available online at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm
Compendium of Housing Statistics
DESA’s Statistics Division released the seventh edition of “The Compendium of Housing Statistics”. The first edition of the Compendium of Housing Statistics was issued in 1971, followed by its 1972, 1975, 1983, 1995 and 2001 editions.
The 2011 version contains 21 tables presenting statistics on the characteristics of housing units by country as well as the distribution of households and the general population by occupied dwellings. Data are shown by urban/rural area, as available. In addition, the 2011 volume will offer technical notes and a synoptic table to better service its users.
This publication will be available from December 21, 2011 on the UN Statistics Division website: http://unstats.un.org.
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
November issue highlights the agreement recently reached by EU leaders to scale up measures to solve the simmering debt crisis and reviews the main steps taken so far. It also reports on the G20 Cannes meeting and the absence of a coordinated action for jobs creation. In developed countries, in particular, unemployment is still rising and lasting longer.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/index.shtml
Outreach material
Rio+20: Making it Happen
The latest issue of the Rio+20: Making it Happen newsletter focuses on the sustainable management of oceans and marine resources (blue economy), one of the seven priority issues to be addressed at the Conference, and highlights the launch of the Conference’s communications strategy on 22 November, aiming at increasing public engagement to promote the sustainability agenda. In addition, it announces the new Conference dates.
For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=40
Social Development Link
The November issue is now available online. The newsletter, which is now published monthly by the Civil Society and Outreach Unit of the Division for Social Policy and Development, aims at providing a sharp and synthetic summary of major activities carried out by DSPD.
As its title shows, the newsletter will serve as a link between DSPD and its major partners, from civil society actors to social development practitioners and scholars. This is an electronic publication – no printed edition is generated.
For more information:
http://social.un.org/index/Newsletters/SocialDevelopmentLinkNewsletter.aspx
United Nations Youth Flash
The October issue is now available featuring a story on how school children in Nicaragua has gained access to the digital world through an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) pioneering project. The newsletter is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organisations around the world.
View full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/Youthflash/2011/October.aspx
United Nations Enable Newsletter
The latest issue is now available online, highlighting among other things the current session of the General Assembly and its work on disability issues. Two reports of the Secretary-General are being considered on the “Status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol” and the “Realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals for persons with disabilities”.
ENABLE Newsletter is 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, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
View full issue at: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?PID=312
Mobile applications
The application versions of the following publications are now available on the UN Publications website.
UN CountryStats
This is a free data visualization app that gives users portable access to social, economic and environmental data from 216 countries. It enables users to compare various indicators across multiple countries and years.
Score the Goals
The app version of ‘Score The Goals: Teaming Up to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals’ is an educational comic book app featuring 10 football UN Goodwill Ambassadors, challenged to tackle the eight MDGs. The book is aimed at 8-14 year-old children and provides a fun and interactive way to help them understand and reflect about poverty and development issues.
Basic Facts about the United Nations
This is the portable reference of choice for those interested in the UN.
UN News Reader
This is a mobile news application for quick and easy access to UN news. The user finds real-time news or can browse through news organized by subject or geographic region. News can be saved to read later, shared on social networks or emailed to a friend.
For more information: https://unp.un.org/MobileApps.aspx
New UN stamps illustrate importance of forests
The UN Postal Administration (UNPA) issued a series of eight stamps to commemorate the International Year of Forests on 13 October. These vibrant new stamps illustrate the importance of trees and forests in people’s lives.
Designed by internationally celebrated artist, Sergio Baradat, the artwork highlights the beauty of forests, and their vital link to life on earth. “For centuries, stamps have been valued for their role in chronicling human history,” said Jan McAlpine, Director of the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat.
“Just as the rings within trees hold the history of life on earth; stamps mark historic milestones. This beautiful stamp series visually evokes the spirit of the International Year of Forests and transports it to the far corners of the world.”
“Sergio’s colourful designs remind us all that one third of the Earth’s land surface is covered by trees,” said UNPA Chief David Failor. “The stamps also remind us that mankind plays an important role in maintaining the balance provided by forests.”
For more information: http://unstamps.un.org/
The International Year of Forests: http://www.un.org/forests
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXV – No. 9, September 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or annual basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex; Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices; Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies; Registration of new motor vehicles; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value; Exports by commodity classes and by regions: developed economies; Selected series of world statistics.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
2009 International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Volume II Trade by Commodity
The 2009 International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Volume II – Trade by Commodity provides information on the world trade in 2009 of 258 individual commodities (3-digit SITC groups) and eleven world trade tables covering trade values and indices up to the year 2009. Volume II has been compiled approximately six months after the submission of Volume I (in November 2010) as the preparation of these tables requires and benefits from the additional country data which, normally, become available later in the year. Volume I -Trade by Country has been compiled (and made available) early in 2010 (in May 2010) to allow for an advanced release of an overview of international merchandise trade in 2009 and for a much earlier publication of the available 2009 country (area) data.
The information for 2009 in Volume II is based on data provided by 130 countries (areas), representing 92.6% of world trade of 2009. All tables of Volume II are made available electronically shortly after the completion of the manuscript. Volume II contains updated versions of the two world trade tables A and D published in Volume I.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/
2008 Industrial Commodity Statistics Yearbook
The Industrial Commodity Statistics Yearbook provides statistics on the production of about 600 major industrial commodities. Data are provided for a ten-year period and for approximately 200 countries and territories. The commodities have been selected on the basis of their importance in world production and trade.
This edition of the Yearbook is the fourth to provide data on the value of industrial production, in addition to quantities of industrial production that have been the scope of previous editions of the Yearbook. The Yearbook is therefore organized in two volumes: Volume I: Physical Quantity Data and Volume II: Monetary Value Data.
The publication contains three annexes to assist the user: an index of commodities in alphabetical order; a table of correspondence among the CPC-based commodity codes and the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC), Rev.3.1 and Rev.4, the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) 2002 and 2007, and the Commodity Classification of the European Community (Prodcom) 2002 and 2008; and a note on the Prodcom codes that are referenced in footnotes used in this publication.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/
National Accounts Statistics: Analysis of Main Aggregates, 2009
The National Accounts Statistics: Analysis of Main Aggregates, 2009 is the 40th issue of this publication presenting a series of analytical national accounts tables for more than 200 countries and areas in the world. It has been prepared by DESA’s Statistics Division in cooperation with the national statistical offices.
The publication presents, in the form of analytical tables, a summary of the principal national accounts aggregates as provided by countries and supplemented with estimates prepared by the Statistics Division. The tables of the publication include analysis of data on GDP by different structural components, for example, by type of expenditure, kind of economic activity, major area, region and country.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=445
2008 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles
The 2008 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles is a source of overall consumption statistics of energy commodities in all sectors and provides detailed information on production, trade and consumption of electricity, net installed capacity and thermal power plant input and efficiency for selected countries.
This publication contains energy balances for about 115 developing countries, showing energy production, trade, conversion and consumption for each fuel used in the country; and electricity profiles for about 190 countries, providing detailed information on production, trade and consumption of electricity, net installed capacity and thermal power plant input for selected developing and developed countries. This publication is a source of production and consumption statistics of energy commodities in all sectors and of detailed information on production, trade and consumption of electricity, net installed capacity and thermal power plant input and efficiency.
The 2008 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles is bi-lingual (English and French) and is available in printed and electronic (PDF format) versions.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=443
2008 Energy Statistics Yearbook
The 2008 Energy Statistics Yearbook is the fifty-second 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 2005 to 2008 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 direction of trade, selected series of statistics on renewables and wastes, refinery distillation capacity and a table on selected energy resources.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=444
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
October issue highlights the fall of equity markets worldwide and its impact on emerging countries’ capital outflows and currency depreciation. It also reports on the latest consequences of Europe’s sovereign debt crisis and on the steady focus of G20 finance ministers on fiscal consolidation as the cornerstone of the recovery to come.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/index.shtml
Outreach material
Rio+20: Making it Happen
The latest issue of the Rio+20: Making it Happen newsletter highlights the International Day of Rural Women and the critical role rural women play in promoting sustainable development and eradicating poverty. Among other related events and issues, it also announces the opening of the UN Office for Sustainable Development in South Korea and various regional preparatory meetings for Rio+20.
For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=40
“Working with ECOSOC – an NGOs Guide to Consultative Status”
NGOs have been actively engaged with the UN since 1945. They work with the UN Secretariat, programmes, funds and agencies in various ways, including in consultation with Member States. NGOs contribute to a number of activities including information dissemination, awareness raising, development education, policy advocacy, joint operational projects, participation in intergovernmental processes and in the contribution of services and technical expertise. To facilitate for NGOs applying for consultative status and guiding them on the work of the Economic and Social Council, UN DESA’s NGO Branch has launched the brochure “Working with ECOSOC – an NGOs Guide to Consultative Status”.
To view the brochure: http://csonet.org/content/documents/Brochure.pdf
Websites
The Rio+20 Secretariat launched a donation button on the Rio+20 website. The money collected will be used to fund the participation of representatives from developing countries, in particular the 48 least developed, land-locked countries and Small Island Developing States to Rio de Janeiro to participate in the Conference in June 2012.
For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=14
MDG Gap Task Force Report 2011:
The Global Partnership for Development: Time to Deliver
The MDG Gap Task Force Report 2011 released on 16 September, shows that if the MDGs are to be achieved, a serious shortfall in funding must be addressed. It also highlights that significant gaps remain in delivering on the commitments in the areas of aid, trade, debt relief, and access to new technologies and to affordable essential medicines. A number of crucial commitments that were supposed to have been reached by 2010, including increased aid volume, improved aid effectiveness, and the conclusion of the Doha Round of trade negotiations, have not been met.
The report monitors the progress made in achieving the targets of MDG 8, including continued attention to the impact of the global crisis on meeting the targets set under MDG 8 and embedding any new commitments resulting from the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly on the MDGs into the monitoring process.
Download report: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/mdg_gap/index.shtml
2010 Revision of the World Population Prospects
DESA’s Population Division has now released the complete data sets of the 2010 Revision of the World Population Prospects. These data are used throughout the UN System, by many international organizations, research centres and the media. According to our estimates and (medium variant) projections, the world population is now close to 7 billion and will reach 10.1 billion in the next ninety years. While the main results of the World Population Prospects have been available on our web site since 3 March 2011, detailed data have now been published in the following electronic formats:
1. Comprehensive Dataset – CD-ROM
This CD-ROM contains population estimates and projections for all countries and major regions of the world in the form of Excel tables. All data are available on the CD-ROM in five-year age groups and five-year estimation and projection intervals. Some data, such as total population by sex, are also available on the CD-ROM in annual interpolation.
2. Extended Dataset – DVD
The DVD contains population estimates and projections for all countries and major regions of the world in the form of Excel tables and in the form of ASCII-files. The ASCII files are optimized for database input and statistical software. All data on the DVD are available in five-year groups and five year estimation and projection intervals. In addition, population by age and sex is available in annually interpolated form for single years of age. Many other demographic indicators, such as life expectancy at birth or total fertility, are also available in annually interpolated format.
A detailed description of specific data tables on the CD-ROM and the DVD is available on-line in the CD-ROM/DVD order form at:
http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Other-Information/WPP2010_ORDER_FORM.pdf
For methodological background information and data sources, assumptions of the 2010 Revision, interactive tables and maps visualizing demographic trends: http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXV – No. 8, August 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials, Earnings in manufacturing, by sex, Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Outreach material
Rio+20 Brochure: Building Our Common Future
The newly launched Rio+20 Brochure “Building Our Common Future” gives a comprehensive insight into the issues that will be addressed at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012.
This Conference will provide a historic opportunity to define pathways to a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more prosperous world for all. Taking place twenty years after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, where countries adopted Agenda 21, the UN is again bringing together governments, international institutions and major groups to agree on a range of smart measures that can reduce poverty while promoting decent jobs, clean energy and a more sustainable and fair use of resources.
View the brochure: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/content/documents/Rio20Brochure.pdf
Rio+20: Making it Happen
The latest issue of the Rio+20: Making it Happen newsletter features the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought, which will contribute to the Rio+20 process. Among other related events and issues, the newsletter also highlights the Beijing High-level Symposium on the UN Conference on Sustainable Development’s outcome and also features the Rio+20 Bureau’s meeting with representatives of International Financial Institutions.
View full issue at: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=40
United Nations Enable Newsletter
A special edition of the newsletter has been issued covering the period August to September and focusing on the Fourth session of the Conference of States Parties and the Status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, as well as from civil society, this issue also brings attention to upcoming events as well as highlights from the UN System.
View this special issue at: http://www.un.org/disabilities
United Nations Youth Flash
The latest issue features Oliver Felix, a Youth Delegate from Switzerland, who shares his experiences on how he became a Youth Delegate, and what it was like to represent his country during the High Level Meeting on Youth in July. It also highlights news from the UN and other international organizations as well as Youth in Action events. The newsletter is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organisations around the world.
View full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/Youthflash/2011/August.aspx
DESA NGO News
The latest edition is now available and includes news from the UN General Assembly’s General Debate, the General Assembly High-level Meeting marking the 10th Anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and the annual joint conference of the UN and NGOs in Bonn, Germany, with calls for civil society to encourage people to realize that their local concerns are connected to the larger global issues. The newsletter, which is a monthly service of the DESA NGO Branch of the United Nations, includes a brief summary of news and upcoming intergovernmental meetings of interest to NGOs with ECOSOC consultative status.
View full issue at: http://csonet.org/content/documents/lateste.pdf
MDG Gap Task Force Report 2011:
The Global Partnership for Development: Time to Deliver
The report to be launched the third week of September monitors the progress made in achieving the targets of MDG 8. Continued attention is given to the impact of the global crisis on meeting the targets set under MDG 8 and embedding any new commitments resulting from the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly on the MDGs into the monitoring process.
Policy coherence is a central theme of the 2011 issue of the report, paying attention not only to issues of consistency across the various dimensions of global partnerships, but also to the extent that those alliances are aligned behind national development strategies for attaining the MDGs. The adequacy of international support measures, especially for least developed countries particularly regarding trade preferences and debt relief, are also analyzed. With less than four years left until the 2015 MDG deadline, the 2011 report provides recommendations to all major stakeholders on how to address the remaining implementation gaps.
To download: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/mdg_gap/index.shtml
Private Sector Toolkit for Working with Youth
This technical paper has been produced by the United Nations Programme on Youth in the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the NGO Restless Development, in the context of the International Year of Youth.
The purpose of this document is to explore cooperation between youth and the private sector, both in principle and in practice, in order to:
- Highlight the role of youth as social actors, and increase general understanding of young people’s great potential as development partners;
- Inspire the private sector to partner with youth by showcasing several case studies and demonstrating the economic advantage of investing in youth, in contrast to the cost of underinvestment; and
- Provide initial guidance on facilitating private sector engagement with young people, and the formation of meaningful partnerships, to better influence development processes worldwide.
The toolkit for working with youth is part of a series of technical papers aimed both at strengthening youth participation at all levels through cooperation among various stakeholders, as well as at highlighting the role of youth as agents of development. Building on youth participation in development, which provides guidance to development agencies and policymakers, and the activities kit, which provides guidance to young people on celebrating the International Year of Youth, this technical paper is a tool geared towards enhancing partnership between youth and the private sector.
To download: http://social.un.org/index/Home/tabid/40/news/146/Default.aspx
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXV – No. 7, July 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly 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.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Statistical Yearbook, Fifty-fourth issue
The Statistical Yearbook is an annual compilation of a wide range of international economic, social and environmental statistics on over 200 countries and areas, compiled from sources including UN agencies and other international, national and specialized organizations.
The 54th edition contains data available to the Statistics Division as of 31 December 2010 and presents them in 70 tables on topics such as: agriculture, forestry and fishing; communication; development assistance; education; energy; environment; finance; gender; international merchandise trade; international tourism; labour force; manufacturing; national accounts; population; prices; science and technology; and transport. The number of years of data shown in the tables varies from one to ten, with most tables covering the period up to 2008 or 2009. Accompanying the tables are technical notes providing brief descriptions of major statistical concepts, definitions and classifications.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htm
The World Statistics Pocketbook 2010
The World Statistics Pocketbook 2010 is the thirtieth in a series of annual compilations of key statistical indicators prepared by United Nations Statistics Division of UN DESA. Over 50 indicators have been collected from more than 20 international statistical sources and are presented in one-page profiles for 216 countries or areas of the world.
This issue covers various years from 2000 to 2010. For the economic indicators, in general, three years – 2000, 2005 and 2009 – are shown; for the indicators in the social and environmental categories, data for one year are presented. The topics covered include: agriculture, balance of payments, education, energy, environment, food, gender, health, industrial production, information and communication, international finance, international tourism, international trade, labour, migration, national accounts, population and prices.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htm
Meeting records
Report of the Secretary-General on International financial system and development (A/66/167)
The report reviews recent trends in international official and private capital flows of developing countries and current efforts to reform the international monetary and financial system and architecture. The report highlights the urgent challenges arising from the world financial and economic crisis and its aftermath, in particular in the key areas of financial regulation and supervision, multilateral surveillance, macroeconomic policy coordination, sovereign debt, global financial safety net, international reserve system and governance reform of the Bretton Woods institutions.
View full report: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/66/167&Lang=E
Outreach material
Rio+20: Making it Happen
The latest issue highlights the General Assembly’s High-level Meeting on Youth, which took place on 25-26 July in New York, including the Secretary-General’s call to Member States to include youth in national delegations to UN meetings, including Rio+20. Besides upcoming events, this issue also announced a pre-launch seminar on 25-25 August for the newly established UN Office for Sustainable Development in Incheon, Korea and the Delhi Dialogue on “Green Economy and Inclusive Growth” taking place on 3-4 October.
View full issue at: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=40
Natural Resource Forum publishes special issue on “green economy”
Natural Resources Forum, a UN Sustainable Development Journal, has issued a special issue on green economy and sustainable development which is available on-line. Articles cover social transformation; technological change for clean energy scenarios; shaping agricultural innovation systems; biofuels governance; public-private partnerships; green funds; and policy challenges.
View full issue at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/narf.2011.35.issue-3/issuetoc
Regional Voices
The first edition of the newsletter “Regional Voices”, published by the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat, follows the First Summit on Tropical Forest Ecosystems of Amazonia, the Congo Basins and South East Asia, which took place in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo and the Forest Europe Ministerial conference in Oslo, Norway. The newsletter is also available in French and Spanish.
View full issue: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/news/en-regional-voices-1.html
View French version: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/news/fr-regional-voices-1.html
View Spanish version: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/news/es-regional-voices-1.html
United Nations Youth Flash
The July issue is now available. The newsletter is a service of the UN Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organisations around the world.
View full issue at: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/Youthflash.aspx
United Nations Enable Newsletter
The July issue is now available online. ENABLE Newsletter is 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, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
View full issue at: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?PID=312
DESA NGO News
The latest edition is now available. The newsletter, which is a monthly service of the DESA NGO Branch of the United Nations, includes a brief summary of news and upcoming intergovernmental meetings of interest to NGOs with ECOSOC consultative status.
View full issue at: http://csonet.org/content/documents/27july.pdf
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The August issue of the Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects highlights that economic growth is decelerating markedly in many world regions. Equity markets have tumbled and exchange rate volatility has sharply increased as sovereign debt problems in developed economies continue. Food emergencies are affecting millions of people in the Horn of Africa and Haiti
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/index.shtml
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXV – No. 6, June 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex; Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices; value; Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies; Registration of new motor vehicles; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value; and Selected series of world statistics.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Population and Vital Statistics
The Population and Vital Statistics Report, Series A, Vol. LXIII, contains the data available to the Statistics Division of DESA as of 1 January 2011. This publication includes data for countries or areas on population size (total, male, and female) from the latest available census, and the number and rate of vital events (live births, deaths, and infant deaths) for the latest available year.
These data are presented as reported by national statistical authorities to the Demographic Yearbook of the Statistics Division of DESA. In addition, this publication includes the estimated mid-year population by major area and region for years 2008 and 2009, prepared by the Population Division of DESA and presented in World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/default.htm
National Accounts Statistics: Analysis of Main Aggregates, 2009, Parts I, II, III, IV and V
This publication contains in the form of analytical tables a summary of the principal national accounting aggregates based on official national accounts data for more than 200 countries and areas of the world for the years 1970 to 2009. It also contains a section on the estimation methods used for compiling the data. It is prepared by the Statistics Division of the Department for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat with the generous co-operation of national statistical offices and serves as a valuable source of information on the economic situation of countries and areas.
The tables of the publication include analysis of data on gross domestic product (GDP) by different structural components. The types of analysis presented are classified into the four major categories listed below:
- Analysis of the level of total and per capita GDP
- Analysis of the percentage shares of GDP by type of expenditure and gross value added by kind of economic activity
- Analysis of economic development expressed in term of real growth of GDP and its components by type of expenditure and gross value added by kind of economic activity
- Analysis of price development reflected by implicit price deflators of GDP
The time-series data can also be downloaded via the following links: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/selQuick.asp
http://data.un.org/Explorer.aspx?d=SNAAMA
2009 International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Vol.I
The 2009 International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Volume I – Trade by Country provides an overview of the international merchandise trade in 2009 and detailed information on the trade performance for numerous countries up to the year 2009. Overall, data for a total of 174 countries (or areas) are shown with the 2009 detailed data on imports and exports by commodity and trading partner provided for 88 countries (areas), representing approximately 70% of world trade of 2009.
Beginning with the 2008 edition the International Trade Statistics Yearbook is published in a redesigned format in respect to the presentation of data for individual countries (Volume I) as well as trade in a particular commodity (Volume II). The goal is to provide a more analytical and condensed view of trade by using graphs, overview tables and descriptive text. For more detailed data users are requested to go directly to UN Comtrade (see link below) which is the source of the information presented in the yearbook and which is continuously updated. The 2009 ITSY, Volume II – Trade by commodity will be, as previously, completed by end of December as more complete data is required for showing detailed information of trade by commodity
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htm
UN Comtrade: http://comtrade.un.org/db/default.aspx
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The July issue highlights that the prospects for continued global economic recovery are at risk amidst concerns over sovereign debt sustainability in Europe and the United States, and the negative consequences that possible defaults could inflict on global demand and financial stability.
The briefing also reports that oil and other primary commodity prices remain elevated, keeping up headline inflation, particularly in developing economies. It further notes that growth is beginning to moderate in some developing regions which had experienced robust performance in 2010 on the back of internal efforts to contain inflationary pressures and a receding global demand.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/index.shtml
Working papers
Macroeconomic Policy for Growth and Poverty Reduction: An Application to Post-Conflict and Resource-Rich Countries
A fundamental shift in macroeconomic policy thinking is taking place. This shift opens a space for implementing policies that promote growth and reduce poverty in developing countries. In this paper, policies for post-conflict and resource-rich economies are outlined. Fiscal policy would focus on revenue mobilization, scaling-up public investment, and preventing over-heating. Monetary policies would revive the financial sector, prevent inflationary pressures and stimulate private sector investment. Exchange rate policies should focus on achieving slow depreciation and maintaining international competitiveness. These policies should not be considered in isolation from each other, but in coordination.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2011/wp108_2011.pdf
Outreach material
Rio+20: Making it Happen
The latest issue of the newsletter highlights the link between education and sustainable development and it also features the Rio+20 Bureau meeting with the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs that took place on 7 July. It also draws attention to a Brief related to the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development on “Lessons from the Peer Review Mechanism” and to the Pacific region’s Rio+20 preparatory meeting that was held on 22 July in Samoa.
View full issue at: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=40
United Nations Youth Flash
The newsletter is a service of the United Nations Programme on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organisations around the world.
For more information: http://social.un.org/index/Youth/Youthflash.aspx
United Nations Enable Newsletter
The June issue is now available online. ENABLE Newsletter is prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) at DSPD/DESA, with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and civil society.
For more information: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?PID=312
Worldwide launch of “UN Innovations in Public Governance” App
The UN’s latest mobile application and DESA’s first, “UN Innovations in Public Governance”, was launched on 23 June at the UN Public Service Awards Ceremony in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, published by the Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) with UN Publications.
The free application, available worldwide for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, lets users easily explore the entire archive of 145 UN Public Service Awards-Winning Initiatives — including the just-announced 2011 winners — filtering by Subject, Category, Region, Country and Year, and learn about each initiative from content that is optimized for a mobile platform. The case studies describe innovative practices by describing the problem that led to an innovation; the solution that was designed and implemented; the actors and steps involved in the innovation process; and lessons learned. The app is an inspirational and powerful tool to understand how public institutions around the world solve difficult governance challenges.
Together with the app, UN Publications and DPADM are publishing DPADM’s eBook Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011. This project is the third collaboration between UN Publications and DPADM since September, following the publication of the United Nations E-Government Survey 2010 and the United Nations Contribution to the Improvement of Public Administration – A 60-Year History. The eBooks are available on multiple platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony eReader, and Apple iPhone and iPad.
To download the app for free:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/un-innovations-in-public-governance/id443218537?mt=8#
Publications in other languages:
The following publications are now available in other languages:
- Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008, ST/ESA/STAT/SER.F/80/Rev.1 (Arabic)
- International Recommendations for Industrial Statistics 2008, ST/ESA/STAT/SER.M/90 (Spanish, Arabic)
Websites
Update of the MDG website
The MDG website has been updated and now includes the latest annual Millennium Development Goals Report 2011. The report, which presents the yearly assessment of global progress towards the MDGs, shows that although significant strides have been made, reaching all the MDGs by 2015 remains challenging because progress has failed to reach the most vulnerable.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Resources/Static/Products/Progress2011/11-31339 (E) MDG Report 2011_Book LR.pdf
Press materials: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/news.shtml
MDG Progress Chart 2011
Most of the targets included in the Millennium Development Goals framework are to be achieved by 2015 – promising clear and measurable improvements from standards prevailing in 1990. The MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators. The MDG Progress Chart 2011 presents an assessment of progress as of June 2011 towards selected key targets relating to each Goal.
To browse: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Resources/Static/Products/Progress2011/11-31330 (E) MDG Report 2011_Progress Chart LR.pdf
Launch of the World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The Great Green Technological Transformation
The report to be released in Geneva on 5 July, states that over the next 40 years, $1.9 trillion per year will be needed for incremental investments in green technologies. At least one half or $1.1 trillion per year, of the required investments will need to be made in developing countries to meet their rapidly increasing food and energy demand through the application of green technologies.
“This report shows how important technological progress will be for ensuring a future that benefits everyone while protecting our planet,” says Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General of DESA and the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, to take place in June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. “The report is required reading as we gear up for Rio+20, which is an opportunity to define pathways to a safer, cleaner and more prosperous world for all.”
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wess/index.shtml
The World Economic and Social Survey (WESS) 2011 is also available on the following ebook readers:
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00580V4KW
Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/World-Economic-and-Social-Survey-2011/United-Nations/e/2940012886330
Apple iBookstore: forthcoming
Launch of the Millennium Development Goals Report 2011
The report to be released on 7 July is the result of an intensively collaborative effort, led by the Statistics Division of DESA. It involves twenty-seven international organizations and agencies and a group of representatives of national statistical systems, who meet every year to review the tools to compile and analyze the necessary data. These data are drawn from national statistics provided by Governments to the international statistical system and adjusted for comparability.
The report will present the most updated assessment of progress towards the MDGs. It will be a key resource in informing the political debate at ECOSOC and at the General Assembly in September when Member States will come together to assess what has worked in accelerating progress and what needs to be done to bridge existing gaps.
For more information: http://mdgs.un.org
Report on the World Social Situation 2011: The Global Social Crisis
The report reveals that many governments did not pay sufficient attention to the social implications of the global economic crisis. It states that economic policies considered in isolation from their social consequences often create dire results for people’s nutrition, health and education, which adversely affect long-term economic growth.
“The economic crisis reminds us that it is essential for people to be healthy, educated, adequately housed and well fed to be more productive and better able to contribute to society,” said Jomo Kwame Sundaram, UN-DESA Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development.
Recovery has been uneven and still remains fragile, and, the report says, wide-ranging negative social outcomes linger from the global economic downturn.
For more information: http://social.un.org/index/ReportontheWorldSocialSituation/2011.aspx
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXV – No. 5, May 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Earnings in manufacturing, by sex and Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Newsletters
Rio+20: Making it Happen
The latest issue of the newsletter, Volume 2, Issue 11, features activities marking the one year count-down to Rio+20 in both New York and Rio de Janeiro. With other events and issues highlighted, it also announces the three-day High-level Dialogue on Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development to be held on 19-21 July, in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia.
View full issue at: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=14
Working papers
Food Crises and Gender Inequality
This paper examines the current food crises, the projected effect of climate change, the vulnerabilities created by regional concentrations of food production, imports and exports, and the significant role of women as food producers, consumers and family food managers. Bridging productivity differentials between male and female farmers, by helping women overcome production constraints, would significantly increase agricultural output. This becomes an imperative, given the feminization of agriculture. Institutionally, a group approach to farming would help women and other small holders enhance their access to land and inputs, benefit from economies of scale, and increase their bargaining power economically and socially.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2011/wp107_2011.pdf
The Scorecard on Development, 1960-2010: Closing the Gap?
This paper examines data on economic growth and various social indicators for 193 countries over the past 50 years, divided into three periods: 1960-1980, 1980-2000, and 2000-2010. The paper finds that after a sharp slowdown in economic growth and in progress on social indicators during the second period (1980-2000), there has been a recovery on both economic growth and, for many countries, a rebound in progress on social indicators (including life expectancy, adult, infant, and child mortality, and education) during the past decade. The paper discusses some of the economic and policy changes that might explain the slowdown and rebound.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2011/wp106_2011.pdf
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The United Nations forecast for growth of the global economy was increased slightly to 3.3 per cent in 2011 and 3.6 per cent in 2012. However, the pace of the global recovery remains uneven across countries. Output growth is strong among developing countries and feeble in many developed economies.
Serious downside risks to the global recovery remain. Developed economies face continued financial sector fragility, sovereign debt distress and high unemployment rates. Many developing countries face new headwinds, including rising inflation, assets bubble risks and strong exchange rate appreciation.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Publications in other languages
The following publications are now available in other languages:
- Handbook on Population and Housing Census Editing Revision 1, ST/ESA/STAT/SER. F/82/Rev.1 (Chinese, Spanish)
- International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics, ST/ESA/STAT/SER. M/83/Rev.1 (Chinese)
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/
World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) mid-2011 update
The World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) as of mid-2011 was launched on 25 May and highlights that the recovery of the global economy remains intact but uneven, with strong output growth in developing countries and a weaker economic performance in developed countries. At the same time, new headwinds have emerged, such as upward pressure on inflation rates due to higher energy and food prices and continued appreciation pressure on emerging market currencies.
It further analyses a number of risks, including problems regarding the sustainability of public finances in developed economies, the remaining vulnerability of the private financial sector, continued high and volatile commodity prices and the possible collapse of the United States dollar. In the area of policy making, the report highlights numerous challenges such as how to time the unwinding of fiscal support, the redesign of fiscal policy to promote employment and sustainable development, greater synergy between monetary and fiscal policy, the provision of sufficient funding to developing countries and more effective international policy coordination.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/index.shtml
World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
The 2010 Revision of the World Population Prospects is the twenty-second round of global demographic estimates and projections undertaken by the Population Division of DESA. The world population prospects are used widely throughout the UN and by many international organizations, research centers, academic researchers and the media. This new revision was released on 3 May and key findings and projections were presented at a press conference in New York by Hania Zlotnik, Director of DESA’s Population Division. Among other things, projections show that the number of people inhabiting the planet is expected to pass the 10 billion mark by 2100. Ms. Zlotnik also stated that unlike past reports, this one includes projections for all countries and regions of the world up to 2100. She said the new and more complex method used to project fertility took countries’ past experiences more into account in order to chart future fertility paths.
Ms. Zlotnik also said that the world population was projected to increase to 7 billion towards the end of the year and that while the world had not collapsed under the billions of new people, the poorest countries were experiencing the highest rates of population growth.
The next revision is due in the first part of 2013.
For more information: http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXV – No. 4, April 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of UN officials, 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.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Updated Environmental Indicators on the Web
DESA’s Statistics Division (UNSD) publishes global environment statistics through two main web-based products, UNSD Environmental Indicators and Country Snapshots. The environmental indicators in the areas of Air and Climate; Biodiversity; Energy and Minerals; Forests; Governance; Inland Water Resources; Land and Agriculture; Marine and Coastal Areas; Natural Disasters; and Waste have been recently updated.
Statistics on Water and Waste are based on official statistics supplied by national statistical offices and/or ministries of environment (or equivalent institutions) in response to the biennial UNSD/UNEP Questionnaire on Environment Statistics, complemented with comparable statistics from OECD and Eurostat, and water resources data from FAO Aquastat. Statistics on the other themes were compiled by UNSD from other international sources.
The updated Environmental Indicators, published in the form of indicator and time series tables, charts, along with maps, are available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/qindicators.htm
Publications in other languages
The following publications are now available in other languages:
- International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Supplement to the Compilers Manual ST/ESA/STAT/SER. F/87/Add.1 (Spanish, Chinese)
- Designing Household Survey Samples: Practical Guidelines ST/ESA/STAT/SER.F/98 (Chinese)
For more information: https://unp.un.org/
Meeting records
DSD officially launched “Synergies Success Stories,” a joint publication of DESA and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, UNEP and FAO at the High-level Segment of CSD-19. An electronic version of the publication, as well as the websites of relevant conventions, was posted on the Commission’s website.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/csd/csd_csd19.shtml
Newsletters
Rio+20: Making it Happen
The latest issue of the newsletter, Volume 2, Issue 9, features a Nordic Council side-event held at CSD-19, which focused on the role of women in the economy and the importance of engaging civil society and to create a sustainable future. Among other issues, reports and events, it also highlights the upcoming thematic debate of the UN General Assembly on the “green economy” on 2 June and the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Amazon, Congo, and Borneo-Mekong Forest Basins in the Republic of Congo on 31 May to 3 June.
For more information:
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/content/documents/Vol%202,%20Issue%209%20_17%20May_.Revised%20II.pdf
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The monthly briefing states that the International oil prices increased further amidst continued unrest in the Middle East, the US dollar fell to historic lows and many emerging and developing countries are tightening monetary policies.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Working papers
Adapting the international monetary system to face 21st century challenges
Recent calls for more intense debate on and reforms to the international monetary system imply that the current system is unable to respond appropriately and adequately to challenges that have appeared, or become more acute, in recent years. This paper focuses on four such challenges: ensuring an orderly exit from global imbalances, facilitating more complementary adjustments between surplus and deficit countries without recessionary impacts, better supporting international trade by reducing currency volatility and better providing development and climate finance. After describing them, it proposes reforms to enable the international monetary system to better respond to these challenges.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/papers/2011/index.shtml
Credit to Private Sector, Interest Spread and Volatility in Credit-Flows: Do Bank Ownership and Deposits Matter?
With bank-level data from 81 developing countries, this paper shows that increased foreign bank presence is associated with increased reliance on non-deposit based funding, which leads to higher interest rate spreads, less credit to the private sector, and higher volatility in bank loans.
Foreign bank entry significantly reduces domestic banks’ share of deposits while foreign banks typically allocate less of their assets and deposits to lending. As domestic banks lose their deposit base, they rely on non-deposit based funding, but its higher costs and uncertainty force domestic banks to reduce their lending activities.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/papers/2011/index.shtml
Websites
Redesigned website of DESA’s Social Policy and Development Division
A new and improved DSPD website is now available. The new website delivers important innovations both in terms of content and technological enhancements. The site reflects DESA’s work in social development and its outreach. Through the new site, both existing users and new visitors can gain a greater understanding of the Division’s activities and achievements in promoting social development for all.
To browse: http://social.un.org/index/
United Nations Enable on Facebook
A new Facebook page, United Nations Enable has been launched to help users of this social network find out more about the work of the United Nations for persons with disabilities.
To browse:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/United-Nations-Enable/196545623691523
Handbooks
Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category: Inclusion, Graduation and Special Support Measures (now available in French)
This Handbook is now available in French and it aims at promoting a better understanding of the LDC category and the benefits derived from membership therein. It contains a comprehensive explanation of the criteria, procedures and methodology used by the Committee for Development Policy for establishing which countries are eligible for inclusion in, or recommended for graduation from, the LDC category. It also provides an overview of the international support measures that can be derived from having least developed country status and the implications of graduating from the list in terms of the potential loss of such measures.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/cdp/cdp_publications_archive.shtml
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 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. LXV – No. 3, March 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices; value; Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies; Registration of new motor vehicles; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value; Selected series of world statistics.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Demographic Yearbook 2008
Demographic Yearbook 2008, the sixtieth in a series since 1948, is now available in print. Through the cooperation with the National Statistical Offices, official demographic statistics are compiled in the Yearbook, as available, for more than 230 countries and areas of the world.
This edition of the Yearbook contains chapters on the population size and distribution, the population of capital cities, fertility, fetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce. Live births and crude birth rates as well as deaths and crude death rates are displayed for the latest five years, together with the age-specific fertility and mortality rates for the latest available year. It also features two non-recurrent tables on general mortality, cause specific deaths and death rates, and probabilities of dying as of the latest official life tables reported for each country.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2008.htm
Publications in other languages
The following publications are now available in other languages:
- Designing Household Survey Samples: Practical Guidelines (Chinese, Russian)
- Handbook on Geospatial Infrastructure in Support of Census Activities (Russian)
Meeting records
Final Report on the 49th Session of the Commission for Social Development
The Commission adopted draft resolutions entitled “Modalities for the second review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002”, “Policies and programmes involving youth”, “Further promotion of equalization of opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities and mainstreaming disability in the development agenda”, “Preparation for and observance of the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family” and “Social dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development”.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csocd/2011-resolutions.html
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The April monthly briefing highlights the ripple effects of Japan’s triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident) and of the political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. Inflationary pressures resulting from rising oil and food prices have led many Governments to tighten monetary policies.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Websites
Identifying Asset Bubbles: The Role of a National Statistical Office
Asset price bubbles are the subject of much debate in economic circles after the 2008 global economic and financial crisis. While there is considerable interest in bubbles, their identification poses a number of challenges for the national statistical offices. The site serves as a global consultation forum with papers and presentations on “identifying bubbles” prepared for the Fifteenth Conference of the Commonwealth Statisticians.
To browse: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/Identifying_Bubbles/Identifying_Bubbles.htm
The Population and Vital Statistics Report (Online)
The report includes data for countries or areas on population size (total, male, and female) from the latest available census, and the number and rate of vital events (live births, deaths, and infant deaths) for the latest available year. These data are presented as reported by national statistical authorities to the Demographic Yearbook of DESA’s Statistics Division.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/default.htm
National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables, 2008 Parts I, II, III, and IV
The publication contains detailed national accounts estimates for 189 countries or areas of the World for the years 1997 to 2008. The estimates for each country or area are presented in separate chapters with uniform table headings and classifications as recommended in the System of National Accounts 1993 (1993 SNA). A summary of the SNA conceptual framework, classifications and definitions are included in the publication.
The publication contains statistics on national accounts aggregates and detailed variables such as gross domestic product, national income, saving, household and government consumption expenditure, gross capital formation, exports and imports, value added, compensation of employees, operating surplus, etc. It is a valuable source of information on the state and structure of the economies worldwide.
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXV – No. 2, February 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Earnings in manufacturing, by sex; Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Publications in other languages
The following publications are now available in other languages:
- Designing Household Survey Samples: Practical Guidelines (Arabic)
- Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008 (Spanish)
- International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Supplement to the Compilers Manual ST/ESA/STAT/SER (Russian)
Meeting records
The Transition to a Green Economy: Benefits, Challenges and Risks from a Sustainable Development Perspective
The Report by a Panel of Experts was released in March 2011 by DESA’s Divisions on Sustainable Development, UNEP and UNCTAD. It contains three papers:
The first one, by José Antonio Ocampo, looks at the macroeconomic policy implications of the transition to the green economy. The second, by Aaron Cosbey, focuses on the interlinked issues of trade, investment and technology. And, the third by Martin Khor, considers the risks that this concept generates for developing countries and the domestic and international policies necessary to promote the green economy in these countries according to the principles of sustainable development.
For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=400&nr=12&menu=45
Briefs
Rio+20 Issues Brief on Trade and Green Economy
Produced by the Secretariat of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development with inputs from UNCTAD, this Brief provides guidance on issues to be addressed to reinforce trade, green economy and sustainable development complementarities. The Brief examines policy options for green transformation and their WTO-rule compatibility. It suggests that green economy offers an opportunity to improve global trade governance and the domestic trade environment to create an enabling environment for developing countries. This will ensure that trade contributes positively to a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.
For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=400&nr=13&menu=45
Working papers
Behavioural Factors as Emerging Main Determinants of Child Mortality in Middle-Income Countries: A Case Study of Jordan
This paper uses data from Jordan’s 2007 Demographic and Health Survey to reassess the main determinants of child mortality in this middle-income country. Running different logit estimations to allow for different time windows and sets of variables, we find that behavioural factors have gained importance, compared to the household and community factors that were found to be important in earlier studies. We conclude that once a country has passed a certain threshold in household income, education and access to health care and safe drinking water, policies targeting behavioural changes are the most promising for achieving further reductions in mortality rates.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/papers/2011/index.shtml
Globalization and development in sub-Saharan Africa
This paper critically reviews the impact of globalization on sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) since the early 1980s. The large gains expected from opening up to international economic forces have, to date, been limited, and there have been significant adverse consequences. Foreign direct investment in SSA has been largely confined to resource—especially mineral—extraction, even as continuing capital flight has reduced financial resources available for productive investments. Premature trade liberalization has further undermined prospects for the economic development of SSA as productive capacities in many sectors are not sufficiently competitive to take advantage of any improvements in market access.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/papers/2011/index.shtml
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
This briefing highlights the further increase in international oil prices amidst continued unrest in the Middle East, as well as the rise in food and commodity prices that have pushed up inflation worldwide. The catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan has caused massive damage, but global economic repercussions have yet to be fully determined.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Men in Families and Family Policy in a Changing World
In keeping with the objectives of the International Year of the Family, and based on existing research, the current publication aims to promote the knowledge of trends affecting families and increase awareness of family issues among Governments as well as in the private sector. It is also hoped that the study will stimulate efforts to develop family-oriented policies focusing attention upon the rights and responsibilities of all family members.
Promoting knowledge of the economic, social and demographic processes affecting families and their members is indispensable to design appropriate course of action to assist families in fulfilling their numerous functions. These overall considerations have guided the preparations of the current publication, which addresses the issue of the evolving roles of men in families and the corresponding need to develop social policies supporting these new roles for the benefit of families.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/publications.html
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXV – No. 1, January 2011
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly 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. .
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008
The recommendations included in the publication represent an update of a common conceptual framework for the design of the tourism satellite account that had been initially set up in 2000 by an Inter-secretariat Working Group convened by DESA’s Statistics Division, with the participation of the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
The purpose of a Tourism Satellite Account is to analyze in detail all the aspects of demand for goods and services associated with the activity of visitors; to observe the operational interface with the supply of such goods and services within the economy; and to describe how this supply interacts with other economic activities. The publication provides an updated framework for constructing a Tourism Satellite Account. It permits greater internal consistency of tourism statistics with the rest of the statistical system of a country, as well as increased international comparability of these data.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=434
Publications under preparation
Women at the front-line of public service delivery
This joint publication was finalized during a meeting with DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM), UN WOMEN and a team of researchers from Columbia University on 10 February 2011. The objective of the meeting was to define what public administration cases with a gender component would be included in the publication. The good practices are chosen among the nominees of the past editions of the United Nations Public Service Awards. 27 cases were presented and discussed, and an additional 69 presented and reviewed. Overall, 600 cases were reviewed.
To facilitate the preparation of the selected case studies, it was decided that DPADM would provide the research team with the supporting documentation submitted by government institutions from around the world. Phone interviews would also be conducted to gather additional information pertaining to each case, especially its sustainability. The publication will be available in June 2011.
Outreach material
Rio 2012: Making it Happen
This newsletter, produced by DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development and dedicated to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, announces in this edition the date of the Conference (4-6 June 2012), and the newsletter’s name change from Rio20: Making it Happen to Rio 2012: Making it Happen.
This issue also highlights the second meeting of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability, the launch of the International Year of Forests and the General Assembly’s debate on risk reduction.
For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/
Natural Resources Forum, a United Nations Sustainable Development Journal
DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development is pleased to announce that the February 2011 issue is now published on-line:
Link to February issue: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/narf.2011.35.issue-1/issuetoc
Link to all on-line content: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1477-8947
To learn more about the National Resources Forum, please visit: www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/nrf
Advancing the Global Statistical System
The latest version of the brochure of DESA’s Statistics Division provides a summary compilation of the Divisions major work areas and accomplishments.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/brochures/UNSD_Brochure.pdf
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
This briefing highlights the challenges and risks associated with the increase in international food prices, as well as in the prices of other primary commodities. It also points out that the pace of the recovery in developed countries is not strong enough to substantially reduce the unemployment rates. While growth in developing countries continues to be robust, the pace is moderating in some regions.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Websites
Statistics Division National Accounts Section
The website of DESA’s National Accounts Section was modernized and updated to improve the accessibility of information about the System of National Accounts 2008, Knowledge Base for economic statistics, national accounts databases, activities related to implementation and research of the 2008 SNA and publications. Its structure contains information not only about the activities undertaken by the Section but also about related work done under the purview of the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts (ISWGNA), the governing body mandated to maintain and implement the System of National Accounts.
To browse: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/nationalaccount/default.asp .
Bringing knowledge management to the service of SIDS
A new and improved SIDSnet (Small Island Developing States Network) will soon become available, and will include exciting features and cutting-edge technology that will enhance stakeholders’ user experience and capacity development opportunities.
For more information: http://www.sidsnet.org
Publications in other languages
The following publications are now available in other languages:
- International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Supplement to the Compilers Manual (Arabic)
- Handbook on Population and Housing Census Editing, Revision 1 (French)
- Measuring the Economically Active in Population Censuses: A Handbook (Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish)
- Handbook on Geospatial Infrastructure in Support of Census Activities (Chinese)
- International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008 (Spanish)
- International Recommendations for Industrial Statistics 2008 (Chinese, Russian)
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/
Citations
2010 E-Government Survey cited in the Global Information Technology Report
The E-Participation Index from the 2010 E-Government Survey has been analyzed and cited in the Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010.
To view the analysis of the E-Participation Index from this report and/or view the entire report, please go to: http://www.networkedreadiness.com/gitr/main/analysis/showdatatable.cfm?vno=9.23
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 12, December 2010
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex; Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices, value; Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies; Registration of new motor vehicles; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value; Selected series of world statistics.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Working papers
Economic Integration, Inequality and Growth: Latin America vs. the European economies in transition
This paper presents a simple theoretical framework to explain variations in income inequality over time and between countries. It also analyses the factors responsible for the widespread rise in inequality during the neo-liberal reforms of 1980-2000 in the fields of trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) and capital flows, and the rise in migration. Finally, it compares the decline in inequality observed in most of Latin America over 2000-2008 with the steady increase of inequality in many European transition economies during this period despite their return to robust growth. The paper argues that such divergence is explained by differences in policies.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/papers/2011/index.shtml
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The Monthly Briefing No. 27 states that a further slowdown in global economic growth is expected and that developing economies continue to lead the recovery. There are major downside risks for a gloomier outlook, including too early moves to fiscal austerity, further exchange rate volatility and a renewed widening of the global imbalances
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Meeting records
Preliminary Synthesis Report on “Best Practices and Lessons Learned on the Objective and Themes of the Conference”
The report was made available at the First Intersessional Meeting for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD – Rio+20) held on 10-11 January in New York. More than 100 member States, Major Groups’ organizations, and United Nations system entities responded to the five-part questionnaire that was proposed by the first Preparatory Committee of UNCSD in May 2010, soliciting their views and requesting information pertaining to the objectives and themes of the Conference.
This report is a reflection of these responses, examining growth in political commitment to sustainable development and evaluating progress in implementation since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit; identifying new and emerging challenges; and offering opinions and suggestions that will set the foundation for future discussions and actions on the themes of a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication (GESDPE) and the institutional framework for sustainable development. The results will continue to evolve as additional responses are compiled and synthesized as part of the UNCSD preparatory process.
For more information: http://tinyurl.com/48xld7b
Objective and Themes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
The advanced unedited copy of the Secretary-General’s Report highlights that despite two decades of progress since countries first laid out a blueprint for sustainable development at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the use of the planet’s natural resources continue to damage crucial ecosystems.
It examines the two themes of UNCSD — green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication (GESDPE), and the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD) — in relation to the objective of renewed political commitment to sustainable development, reviewing progress and implementation gaps and addressing new and emerging challenges.
The starting point is the recognition that sustainable development, with each of its three pillars reinforced and mutually reinforcing, has been the overarching goal of the international community since Rio 1992. Thus, the question posed here is how a focus on GESDPE and IFSD can help accelerate progress on the sustainable development agenda.
For more information: http://tinyurl.com/4jnz86z
Outreach Material
Rio20: Making it Happen
The latest issue of the biweekly e-newsletter on the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) Secretariat keeps readers abreast of the preparatory work and focuses on the preliminary synthesis report, intergovernmental meetings, inter-agency news and on regional updates.
For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/files/newsletter-pdf/Newsletter-Volume2-Issue1Rio20Making-it-happen-January%202011rev1_1.pdf
e-Publications
Contribution of the United Nations to the Improvement of Public Administration: A 60-Year History
This publication is now available on Amazon Kindle, iBookstore and Barnes &Noble Nook platform. This is the second E-Book of DESA’s Division for Public Administration & Development Management, following the October 2010 release of the E-Book edition of the flagship publication “United Nations E-Government Survey 2010″. Both titles will soon be available on the Sony platform, as well.
iBooks:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-united-nations-contribution/id411689579?mt=11
Amazon Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GXB3KS
Barnes&Noble Nook:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?ean=2940012032751
Websites
Redesigned website of DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division
The newly launched site includes news, events and recent publications and features its flagships the Word Economic Situation and Prospects and the World Economic and Social Survey, the Committee for Policy Development, Project LINK and other initiatives.
To browse: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/index.shtml
Launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2011
The report, to be released worldwide on 18 January, predicts weaker global growth in 2011 and 2012 as the recovery has lost momentum since the middle of 2010. World gross product is forecast to expand by 3.1 per cent in 2011 and 3.5 per cent in 2012, following estimated growth of 3.6 per cent in 2010. The report emphasizes that the outlook remains uncertain and surrounded by serious downside risks. The cooperative spirit among major economies is waning, which has debilitated the effectiveness of responses to the crisis. Uncoordinated monetary responses, in particular, have become a source of turbulence and uncertainty in financial markets.
The recovery may suffer further setbacks if some of the downside risks materialize, in which case a double-dip recession is looming for Europe, Japan and the United States. In the short run, more fiscal stimulus will be needed to reinvigorate the recovery, but that it will need to be better coordinated with monetary policies and reoriented to provide stronger support to employment generations.
The report further indicates that the lack of employment growth is the weakest link of the economic recovery. Between 2007 and the end of 2009, at least 30 million jobs were lost worldwide as a result of the global financial crisis. As more governments embark on fiscal austerity, the prospects for a fast recovery of employment look even gloomier.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/index.html
World Youth Report: Youth & Climate Change
The new report is intended to highlight the important role young people play in addressing climate change, and to offer suggestions on how young people might be more effectively integrated as individuals and collective agents of change within the realm of climate change adaptation and mitigation.
The report is designated to assist youth and youth organizations in educating themselves and to become more actively involved in combating the threat of climate change. It is also meant to affirm the status of young people as key stakeholders in the fight against climate change. The publication comes at a time when efforts to address climate change are receiving unparalleled attention on the international arena, offering youth a unique opportunity for their voice to be heard in the debate.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/wyr10.htm
Handbooks
Measuring the Economically Active in Population Censuses: A Handbook
This handbook provides guidance on the measurement of economic characteristics in population censuses, based on relevant experiences of countries, with a particular focus on the questions used and the requirements for processing of responses. The handbook is intended to provide census planners with a variety of approaches to assess the questions and methods of collecting economic characteristics used in their national census, as they evaluate the performance in the past decade and plan for the 2010 round of censuses. Users of census results may also find the present text useful when evaluating the quality of census results.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=432
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 11, November 2010
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or annual basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Earnings in manufacturing, by sex; Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade; World exports by commodity classes and by regions.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Population and Vital Statistics Report
This issue presents data available as of 1 July 2010, for countries or areas on population size (total, male and female) from the latest available census, estimated total population size for 2008 or 2009 (the later available year), and the number and rate of vital events (live births, deaths, and infant deaths) for the latest available year within the past 15 years (1995-2009).
These data are presented as reported by national statistical authorities to the Demographic Yearbook of DESA’s Statistics Division. This issue also presents data for the world and its major areas and regions on estimated population size for both 2008 and 2009. These estimates were prepared by DESA’s Population Division.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/default.htm
Meeting records
Dialogues at the Economic and Social Council: Achieving Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment and Strengthening Development Cooperation
This publication presents the key debates that took place during the 2010 High-level Segment of the Economic and Social Council, during the Council’s Annual Ministerial Review on “Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to gender equality and the empowerment of women”. It also contains a summary of the debates on themes discussed during the Council’s second biennial Development Cooperation Forum.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/julyhls/index10.shtml
“Development cooperation for the MDGs: Maximizing Results” – The International Development Cooperation Report (IDCR)
DESA launched an independent report on trends in international development cooperation. The flagship report draws together analysis produced for the 2010 Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) on international development cooperation, with a particular focus on the views of various stakeholders, as well as additional research.
The report reviews trends and coherence in development cooperation. It also analyses a broad range of issues that affect the effectiveness of development cooperation, such as the impact of the multiple crises, climate change, policy coherence and changes in the global aid architecture. Building on the DCF’s work, special emphasis was placed on mutual accountability on development cooperation and aid transparency as well as South-South and triangular cooperation.
The report advocates for the United Nations to take greater leadership in the area of aid quality, building on the comparative advantages of the DCF and other aid effectiveness processes, in view of producing better development results.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/julyhls/pdf10/10-45690_(e)(desa)development_cooperation_for_the_mdgs_max_results.pdf .
Working papers
Growth, Poverty and Inequality: From Washington Consensus to Inclusive Growth
This paper reviews recent economic policy debates about the relationship between growth, poverty and inequality. These debates have tended to focus on whether market-led growth is sufficient to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality, or whether specific policies are necessary because untargeted growth may be insufficient or even perverse.
The paper charts the degenerating outcomes of these debates, and the emergence of the inclusive growth (IG) paradigm within the World Bank. A critical examination of IG suggests that its weaknesses are best addressed through a more ambitious restatement of the pro-poor goals of economic policy.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2010/wp100_2010.pdf
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The Monthly Briefing No. 26 states that the euro area’s sovereign debt crisis continues, despite the agreement reached on 28 November which put together a bailout package worth 85 billion euro for Ireland. In addition, stock markets have fallen with the increased financial volatility and the exchange rates of major currencies continued to be highly volatile.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Pre-launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2011
Chapter 1 of the flagship publication on “Global Outlook” will be launched on 1 December in New York.
The World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) is a joint product of DESA, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the five United Nations regional commissions. It provides an overview of recent global economic performance and short-term prospects for the world economy and of some key global economic policy and development issues. One of its purposes is to serve as a point of reference for discussions on economic, social and related issues taking place in various United Nations entities during the year.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/wess/wesp.html
Handbooks
Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women
In 2009, based on the work of the expert group meeting in Vienna, DESA’s Division for the Advancement of Women developed a Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women. This Handbook, with a foreword by Deputy Secretary-General, Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, intends to provide all stakeholders with detailed guidance to support the adoption and effective implementation of legislation which prevents violence against women, punishes perpetrators, and ensures the rights of survivors everywhere.
It is specifically hoped that the Handbook will be of use to government officials, parliamentarians, civil society, staff of United Nations entities and other actors in their efforts at ensuring that a solid legal basis is in place for tackling the scourge of violence against women. This book is available in all six official languages.
For more information: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw/v-handbook.htm#handbook
Statistical compilations
2007 Industrial Commodity Statistics Yearbook, Vol. I and Vol. II
The Yearbook is the forty-first in a series of annual compilations of statistics on world industry designed to meet both the general demand for information of this kind and the special requirements of the United Nations and related international bodies.
The Yearbook provides statistics on the production of about 600 major industrial commodities. Data are provided for a ten-year period and for approximately 200 countries and territories. The commodities have been selected on the basis of their importance in world production and trade.
This edition of the Yearbook is the third to provide data on the value of industrial production, in addition to quantities of industrial production that have been the scope of previous editions of the Yearbook. The Yearbook is therefore organized in two volumes: Volume I: Physical Quantity Data and Volume II: Monetary Value Data.
Annexes to the publication provide information to assist the user, including an index of commodities in alphabetical order, as well as a table of correspondence among the CPC-based commodity codes and the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), Rev.3.1, the Harmonized System (HS) 2002 and Prodcom 2002.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=431
To download: https://unp.un.org/Details.aspx?pid=20669
2008 International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Vol. I and Vol. II
The Yearbook is issued in two redesigned volumes which were prepared at different points in time during 2009. Volume I has been compiled early in 2009 (in May 2009) to allow for an advanced release of an overview of international merchandise trade in 2008 and for a much earlier publication of the available 2008 country (area) data. Overall, data for a total of 173 countries (or areas) are shown in Volume I.
Volume II which contains detailed tables showing international trade for 258 individual commodities (3-digit SITC groups) and eleven world trade tables covering trade values and indices has been compiled approximately six months after the submission of Volume I (in December 2009) as the preparation of these tables requires and benefits from the additional country data which, normally, become available later in the year.
Volume II contains updated versions of the two world trade tables A and D published in Volume I. The redesign of the International Trade Statistics Yearbook was aimed to provide a more analytical and condensed view of the exports and imports of individual countries (country trade profiles in Volume I) and of specific commodities (commodity trade profile in Volume II).
All tables and contents of Volume I and Volume II are made available electronically shortly after completion of the manuscript. The detailed information about the trade of particular countries by commodity and partner (values and quantities) contained in the tables and graphs for individual countries in Volume I and commodities in Volume II has been taken from the publicly available database UN Comtrade (http://comtrade.un.org/). Users are advised to visit UN Comtrade for any additional and more current information as it is continuously updated.
For more information: http://comtrade.un.org/pb/first.aspx
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 10, October 2010
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or annual basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; 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.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The monthly briefing No. 25 was released on 12 November and emphasizes that surges in private capital flows pose challenges to emerging economies and enhance tensions over currencies. It also addresses the deeper fiscal austerity measures in European countries, particularly in the United Kingdom. In addition, the Briefing highlights that industrial production growth is slowing worldwide, a sign that the global economic recovery will weaken further in the remainder of the year. Finally, it stresses that the heavy floods in Central and West Africa threaten food security.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
The World’s Women 2010: Trends and Statistics
This publication presents statistics and analysis on the status of women and men in the world, highlighting the current situation and changes over time. It was prepared to coincide with and in observance of the first-ever World Statistics Day, 20.10.2010. The report is the fifth in the series which has been published every five years, as called for in the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. As in the past editions, the presentation is made in a format and language that non-specialists can readily understand.
The World’s Women 2010 reveals that progress towards the goal of gender equality has been made in the last two decades in a number of areas, although uneven and, for the most part, quite modest. In some areas it is clear that there is a long way to go before gender equality is achieved. These are elaborated in the following eight chapters of the report, each representing a broad area of concern: population and families, health, education, work, power and decision-making, violence against women, environment and poverty. A wide selection of the statistics and indicators at the country level are presented in the Statistical Annex of the report.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/Worldswomen/WW2010pub.htm
International Recommendations for Industrial Statistics 2008
This publication provides a comprehensive methodological framework for collection and reporting of industrial statistics in all countries, irrespective of level of development of their statistical systems. Part I of the publication comprises international recommendations on industrial statistics relating to statistical units, characteristics of statistical units, data items and their definitions and the data items for international reporting.
Part II of the publication contains guidance for implementation of the international recommendations and relate to performance indicators, data sources and data compilation methods, data-collection strategy, data quality and metadata, and dissemination of industrial statistics. IRIS 2008 are consistent with System of National Accounts 2008 and also harmonized with recommendation in other fields of economic statistics such as distributive trade, construction, and other related domains of structural and short-term statistics.
It is intended primarily for the producers of industrial statistics; particularly the staff of national statistical offices involved in the collection and compilation of industrial statistics, but may be also useful to researchers and other users interested in better understanding the nature of industrial statistics.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/industry/docs/M90.pdf
The Demographic Yearbook 2008
This edition, now available online, is the sixtieth in a series published by the United Nations since 1948. It contains statistical tables including a world summary of selected demographic statistics, data on the size, distribution and trends in national populations, fertility, foetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce, for all countries and areas of the world, as available.
Population counts of countries, areas and cities, births and deaths counts, as well as respective demographic rates, such as crude birth and death rates, age-specific fertility and mortality rates, infant and maternal mortality rates, life expectancy, crude marriage and divorce rates, etc., are shown as available. In addition, the volume provides technical notes, a synoptic table, a historical index and a listing of the issues of the Yearbook published to date. The latest reference year of the data presented is 2008.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dybsets/2008%20DYB.pdf
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 9, September 2010
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or annual basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex; Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices, value; Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies; Registration of new motor vehicles; External trade conversion factors; Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value; Exports by commodity classes and by regions: developed economies; Selected series of world statistics.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Meeting records
Internet Governance: Creating Opportunities for All
Released by the Secretariat of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the book was edited by William J. Drake and gives a detailed overview of the fourth IGF meeting held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 15-18 November 2009. It also contains a message by Under-Secretary-General Sha Zukang and was distributed in hard copy at the fifth Internet Governance Forum meeting, hosted by the Government of Lithuania in Vilnius on 14-17 September 2010. The publication will also be made available as e-book.
To download: http://www.intgovforum.org
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing, No. 24 on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The Briefing highlights that trade tensions and risks of competitive devaluations heighten amidst global economic slowdown and increased turmoil in currency markets. In addition, the briefing discusses the return of sovereign debt stress in some European countries and focuses on the United Nations summit on MDGs that secured more than $40 billion for women’s and children’s health.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Working papers
Labour Markets Trends, Financial Globalization and the current crisis in Developing Countries
The current wave of globalization has profound labour market effects, accentuated, in many cases, by the current financial and economic crisis. This paper reviews general labour market trends and country examples, arguing that the current globalization process makes labour’s position more precarious, a trend magnified by the current crisis. This is consistent with the policy reactions to the crisis: governments have (rightly) acted as a banker of last resort to avoid the collapse of the financial system, but, despite stimulus plans and monetary easing and some labour market policies, have not really acted as an employer of last resort.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2010/wp99_2010.pdf
e-Publications
MDG Gap Task Force Report 2010: The Global Partnership for Development at a Critical Juncture
ePub format of the MDG Gap Task Force Report 2010: The Global Partnership for Development at a Critical Juncture is now available for download on various mobile devices and e-readers, in the six official languages.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/index.html
The 2010 E-Government Survey is now available on the Apple iBook App
DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) announces the launch of the 2010 United Nations E-Government Survey on the Apple iBook App which makes the survey available to Apple iPad users around the world.
For more information: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/united-nations-e-government/id397771555?mt=11
MDG Gap Task Force Report 2010: The Global Partnership for Development at a Critical Juncture
The report identifies the implementation gaps in the commitments made under MDG 8 and provides recommendations on how to address them, on strengthening the global partnership, and ultimately supporting developing countries in achieving the MDGs.
The main purpose of the Task Force is to systematically track existing international commitments and to identify gaps and obstacles in their fulfilment at the international and country level in the areas of official development assistance, market access (trade), debt relief, access to essential medicines and new technologies.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/mdggap/index.html
Population and HIV/AIDS 2010
The wall chart provides, for all countries for which data are available, information on the number of adults and children living with HIV, AIDS deaths, AIDS orphans, the impact of AIDS on life expectancy and on projected population in 2015, and Government measures taken in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including blood screening, information, education and communication (IEC) activities, provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART), antidiscrimination legislation and distribution of condoms. In addition, data on condom use, number of people receiving ART and percentage of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretrovirals to prevent mother-to-child transmission are shown.
To download: http://www.un.org/esa/population/unpop.htm
Statistical compilations
The World’s Women 2010: Trends and Statistics
On the occasion of the first-ever World Statistics Day – 20 October 2010 – the Statistics Division will launch The World’s Women 2010: Trends and Statistics simultaneously in New York, Shanghai and Bangkok. This publication, in the words of the Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon “is intended to contribute to the stocktaking being done to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the Beijing Conference.
The publication addresses critical aspects of life: population, families, health, education, work, power and decision-making, violence against women, environment and poverty. It finds that progress in ensuring the equal status of women and men has been made in many areas, including school enrolment, health and economic participation. At the same time, it makes clear that much more needs to be done, in particular to close the gender gap in public life and to prevent many forms of violence to which women are subjected.”
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/wsd/Default.aspx
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 8, August 2010
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or bimonthly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials, Earnings in manufacturing activities, by sex and Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Outreach material
White Paper based on the United Nations E-Government Survey
A White Paper, entitled “e-Government success: a Global Benchmark and Segmentation”, with base data extracted from the UN E-Government Survey, was recently published by an international consulting firm – CS Transform. This is in addition to other references to the UN E-Government Survey in several noteworthy publications, including: (i) World Bank: ICT at a Glance; (ii) OECD: Governance as a Glance 2009; (iii) World Economic Forum: Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010; (iv) European Commission : Europe’s Digital Competitiveness Report; (v) The Economist EUI: E readiness rankings 2009: The usage imperative; (vi) Vinnova (the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovative Systems): eGovernment of Tomorrow: Future scenarios for 2020; (vii) National University of Singapore/Institute of Systems Science: Enterprise Architecture as Platform for Connected Government.
For more information: http://www.unpan.org/DPADM/ProductsServices/AdvisoryServices/TechnicalProjectHighlights/
tabid/817/ModuleID/2097/mctl/DocumentDetails/dn/UNPAN041239/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Working papers
Impact of the Global Economic Crises on Civil Society Organizations
The food, environmental and economic crises have challenged civil society organizations (CSOs) and the communities they serve. A broad-based survey, initiated by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development and guided by a Civil Society Steering Committee, was undertaken in 2009 that measured the impact of the crises on the operating capacity of CSOs around the world and their expectations as they look ahead. This study examines the current situation of CSOs as indicated by responses from 640 civil society organizations worldwide. It also asks what strategies they are undertaking to cope with a drop of revenues and how to strengthen social-service delivery capacities of CSOs during crisis periods.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2010/wp97_2010.pdf
Social Policy in Development: Coherence and Cooperation in the Real World
Research and practice related to social policy and poverty alleviation have left a legacy of a very broad agenda of “things that need to be done”, along with important unanswered questions about how to integrate social and economic development. These suggest the fruitfulness of focusing more on the distinctions among countries, in terms of their capacities, generating ideas about priorities and sequences, and working to reduce the agenda. Instead of new big ideas and new paradigms, the development community needs to get better at matching ideas to realities, and at generating contextually grounded processes for taking the next step.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2010/wp98_2010.pdf
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing, No. 22 on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The Briefing highlights that there are increasing signs of a widespread deceleration in the global recovery. These are particularly alarming in the United States and Japan. The pace of economic activity in China has also been cooling notably, although it has been partly engineered by policy measures. Although Germany and a few other European economies have registered a better-than-anticipated growth rate in the past quarter, and the recovering momentum seems to have been maintained so far in other emerging economies such as India and Latin America, many forecasting institutions have recently downgraded their prospects for the world economy, marking up the risk of a “double-dip” recession.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Websites
DPADM Publications now available on scribd.com
DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) is pleased to announce that its major publications are now available at scribd.com, a popular publishing and reading social network, where users can discover and share informative and original written content on the web and mobile devices for free.
Users can give feedback through comments (scribbles), ratings and other sharing features. This marks the latest development for the Division’s publishing and outreach programme, which seeks to share and distribute content through both alternative and traditional media and to create new ways of reaching and interacting with a wider audience for its products.
For more information: http://www.scribd.com/
eBooks
E-Government Survey 2010
UN Publications has selected the E-Government Survey 2010 as an eBook, which will be available for download from both Amazon for Kindle and the Apple iBookstore by the end of September. The E-Government Survey 2010, the flagship report of DPADM, is one of the first books to be selected for availability and joins a small, select group of publications, the MDG Report 2010, World Economic and Social Survey 2010, the Charter of the United Nations, The United Nations & Apartheid 1948-1994 and The United Nations Today, as books available through UN Publications for download to mobile devices.
For more information: https://unp.un.org/Details.aspx?pid=21041
Statistical Yearbook, Fifty-Third Issue
This Yearbook is an annual compilation of a wide range of international economic, social and environmental statistics on over 200 countries and areas, compiled from sources including UN agencies and other international, national and specialized organizations.
The 53rd issue contains data available to DESA’s Statistics Division as of 31 October 2009 and presents them in over 70 tables on topics such as: agriculture, forestry and fishing; balance of payments; communication; development assistance; education; energy; environment; finance; gender; industrial production; international merchandise trade; international tourism; labour force; manufacturing; national accounts; population; science and technology; transport; and wages and prices. The number of years of data shown in the tables varies from one to ten, with most tables covering 1996 to 2008. Accompanying the tables are technical notes providing brief descriptions of major statistical concepts, definitions and classifications.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=426
2007 Energy Statistics Yearbook
The 2007 Energy Statistics Yearbook is the fifty-first 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 2004 to 2007 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 direction of trade, selected series of statistics on renewables and wastes, refinery distillation capacity and a table on selected energy resources.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=424
Handbook on Population and Housing Census Editing, Revision 1
The Handbook provides guidance on the measurement of economic characteristics in population censuses, based on relevant experiences of countries, with a particular focus on the questions used and the requirements for processing of responses. The Handbook is intended to provide census planners with a variety of approaches to assess the questions and methods of collecting economic characteristics used in their national census, as they evaluate the performance in the past decade and plan for the 2010 round of censuses (2005–2014). Users of census results may also find the present text useful when evaluating the quality of census results.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=427
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 7, July 2010
This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly or annual basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Civil aviation traffic; Total imports and exports by countries or areas; and World exports by provenance and destination.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Policy Note
Strengthening International Support Measures for the LDCs
This Policy Note, published by the Committee for Development Policy, is now available in electronic format and will be issued as a UN sales publication. The policy note recommends several ways in which the existing support measures for LDCs can be made more effective and, where needed, complemented by additional interventions.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/devplan/cdppublications/2010cdpreport.pdf
Policy Brief
Policy Brief No. 31: Fiscal Stimulus is Still Needed for Global Recovery
This Policy Brief, issued by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, calls for further fiscal stimulus to strengthen the unbalanced and still weak global recovery.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/policybriefs/policybrief31.pdf
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing, No. 22 on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The Briefing highlights that global output growth is decelerating, as the key drivers of the initial recovery – including fiscal stimuli and inventory restocking – are waning. Meanwhile, world trade is almost back to its 2008 pre-crisis level, thanks to a strong recovery of trade flows from and to developing countries. Further, the Brief warns that six months after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the humanitarian and economic situation remains extremely alarming.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Working papers
CRED: A New Model of Climate and Development
This paper describes a new model, Climate and Regional Economics of Development (CRED), which is designed to analyze the economics of climate and development choices. Its principal innovations are the treatment of global equity, calculation of the optimum interregional flows of resources, and use of McKinsey marginal abatement cost curves to project the cost of mitigation. The model shows more equitable scenarios have better climate outcomes; the challenge of climate policy is to persuade high-income countries to accept the need for both international equity and climate protection.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2010/wp96_2010.pdf
Meeting records
Report of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations
The report of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations on its 2010 resumed session (26 May – 4 June and 18 June) is now available. The Committee had before it 253 applications for consultative status, including applications deferred from previous sessions. Of those applications, the Committee recommended 55 for consultative status, suspended its consideration of one organization, deferred 182 for further consideration at its regular session in 2011 and closed its consideration of 15 applications.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ngo/
International Development Cooperation Report
The report entitled “Responsible Development Cooperation: maximizing impact in a fragmented environment” will be launched on the 22nd of September. The launch is scheduled to be part of the side-event being organized by UNDESA/OESC on “Accountability and transparency to reach the MDGs: Key mechanisms and initiatives”.
The objective of this side event is to present concrete initiatives to promote accountability and transparency in development cooperation within the context of the achievement of the MDGs. The report will place a focus on accountability and transparency and its launch at the MDGs Summit will reinforce the position of the DCF as a key forum for analysis of accountability and transparency in development cooperation.
Websites
UNPAN and DPADM Websites
DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) has been working on the improvement of its divisional portals, UN Public Administration Network (UNPAN) and DPADM, in order to make them more user friendly and consistent with its focus. On the content side, the DPADM website is currently offering one of its products, the Standards of Excellence in Public Administration Education and Training, in five different languages.
Another change that fits both the content and cosmetic sides of the pages is related to UNPAN partners. The institutions that are frequent collaborators receive a banner in a prominent space on the UNPAN homepage, an action that has further stimulated their participation. UNPAN also now provides public administration news, which is updated on a daily basis. In both pages, announcements were standardized, giving the pages a neat and clean look, and the latest photos and videos of the division are now being promoted. Also to facilitate the navigation of the users, the division has inserted a sitemap on the bottom of both UNPAN and DPADM homepages, which lists all the pages in the website.
For more information: http://www.unpan.org/
http://www.unpan.org/DPADM/AboutUs/tabid/420/Default.aspx
GAID Website
The United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UNGAID) has launched a new design for its official website. The website is currently being launched in English only, with all language versions to follow shortly. The GAID online community has grown significantly to 1591 + members and has grown as one of the largest online community on ICT4D.
For more information: http://un-gaid.ning.com
World Statistics Pocketbook
The United Nations World Statistics Pocketbook 2009 is an authoritative and comprehensive compilation of over 50 key statistical indicators in convenient country profile format. This edition presents available data from 216 countries and areas, from over 20 international statistical sources, generally for the years 2000, 2005 and 2008.
The topics covered include: balance of payments, communication, education and culture, environment, health, industrial production, international trade, labour force, largest urban agglomeration, national accounts, population, refugees, surface area, United Nations membership, etc. The notes on the sources and definitions of the indicators are provided to help users perform further research on the statistics.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pocketbook/
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 6, June 2010
Quarterly and bimonthly features in this issue:
8. Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials
12a. Earnings in non-agricultural activities, by sex (new)
18. Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices; value
19. Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies
30. Registration of new motor vehicles
37. External trade conversion factors
39. Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value
51. Selected series of world statistics
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Demographic Yearbook 2007
This Yearbook is the fifty-ninth in a series published by the United Nations since1948. It contains general tables including a world summary of selected demographic statistics, statistics on the size, distribution and trends in national populations, natality, foetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce. Data are shown by urban/rural residence, up to and including 2007 data, as available.
In addition, the volume provides technical notes, a synoptic table, a historical index and a listing of the issues of the Yearbook published to date. This and all the previous issues of the Demographic Yearbook contain data on a wide range of topics that make it possible to conduct various in-depth analysis and international comparisons.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dybcens.htm
National Accounts Statistics: Analysis of Main Aggregates, 2008
This thirty-ninth issue of this publication presents a series of analytical national accounts tables from more than 200 countries and areas in the world. It has been prepared by the Statistics Division in cooperation with the national statistical offices. The publication offers, in the form of analytical tables, a summary of the principal national accounts aggregates as provided by countries and supplemented with estimates prepared by the Statistics Division. The tables of the publication include analysis of data on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by different structural components, for example, by type of expenditure, kind of economic activity, major area, region and country as well as per capita and as growth rates.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=422
UN COMTRADE: Free download of trade data
UN Comtrade was established in the early 1960s. For almost fifty years, it has provided a wealth of trade information to policy makers, business community, research institutions and the general public. It stores standardized official annual trade statistics reported by countries and reflecting international merchandise flows detailed by commodity and partner country with coverage reaching up to 99 percent of world merchandise trade.
With immediate effect, DESA’s Statistics Division is pleased to announce that free unlimited access will be available for all users through free downloading services. For technical reasons, a download limit of 50,000 data records per query is currently necessary. Registered institutional users from developing countries will be provided with special arrangements on the free access to and unrestricted use of trade data.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/comtrade_announcement.htm
World Economic and Social Survey 2010
The report launched on 29 June notes that getting ‘back on track’ will require significant reforms in global economic governance and new thinking to put the world on a more sustainable path of development. Overcoming the serious weaknesses exposed by the global economic crisis will not be easy and will require a major overhaul of the machinery for international finance, aid and trade. This year’s report looks at the prospects for post-crisis global development and concludes that a major rebalancing of the global economy is needed to make it sustainable.
For more information: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/policy/wess-2010.shtml
Millennium Development Goals Report 2010
The report was launched in New York by the Secretary-General on 23 June 2010 and presents the yearly assessment of global progress towards the MDGs. The world continues to make advances towards the MDGs, despite the global economic downturn, but the rate of improvement remains too slow and countries must step up their efforts if the MDGs are to be achieved by their target date of 2015.
The world has made huge strides in reducing extreme poverty, tackling HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and boosting access to clean drinking water, but is still lagging in other critical areas, such as improving maternal health and increasing access to decent sanitation.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Default.aspx
Statistical compilations
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS Online
The bulletin 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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 5, May 2010
Quarterly features in this issue:
12. Earnings in manufacturing, by sex
33. Construction of new buildings
38. Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
System of National Accounts 2008
This publication is the comprehensive statistical framework for economic statistics that provides a consistent and flexible set of macroeconomic accounts for policymaking, analysis and research. It has been produced and is released under the auspices of the United Nations, the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group.
It represents an update, mandated by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 2003, of the System of National Accounts, 1993 (1993 SNA), which was produced under the joint responsibility of the same five organizations. Like earlier editions, the 2008 SNA reflects the evolving needs of its users, new developments in the economic environment and advances in methodological research. The 2008 SNA is the international statistical standards for national accounting and provides the methodological basis for improving the international comparability of national accounts data.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/nationalaccount/sna2008.asp
Population and Vital Statistics Report
This issue of the report presents data for countries or areas on population size (total, male, and female) from the latest available census, estimated total population size for 2007 or 2008 (the later available year), and the number and rate of vital events (live births, deaths, and infant deaths) for the latest available year within the past 15 years (1994-2008).
These data are presented as reported by national statistical authorities to the Demographic Yearbook of DESA’s Statistics Division. This issue also presents data for the world and its major areas and regions on estimated population size for both 2007 and 2008. These estimates were prepared by DESA’s Population Division.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/
2009 International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Volume I – Trade by Country
The 2009 International Trade Statistics Yearbook, Volume I – Trade by Country provides an overview of the international merchandise trade in 2009 and detailed information on the trade performance for numerous countries up to the year 2009.
For more information: http://comtrade.un.org/pb/
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The June issue highlights the main messages of the World Economic Situation and Prospects – Update as of mid-2010 and stresses that while the world economy continues to rebound from a deep crisis, the recovery remains uneven, weak and fragile. The briefing also emphasizes that the recovery is still mainly driven by government stimulus measures and that a too early withdrawal of stimulus could risk taking steam out of the recovery.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Websites
Expansion of the 2010 World Population and Housing Census Programme Website
The website is a resource centre for promoting international exchange and sharing of census-related knowledge and information and monitors progress in the implementation of the Programme. The resource centre serves as a repository of documents on international census guidelines as well as on national methodology and best practices in census taking. The website has been enhanced this month to provide more detailed methodological information on selected topics.
To browse: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/census2010.htm
Mid-year update to the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010
The world economy continued to improve in the first half of 2010, leading to a slight upward revision in the United Nations outlook for global growth. The pace of the recovery is too weak, however, to close the global output gap left by the crisis. The recovery is also uneven across countries. While growth prospects for some developing countries are encouraging, economic activity is lacklustre in developed economies and below potential elsewhere in the developing world.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/wess/wesp.html
Download: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/wess/wesp2010files/wesp10update.pdf
Webcast: http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/ondemand/pressconference/2010/pc100526am1.rm
Child Adoption: Trends and Policies
This is the first study of DESA’s Population Division that provides a solid foundation for furthering research on child adoption and, more specifically, on the demographic factors that shape the demand for and availability of adoptable children. The focus of this report is on the nexus between adoption policies and trend at the national and global levels. Understanding adoption policies and their origins is all the more important today because, as adoption has become global, inconstancies among the legal principals and traditions regarding adoption in different countries are increasingly coming to the fore.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/population/
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 4, April 2010
Quarterly features in this issue:
12. Earnings in manufacturing, by sex
33. Construction of new buildings
38. Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
2006 Industrial Commodity Statistics Yearbook Volumes I and II
This Yearbook provides statistics on the production of about 600 major industrial commodities. Data are provided for a ten-year period and for approximately 200 countries and territories. The commodities have been selected on the basis of their importance in world production and trade.
This edition of the Yearbook is the second one to provide data on the value of industrial production, in addition to quantities of industrial production that have been the scope of previous editions of the Yearbook. The Yearbook is therefore organized in two volumes: Volume I: Physical Quantity Data and Volume II: Monetary Value Data.
The publication contains three annexes to assist the user: an index of commodities in alphabetical order; a table of correspondence among the CPC-based commodity codes and the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), Rev. 3.1, the Harmonized System (HS) 2002 and Prodcom 2002; and a list of Prodcom codes and definitions that are referenced in footnotes used in this publication.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=418
To order: https://unp.un.org/Details.aspx?pid=19188
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The May issue states that economic recovery continues albeit unevenly. While growth is rapid in many emerging economies, it remains fragile in most advanced economies. Euro zone countries and the IMF agreed on a three-year programme worth $146 billion to support Greece amidst drastic fiscal austerity measures and risks of contagion to other European economies. An additional stabilization scheme worth $930 billion was subsequently made available for the euro zone.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html
Databases
Population, Resources, Environment and Development database
The Population, Resources, Environment and Development database (PRED 2009) is available on CD-ROM. The PRED database contains data series dealing with various aspects of population, labour force, education, economic and social development, land, water and energy use. It also provides the texts of selected international treaties and conventions related to major environment and development issues.
The 120 variables in the CD-ROM include regional, sub-regional and national data over time for 230 countries and regions. The population data are those produced by the United Nations Population Division. Other data were provided by various United Nations agencies and programmes as well as other research centres and non-governmental organisations.
To browse: http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/PRED2009/pred2009.htm
United Nations E-Government Survey 2010
The survey on the theme “Leveraging e-government at a time of financial and economic crisis” presents various roles for e-government in addressing the ongoing world financial and economic crisis. The public trust that is gained through transparency can be further enhanced through the free sharing of government data based on open standards. The ability of e-government to handle speed and complexity can also underpin regulatory reform.
While technology is no substitute for good policy, it may give citizens the power to question the actions of regulators and bring systemic issues to the fore. Similarly, e-government can add agility to public service delivery to help governments respond to an expanded set of demands even as revenues fall short. Since the last edition of the survey, in 2008, governments have made great strides in development of online services, especially in middle-income countries.
The costs associated with telecommunication infrastructure and human capital continue to impede e-government development. However, effective strategies and legal frameworks can compensate significantly, even in least developed countries. Those who are able to harness the potential of expanded broadband access in developed regions and mobile cellular networks in developing countries to advance the UN development agenda have much to gain going forward.
For more information: http://www2.unpan.org/egovkb/global_reports/10report.htm
To download: http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan038851.pdf
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 3, March 2010
Quarterly and bimonthly features in this issue:
18. Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices; value
19. Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies
30. Registration of new motor vehicles
37. External trade conversion factors
39. Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value
51. Selected series of world statistics
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
2007 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles
The publication contains energy balances for 118 developing countries, showing energy production, trade, conversion and consumption for each fuel used in the country; and electricity profiles for 194 countries, providing detailed information on production, trade and consumption of electricity, net installed capacity and thermal power plant input for selected developing and developed countries.
This publication is a source of overall consumption statistics of energy commodities in all sectors and of detailed information on production, trade and consumption of electricity, net installed capacity and thermal power plant input and efficiency.
For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=417
To order: https://unp.un.org/Details.aspx?pid=19952
Outreach material
Population Facts
Four facts sheets were published by DESA’s Population Division in March and April. Details are provided below.
The first, Speeding Progress on the Millennium Development Goals, highlights the role that family planning could play in helping achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Providing family planning is a cost effective solution to achieving the MDGs. There is considerable scope for expanding family planning programmes, particularly in least developed countries where there are high levels of unmet need for contraception which are the result of barriers to accessing supplies and services.
Health Workers, International Migration and Development, is the second of the fact sheets. It outlines the shortage of heath workers that exists in many countries. These shortages are particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa and, within countries, are experienced primarily in rural areas. A significant proportion of health workers in OECD countries are immigrants and emigration is contributing to shortages of health workers in some developing countries. However, the fact sheet points out that these shortages are not due primarily to migration of heath workers. Codes of practice in the ethical recruitment of health workers, particularly by developed countries, are discussed.
The Age Distribution of Deaths is the third of the fact sheets and provides an overview of how the pattern of death by age is changing. In high- and upper-middle-income countries, 78 per cent of deaths occur at age 60 or over and 40 per cent at age 80 or over. In sharp contrast, just 35 per cent of deaths in low-income countries occur at age 60 or over and the proportion at age 80 or over is a low 9 per cent. In low-income countries, there are almost as many deaths among children as among the elderly. As countries develop there is a shift in deaths from communicable diseases, which are most likely to affect the young, to non-communicable diseases, which occur primarily at older ages.
The fourth fact sheet, Sex Differentials in Mortality, reviews data on the differentials in mortality between males and females. In most countries, male mortality is higher than female mortality at all ages and male life expectancy is lower than female life expectancy. In Africa, the differences between female and male mortality are smaller, and although both sexes suffer from very high mortality risks male mortality is higher. Excess female mortality, particularly among children, is high is some parts of the world such as China and India. Male mortality is especially high relative to that of females in Eastern Europe and in Latin America and the Caribbean.
For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/population/
To download: http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/popfacts/popfacts_2010-1.pdf
http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/popfacts/popfacts_2010-2.pdf
http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/popfacts/popfacts_2010-3.pdf
http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/popfacts/popfacts_2010-4.pdf
International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008
This manual was prepared in accordance with the decision of the United Nations Statistical Commission at its thirty-fifth session held from 2 to 5 March 2004 and revises the manual “Recommendations on Tourism Statistics”, adopted by the Commission in 1993.
It provides a comprehensive methodological framework for collection and compilation of tourism statistics in all countries irrespective of the level of development of their statistical systems. Its primary audience is the staff of national statistical offices and national tourism administrations involved in the compilation of tourism statistics. The publication also contains a wealth of information that might be of interest to data users who would like to understand better the nature of tourism data. In addition, general guidance is provided with respect to data sources and data compilation methods, which will be complemented by a forthcoming compilation guide to be released in 2010.
For more information:
National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables, 2007 Part I, Part II, Part III and IV
The publication contains detailed national accounts estimates for 189 countries or areas of the World for the years 1996 to 2007. The estimates for each country or area are presented in separate chapters with uniform table headings and classifications as recommended in the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA). A summary of the SNA conceptual framework, classifications and definitions are included in the publication.
The publication contains statistics on national accounts aggregates and detailed variables such as gross domestic product, national income, saving, household and government consumption expenditure, gross capital formation, exports and imports, value added, compensation of employees, operating surplus, etc. It is a valuable source of information on the state and structure of the economies worldwide.
More information:
Statistical compilations
2007 International Trade Statistics Yearbook Vol. I and Vol. II
This fifty-sixth edition of the International Trade Statistics Yearbook provides the basic information for individual countries’ external trade performances in terms of value, as well as in volume and price, the importance of trading partners and the significance of individual commodities imported and exported. This edition shows annual statistics up to the year 2007 for 180 countries or areas. It is published in two volumes. Volume I contains detailed data for individual countries or areas, Volume II contains commodity tables showing the world trade of certain commodities analyzed by regions and countries. This is a bilingual publication, in English and French.
More information:
World Fertility Patterns 2009
The Wall chart presents the data available to assess the change in fertility taking place in countries of the world. For the 224 countries or areas for which data are available, it displays unadjusted data on total fertility, age-specific fertility and the mean age at childbearing for two points in time: the first as close as possible to 1970 and the second showing the latest available data.
More information:
Outreach material
United Nations Statistics Division’s major work areas and accomplishments (2010)
This is the latest brochure of DESA’s Statistics Division and provides a summary of the work programme and yearly accomplishments. It also includes a brief description of all major work areas and projects of the Division in advancing the work towards a global statistical system.
More information
Discussion papers
17th Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The March 2010 issue forecasts that the strength of the global recovery, witnessed in the second half of 2009, has been moderating and the recovery has become more uneven. Global financial markets experienced a notable turbulence in the first two months of 2010, in part as a result of increasing sovereign debt risks in Europe and elsewhere. Inflation, which edged up in developed countries in late 2009, is down again facilitating continuation of low interest-rate policies.
More information on the World Economic Situation and Prospects Monthly Briefing
Websites
Global CensusInfo
DESA’s Statistics Division, in partnership with UNICEF and UNFPA, has developed a software package, CensusInfo to help countries disseminate their census data on CD-ROM and on the web. At the international level, the Statistics Division has developed Global CensusInfo as an application of CensusInfo to present data from national censuses from around the world.
Global CensusInfo serves as an example of how to use CensusInfo for the dissemination of census data. The Global CensusInfo database is based on census data drawn from the Demographic Yearbook System of the Statistics Division. As data from the 2010 census round become available through the Demographic Yearbook System, they will be added to Global CensusInfo.
Learn more about the sofware package
2010 World Public Sector Report: Restructuring Public Administration after Conflict
The report emphasizes that because post-conflict situations are heterogeneous, there are no “one size fits all” solutions to governance challenges. In each country, public administration reforms should be tailored to local needs. The report also highlights that contrary to commonly held belief, post-conflict situations not only present challenges, but also offer numerous opportunities to leapfrog stages of development by adopting innovative practices in public administration, particularly the application of ICTs in government and service delivery in the information age we all live in.
More information on the 2010 World Public Sector Report
Analysing and Measuring Social Inclusion in a Global Context
The objective of the study is to serve as a guiding framework for policymakers, researchers and practitioners interested in developing practical tools for evidence-based policymaking, impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation in the area of social inclusion. It provides guidance on how to develop tools, taking into consideration the historical, cultural and contextual backgrounds of one’s own society. The study also builds on the work on social indicators that has already been undertaken by many people at local, national, regional and international levels. It is hoped that the study will help to inspire new ideas and to generate innovative approaches.
Download the study
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 1, February 2010
Quarterly and bimonthly features in this issue:
Producer price indices
7. Producer price indices
8. Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials
12. Earnings in manufacturing, by sex
33. Construction of new buildings
38. Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade
More information on the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online
Discussion papers
16th Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The February 2010 issue forecasts that the global economy started on a positive note, with continuing recovery in industrial production and international trade, led by Asian developing countries. However, economic policymakers may face even tougher challenges in 2010. The significant increase in government indebtedness in Greece and other EU countries may threaten global financial stability. Rain shortfalls in large parts of Africa will form a major threat to food security during 2010 and the devastating earthquake in Haiti presents serious economic challenges, including those of a long-term nature; addressing them will require a sustained international effort and debt forgiveness
More information on the World Economic Situation and Prospects Monthly Briefing
Websites
Knowledge Base of Innovative E-government Practices
The Knowledge Base of Innovative E-government Practices is a compilation of recent case studies of Innovative e-government solutions, services and applications. The Knowledge Base does not promote one solution over another, but rather highlights e-government practices that place the citizen in the forefront.
Browse the Knowledge Base of Innovative E-Government Practices section of the United Nations Public Administration Network
ICT Applications for Public Service
DESA is undertaking an initiative to collect a broad array of current ICT applications from almost all geographic regions of the world. Through this Knowledge Base, these cases could become a useful tool at the disposal of government at all levels, the private sector and civil society around the world. The primary goal of this initiative is to provide information that will stimulate an even more rapid expansion of electronic government, which will be more tailor-made to citizen’s needs.
Browse the MKnowledge Base of ICT Applications for Public Service section of the United Nations Public Administration Network.
Report on the World Social Situation 2010: Rethinking Poverty
This flagship report, launched on 28 January, makes a compelling case for rethinking poverty and poverty-reduction efforts, saying that over-reliance on market forces and economic liberalization have led to neglect of nationally designed and developmentally-oriented strategies, to the detriment of the world’s poor. The most important lesson, accordingly, is that governments need to play a developmental role, integrating economic and social policies that support inclusive output and employment growth, while attacking inequality and promoting justice.
More information on the WESS
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010
The full report, released on 20 January, is now available online. The flagship publication outlines that the world economic landscape has begun to show signs of improvement. Since the second quarter of 2009, global equity markets have rebounded, risk premiums on lending have fallen and international trade and global industrial production have noticeably recovered. An increasing number of countries are starting to register positive quarterly growth of gross domestic product (GDP).
More information on the WESP
State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
The report, launched on 14 January, notes that the world’s 370 million indigenous peoples suffer from disproportionately, often exponentially, higher rates of poverty, health problems, crime and human rights abuses; stressing that self-determination and land rights are vital for their survival. It also discusses many of the issues addressed by the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and is a cooperative effort of independent experts working with the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
More information on the State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
World Population Ageing 2009
The report provides a description of global trends in population ageing and includes a series of indicators of the ageing process by development regions, major areas, regions and countries. It includes new features on ageing in rural and urban areas, the coverage of pension systems and the impact of the 2007-2008 financial crisis on pension systems. The report is intended to provide a solid demographic foundation for the follow-up activities of the Second World Assembly on Ageing.
More information on the World Population Ageing 2009
Statistical compilations
United Nations Statistical Yearbook – Fifty-second Issue
The Yearbook is an annual compilation of a wide range of international economic, social and environmental statistics for over 200 countries and areas of the world, compiled from sources including UN agencies and other international, national and specialized organizations. The fifty-second issue contains data available to the Statistics Division as of June 2008 and presents them in 68 tables on topics such as: agriculture; balance of payments; communication; development assistance; education; energy; environment; finance; gender; industrial production; international merchandise trade; international tourism; labour force; manufacturing; national accounts; nutrition; population; prices; research and development; and wages. The number of years of data shown in the tables varies from one to ten, with the ten-year tables covering 1996 to 2005 or 1997 to 2006. Accompanying the tables are technical notes providing brief descriptions of major statistical concepts, definitions and classifications.
More information on the Statistical Yearbook
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIV – No. 1, January 2010
Quarterly and bimonthly tables included in this issue:
- 31. Civil aviation traffic: passenger km, cargo net ton km
- 36. Total exports and imports by countries or areas: volume, unit value, terms of trade and purchasing power of exports, in US dollars
More information on Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS Online.
Meeting records
Achieving the Global Public Health Agenda: Dialogues at the Economic and Social Council
This publication presents the main discussions that took place during the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meetings at the 2009 High-level Segment. The key debates focused on the theme of the 2009 Annual Ministerial Review, “Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to global public health”.
This book brings the deliberations of the Council to a broader audience by compiling the statements, issues papers and summaries of high-level roundtable dialogues of the ECOSOC session as well as the regional preparatory meetings of the AMR. It also presents highlights of the innovations featured at the Innovation Fair, the discussions at the NGO Forum, and Ministerial roundtable breakfasts.
More information on the Global Public Health Agenda
Working papers
Property Rights for Poverty Reduction?
This paper reviews the links between property rights and poverty reduction. Poor people not only lack current income, but also assets with which to generate incomes. Billions of poor people have access to land which may not be legally recognized. While legislation may provide more secure land tenure for the poor and thus reduce poverty, this outcome is not guaranteed. Policies that do not recognize the complexity of property rights have backfired, reducing poor people’s security of tenure. Finally, understanding legal pluralism can lead to more effective policies and interventions to strengthen poor people’s control over assets.
Poverty reduction in China and India: Policy implications of recent trends
This paper compares the experience of poverty reduction in China and India. It finds that more than economic growth per se, what has mattered crucially is the nature of the growth: whether it is associated with growing inequalities that do not allow the benefits of growth to reach the poor; whether the structural change involved in the growth process generates sufficient opportunities for productive non-agricultural employment; whether basic needs and essential social services are provided. Government mediation of these and of global economic integration is important in determining different outcomes.
Websites
New Environment Statistics Web Dissemination
DESA’s Statistics Division publishes global environment statistics through two main web-based products: the Environmental Indicators and the Country Snapshots. In 2009, the scope of the Statistics Division online dissemination of environmental indicators was expanded, covering a wider range of environmental themes and data sources. Previously, indicators compiled from the Statistics Division/UNEP Questionnaire on Environment Statistics, supplemented by data from UNFCCC and FAO, were the focus of dissemination on the website.
Since 2009, the Statistics Division now provides a broader set of indicator themes, which makes use of the increasing availability of internationally comparable environmental data compiled by a variety of international organizations. The objective of the Statistics Division’s expanded dissemination of environmental indicators is to provide a global hub for statistics on the environment.
Ten themes have been selected to organize the current set of Environmental Indicators: Air and Climate; Biodiversity; Energy and Minerals; Forests; Governance; Inland Water Resources; Land and Agriculture; Marine and Coastal Areas; Natural Disasters; and Waste. The themes were selected after an extensive review of the availability of environmental statistics with global scope and comparability. Currently, there are 64 downloadable indicator tables organized within the 10 themes.
Country Snapshots, which include many of the indicators from the Environmental Indicators list, in addition to other economic and demographic background information, have also been updated using a new process. Country Snapshots for United Nations member states are now compiled and produced by the Division, using an automated system that allows for improved quality control and more efficient and regular updates.
Special web feature on Gender Equality and Sustainable Urbanisation
To mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption by the General Assembly of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, this new feature provides evidence from a wide variety of United Nations sources on the economic and social costs of gender inequalities in cities. It also draws attention to the positive impact of better governance and targeted interventions to tackle ongoing discrimination in various aspects of urban life.
Commenting on the initiative, UN-HABITAT Executive Director Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka stressed the importance of incorporating urban dwellers in the fight for gender equality. Currently, 186 countries—over ninety-five per cent of the Members of the United Nations—have ratified the Convention, which is often described as an international bill of rights for women.
New Redesigned Integrated Civil Society Organizations System
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has launched its new website in all six languages. The site was designed with a view to make it a more engaging and visually attractive tool for Member States and other stakeholders, such as NGOs, the private sector, media and the academia.
ECOSOC is also on Facebook and will make information more transparent to a younger and wider audience and become a user-friendly space to incorporate all types of new media to promote the work of ECOSOC and the UN system on Economic and Social Issues.
- Browse Redesigned Civil Society Organizations System.
New Capacity Development Office website
This new site provides access to a variety of information on the functions performed by the CDO, including Programme Development, Programme Support, and the Management of the Development Account. The structure of the site reflects the support that CDO provides to the United Nations Secretariat including the Development Account Management, the Associate Experts and Fellowship Programmes.
- Browse the new Capacity Development Office website
The report, to be released worldwide in the third week of January, outlines that the world economic landscape has begun to show signs of improvement. Since the second quarter of 2009, global equity markets have rebounded, risk premiums on lending have fallen and international trade and global industrial production have noticeably recovered. An increasing number of countries are starting to register positive quarterly growth of gross domestic product (GDP).
A mild growth of 2.4 per cent in the baseline scenario for the global economy in 2010 is expected. In this scenario, the level of the world economic activity will be 7 per cent below where it could have been if pre-crisis growth would have continued. However, unevenness exists noticeably among different economies. China’s and India’s economies are expected to grow at 8.8 and 6.5 per cent respectively in 2010 while in other developing economies, such growths remain well below the pre-crisis pace of more than 7 per cent per annum. Developing countries, especially in Asia, are expected to show the strongest growth in 2010. Meanwhile, the Russian economy is leading the turnaround among economies in transition, expected to grow at 1.5 per cent in 2010 after a severe decline by 7 per cent in 2009.
Compared with developing economies, the major developed economies are not expected to provide a strong pull to global growth in a near future. The United States is expected to grow by 2.1 per cent in 2010, following an estimated downturn of 2.5 per cent in 2009, while the European Union and Japan see a much weaker recovery, with GDP growth of no more than 0.6 and 0.9 per cent respectively.
But the conditions for sustained growth remain fragile. Credit conditions are still tight in major developed economies, many countries are now burdened with high unemployment rates, some are affected by a large output gap, and economists even predict that the possibility of a further spread of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) could hurt economic activity.
- More information launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects.
Statistical compilations
International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Supplement to the Compliers Manual
This supplement covers a number of topics deemed to be beneficial to trade data compilers, including an overview of compiling practices, the revised International convention on the simplification and harmonization of customs procedures (revised Kyoto Convention), the 2007 edition of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, specific compilation issues such as goods for processing and re-exports, an overview of the differences between IMTS and general merchandise in balance of payments statistics, the lessons learned from the Intrastat system of the European Union, and the topic of linking trade and business statistics.
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 annual and quarterly 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. LXIII – No. 11, November 2009
- Quarterly and bimonthly tables included in this issue:
- Producer Price Indices
- Earnings in manufacturing by sex
- Construction of new buildings
- Total exports and imports by regions: volume and unit value indices and terms of trade
- World exports by commodity classes and by regions
Vol. LXIII – No. 12, December 2009
- Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials
- Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value and volume indices; value
- Indicators on fuel imports, developed economies
- Registration of new motor vehicles
- External trade conversion factors
- Manufactured goods exports: unit value indices, volume indices and value
- Selected series of world statistics
More information on Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS Online.
Outreach material
World Contraceptive Use 2009 (Wall Chart)
This wall chart presents the latest data available on key dimensions of reproductive health, including two of the indicators for the Millennium Development Goals, namely, contraceptive prevalence relative to the use of any method and unmet need for family planning. The wall chart shows that universal access to reproductive health is still far from being attained. In at least 40 countries, over 20 per cent of women of reproductive age who are married or in union have an unmet need for contraception. Nevertheless, at the global level contraceptive use continues to increase.
- Order World Contraceptive Use 2009
Working papers
Growth, Development Policy, Job Creation and Poverty Reduction
Policies seeking to directly help the poor have an important role to play. But without sustained growth in per capita output and significant job creation, they will not succeed. Policies promoting growth have been suggested, most notably by avoiding pro-cyclical responses to macroeconomic shocks (especially from abroad), steering macroeconomic prices, such as exchange and interest rates, to support developmental objectives, pursuing industrial and trade policies involving increasing returns, promoting financial development, and making productive use of foreign aid. Ensuring national economies have sufficient policy space to achieve sustained growth and structural change should be the over-riding policy concern.
Microfinance as a Poverty Reduction Tool—A Critical Assessment
This paper attempts to provide a critical appraisal of the debate on the effectiveness of microfinance as a universal poverty reduction tool. It argues that while microfinance has developed some innovative management and business strategies, its impact on poverty reduction remains in doubt. Microfinance, however, certainly plays an important role in providing safety-net and consumption smoothening. The borrowers of microfinance possibly also benefit from learning-by-doing and from self-esteem. However, for any significant dent on poverty, the focus of public policy should be on growth-oriented and equity-enhancing programs, such as broad-based productive employment creation.
The Terrible Simplifers: Common Origins of Financial Crises and Persistent Poverty in Economic Theory and the new ‘1848 Moment’
One element explaining the financial crisis is what Hyman Minsky called ‘destabilizing stability’: long periods of stability lead to increasing vulnerability. This paper argues that similar mechanisms are at work inside economics: long periods of economic progress in the core countries lead to increasingly abstract and irrelevant economic theories (‘terrible simplifications’). This leads to turning points towards more relevant economic theories, referred to as ‘1848 moments’. The paper further outlines the key variables that need to be re-introduced into economic theory in order to furnish poor countries with the type of productive structures that makes it possible to eliminate poverty.
The Emperor’s New Suit: Global Poverty Estimates Reappraised
The recent revision of the World Bank’s global poverty estimates based on a new $1.25 (2005 PPP) poverty line underlines their unreliability and lack of meaningfulness. It is very difficult to justify various aspects of the Bank’s approach. In the short term, less weight should be given to the Bank’s poverty estimates in monitoring the first MDG. In the longer term, a solution to the observed problems requires adopting an altogether different method. Such an alternative exists but requires global institutional coordination. Until it is implemented, the crisis in the monitoring of global consumption poverty can be expected to intensify. Subsequent versions of this paper, correcting errors or extending the argument, will be made available on socialanalysis.org.
Discussion papers
15th Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
The December 2009 issue forecasts that the global recovery will continue, with an increasing number of countries reporting rises in output. The recovery, however, is uneven across regions and economic and financial fragilities remain. The global trade is gaining momentum and prospects for commodity exporters have improved. To avoid a double-dip recession, a continued and better coordinated policy support is still needed
UN-DESA Policy Briefs
UN-DESA Policy Briefs feature synopses of key policy analysis intended to frame issues, inform decisions and guide policy action in the economic, social and environmental arena. The following new UN-DESA Policy Briefs are now available:
- The challenges of adapting to a warmer planet for urban growth and development
- Ocean Acidification: A Hidden Risk for Sustainable Development
More information on UN-DESA Policy Briefs.
Websites
New Environment Statistics Web Dissemination
DESA’s Statistics Division publishes global environment statistics through two main web-based products: the Environmental Indicators and the Country Snapshots. In 2009, the scope of the Statistics Division online dissemination of environmental indicators was expanded, covering a wider range of environmental themes and data sources. Previously, indicators compiled from the Statistics Division/UNEP Questionnaire on Environment Statistics, supplemented by data from UNFCCC and FAO, were the focus of dissemination on the website.
Since 2009, the Statistics Division now provides a broader set of indicator themes, which makes use of the increasing availability of internationally comparable environmental data compiled by a variety of international organizations. The objective of the Statistics Division’s expanded dissemination of environmental indicators is to provide a global hub for statistics on the environment.
Ten themes have been selected to organize the current set of Environmental Indicators: Air and Climate; Biodiversity; Energy and Minerals; Forests; Governance; Inland Water Resources; Land and Agriculture; Marine and Coastal Areas; Natural Disasters; and Waste. The themes were selected after an extensive review of the availability of environmental statistics with global scope and comparability. Currently, there are 64 downloadable indicator tables organized within the 10 themes.
Country Snapshots, which include many of the indicators from the Environmental Indicators list, in addition to other economic and demographic background information, have also been updated using a new process. Country Snapshots for United Nations member states are now compiled and produced by the Division, using an automated system that allows for improved quality control and more efficient and regular updates.
Special web feature on Gender Equality and Sustainable Urbanisation
To mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption by the General Assembly of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, this new feature provides evidence from a wide variety of United Nations sources on the economic and social costs of gender inequalities in cities. It also draws attention to the positive impact of better governance and targeted interventions to tackle ongoing discrimination in various aspects of urban life.
Commenting on the initiative, UN-HABITAT Executive Director Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka stressed the importance of incorporating urban dwellers in the fight for gender equality. Currently, 186 countries—over ninety-five per cent of the Members of the United Nations—have ratified the Convention, which is often described as an international bill of rights for women.
New Redesigned Integrated Civil Society Organizations System
This consolidated database of civil society information in economic and social affairs provides online participation and facilitates the application procedure for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Accredited NGOs with ECOSOC can also submit their quadrennial reports and designate representatives to international conferences convened by the United Nations.
Users can search and browse more than 12.000 organizations to find out more about their activities, meeting participation and accreditation status in the areas of sustainable and social development, advancement of women, financing for development, forests and public administration.
- Browse Redesigned Civil Society Organizations System.
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