Volume 7, No. 6, November-December 2003
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| In terms of progress, the report stressed how the Monterrey conference had turned around the negative trend that official development assistance had been experiencing since the mid-1980s. Last year, in fact, there was an increase of $5 billion, and the commitments made at Monterrey implied that that figure would increase to $16 billion by 2006. “We, of course, will do regular reporting on how these commitments are met or not met, as an essential part of this follow-up process”, Mr. Ocampo said, adding, however, that the $16 billion commitment was much less than what was actually required to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Currently, the World Bank and the United Nations estimated that $50 billion was a more precise figure. According to Mr. Ocampo, the approval of the convention to combat corruption was a major success since Monterrey, as it was one of the main commitments made there and included assistance to nations to recover illicitly removed funds, a major demand by developing nations in the area of corruption. Furthermore, the increased participation of developing countries at the Bretton Wood institution was a major achievement as well, and he was pleased that the issue had been placed on the agenda. On the other hand, he added, areas in need of advancement included getting the development agenda of the WTO back on track, and issues relating to debt, in particular those of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). Developing nations insisted that trade be at the centre of financing for development, which was a major source of financing in their nations. In regard to debt-relief issues, progress had been made with certain nations receiving debt write-offs, yet, in the case of some Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, the assumptions under which those write-offs were made were not realistic. Current events in the world economy -- in particular the fall of commodity prices -- had made those assumptions unrealistic and would need to be reconsidered at a future date. Likewise, the report called attention to the fact that there was no mechanism in the international economy to manage the debt of middle and low income nations not eligible for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative. International cooperation on tax matters, which was becoming increasingly important due to the tax competition taking place to attract capital, was also an area in need of attention. The Secretary-General proposed the creation of a commission of ECOSOC to deal with international cooperation on the matter, with the United Nations as the only possible forum for dialogue on the topic. Contact: FfD Office, Tel. (212) 963-2587, Fax: (212) 963-0443, E-mail: ffdoffice@un.org OR the Office of the Under-Secretary-General, Tel. (212) 963-9055, Fax: (212) 963-1010 Mr. Ocampo's reflections on DESA After a few weeks at the helm of the DESA, Mr. Jose Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs spelled out to management and staff his sense of priorities for the department. Mr. Ocampo believes that DESA's comparative advantage lies in its close link to the policy-making organs and its central role in major UN summits. He sees the need to participate actively in the debate on UN reform, championing DESA initiatives. The Department should play a more central role in the global analytical debate on development and international cooperation, and show a stronger collective identity. Mr. Ocampo intends to reorient the work programme to strengthen economic analysis and the finance for development process. He promotes working as a system within the UN, with strong linkages with the regional commissions. Mr. Ocampo's views will be further discussed at the next directors' meeting. (Back to top ) 58th Session of the General Assembly
Plenary 2003 report of the Economic and Social Council On 20 October 2003, the President of the Economic and Social Council introduced the report of the Council for 2003 (A/58/3, Part I) to the General Assembly, and made suggestions on reforming the council. Delegates agreed that the role of the UN as a whole in economic and social affairs, including its relationship to the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs), would need to be rethought and reinvigorated. There was broad consensus on ECOSOC’s key role in system-wide coordination and in promoting coordinated implementation of major UN conferences and summits. The G-77 countries looked forward to a summit on development in 2005 to assess progress in eradicating poverty and achieving other internationally agreed development goals in poor countries. ECOSOC’s decision to finalize, by its 2004 session, the multi-year programme of work of its coordination segment on common conference themes was welcomed. ECOSOC’s operational activities segment had revealed a greater willingness of donors to provide UN operational activities with more adequate resources. Speakers stressed the importance of resuming a dialogue after the failure of trade negotiations at Cancun. Market access, subsidies and special and differential treatment were key obstacles to rural development, as ECOSOC’s high-level segment had reiterated. The establishment of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on African countries emerging from conflict was seen as an opportunity to improve ECOSOC’s role in filling the gap between relief efforts and long-term reconstruction and development. It would provide useful lessons for enhancing coordination between ECOSOC and the Security Council in such countries. On Friday, 7 November 2003, the report of ECOSOC will be presented to the Second Committee. Conference follow-up On 22 and 23 October 2003, the General Assembly considered agenda item 50, Report of the Secretary General on the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields (A/58/359). The work earlier in the year of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the General Assembly on the matter, had resulted in the adoption of resolution 57/270B on integrated and coordinated conference follow-up. The decision to hold a major UN event in 2005 for a comprehensive review of the progress achieved in implementing the commitments of major UN conferences and summits, including the Millennium Declaration, found broad support. Speakers emphasized that the substantive review of conferences must be carried out by functional commissions. They strongly supported the mandate of resolution 57/270B that the functional commissions would urgently examine their methods of work in order to better pursue the implementation of the outcomes of major UN conferences and summits, taking as an example the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development. Also ways to improve the work of the Second and Third Committee and their cooperation should be found. Second Committee General Debate The Second Committee of the 58th Session of the General Assembly began its work on 1 October 2003 under the chairmanship of H.E. Ambassador Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury (Bangladesh). From 6-8 October the Committee held its general debate. The backdrop of the discussion was the fledgling global economic recovery, fraught by continuing geopolitical uncertainties and economic imbalances, and the setback at the Cancun Ministerial Conference. A key strand of the debate was the impact of globalization and the fragile world economic situation and its implications for development and poverty eradication. The need to implement commitments made at the Millennium Summit, Monterrey, Johannesburg and other major UN conferences and summits resonated in several of the statements made. In his introductory statement , Mr. Jose Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, focused on the governance of globalization, highlighting the need of building a global citizenship in order to tackle global challenges and of overcoming the asymmetries that characterize the current global system. Delegates expressed great concern at the failure of the Cancun Ministerial Meeting on trade, as an indication that the commitment to put development at the center of negotiations was not being honoured. All partners were urged to redouble efforts to reach agreement on the pending issues. It was noted that this would entail identifying the objectives that would turn the negotiations into a Development Round; committing developed countries not to seek reciprocity in new trade liberalization for an extended period from poor countries; and building consensus towards a more democratic and transparent decision-making process in the WTO. One of the major advances at Cancun was the coming together of developing countries in an effective way which will help in the future discussion on putting development into trade. Various questions were raised on globalization and its linkages with macroeconomic issues, access to information and communication technologies and migration. Mobilizing and stabilizing capital flows to developing countries, addressing effectively the external debt crisis, reforming the International Financial Institutions were key challenges ahead, and speakers recalled that this year’s Assembly was also to assess mechanisms for the follow-up to Monterrey. The high-level dialogue on financing for development represented an opportunity to review progress and shortcomings in the implementation of the Consensus. Several interventions called for thorough preparations for “Barbados +10”, the ten-year review of the Programme of Action for the sustainable development of Small Island Developing States, stressing that this event should lead to a renewal of global commitments to address the development challenges of SIDS. Speakers welcomed the adoption of the multiyear programme of work at the last session of the Commission for Sustainable Development, as a roadmap that will enable it to accomplish its role. The special situations of African countries and of least developed countries were emphasized in several interventions. The rising number of poor in Africa made the achievement of the MDGs in the continent elusive at current macroeconomic trends. Increased international support was needed for NEPAD and the Brussels programme of Action for LDCs. The need for specific international assistance to post-conflict countries was also underscored. The Almaty Declaration and Programme of Action on Transit Transport Cooperation was considered as a solid foundation for global partnerships designed to put in place effective transport systems, which would provide to the products of landlocked countries a secure access to world markets, thus reducing the vulnerability of these countries. Reform was central to many interventions. The Second Committee would have to review its work programme, as requested by Assembly’s resolution 57/270 B on the integrated follow-up to conferences. Member States viewed the major event planned for 2005 to review the implementation of the Millennium Declaration and of all commitments made on development issues, as the occasion to put development back on the top of the international agenda and requires early preparations. Address by Joseph Stiglitz On 15 October, 2003, the Second Committee heard a keynote address by Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate and Professor of Economics and Finance of Columbia University on prospects for development from crises to Cancun. Stiglitz presented an overview of the failure of globalization to deliver development, in particular examining capital flows, debt, and trade. He proposed the creation of a UN “Economic and Social Security Council” to move economic decision-making into a broader and more representative forum and out of the hands of misguided financial institutions and special interests. Stiglitz recalled that, in the 90s, it was believed that globalization held great promise, and capital markets were liberalized and international trade expanded in anticipation of shared rewards. However, at the end of the decade, it appeared that the poor of the world were not better off. Stiglitz identified the lack of a vision for a fair global economic order, a prevalence of special interest politics, an unfair global trading regime, and global institutions advocating the wrong policies (emphasizing price stability above growth and employment) as several reasons to explain the failure. Poor global governance was the underlying problem, he said. In his words: “Economic globalization had outpaced political globalization.” He cited a need for global collective action to accompany the growing interdependence among nations brought on by globalization and accused finance and trade ministers of making decisions with broad impact without incorporating other interests. Stiglitz recommends a reform of the global financial architecture, which he asserted contains the same people and the same flaws as previous incarnations, but in a different configuration. He stated that it currently fails to address the underlying sources of economic instability that harm developing countries: interest and exchange rate fluctuations (and concomitant high levels of debt) and the volatile global reserve system. He noted that the IMF has recently acknowledged the problem, but Stiglitz claimed much of the agenda had been shifted to the WTO, for instance, in the guise of the Singapore Issues. To change the status quo, which he finds unacceptable, Professor Stiglitz urged the UN to take a stronger role in the governance of the global economic system. He proposed an Economic and Social Security Council through which all stakeholders could bring their views to the table and that would aim to promote a fairer and better global economic order. He suggested three issues in particular that would benefit from the work of such a council: capital market liberalization, sovereign bankruptcy, and Iraq reconstruction. He also cited a special need to consider the forgiveness of odious debts borne by many countries. He concluded that development is possible but not inevitable, and stated the need for more economic assistance in order to meet MDGs. He confirmed his belief that trade can facilitate development, but that a fair regime is needed, and that the developed world has a moral obligation to deliver the promises it made under the Doha Round. Panel discussion on corporate responsibility On 10 October 2003 the Second Committee convened a panel discussion on “Corporate Responsibility”, which noted the prevalence of corruption in the private sector, elucidated its broad economic, political and social ramifications and sought to conceive of modalities for bolstering corporate responsibility. Multinational corporations were deemed especially culpable and were called upon to contribute to social development rather than to its deterioration. Increased transparency, accountability and the establishment of behavioral standards were prescribed to remedy the problem. Among the panellists were Mrs. Halima Embarek Warzazi, the Chairperson of the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, the main subsidiary body of the Commission on Human Rights which adopted in August 2003 Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/12/Rev.2); Ms. Enery Quinones, Head of the Anti-Corruption Division of the OECD; Ms. Nancy Zucker Boswell, Managing Director of Transparency International USA; Mr. Peter Utting, Deputy Director of UNRISD; and Ms. Malaika Culverwell of the Royal Institute for International Affairs. Panel discussion on international trade and development A panel discussion on international trade and development, organized by DESA, was held on Friday, 31 October 2003. The interactive panel discussion fostered open exchange with the members of the General Assembly on the role of trade in alleviating poverty. It was chaired by H.E. Mr. Iftekhar Chowdury (Bangladesh), Chairman of the Second Committee. The panellists included the EU Commissioner for Trade; the Mexican minister for trade, and high-level representatives from the US and Brazil. Globalization and interdependence The Second Committee will take up the item on globalization and interdependence on 10 November. The debate will be preceded in the morning by a panel discussion with the participation, among others, of Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati of Columbia University and Prof. Paul Krugman of Princeton. The report of the Secretary-General before the Committee (A/58/394) addresses the effect of increasing linkages and interdependence among trade, finance, technology and investment on poverty eradication and sustainable development in the context of globalization. In particular, it examines specific aspects of international economic governance, migration, and the environmental dimensions of globalization. The report proposed to develop arrangements for mutual review of policies.
Background issues papers, statements and summaries of the Second Committee special events can be accessed on the ECOSOC web site at http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ecosoc and http://www.un.org/esa/documents/ac2.htm Contact: Sarbuland Khan, DESC, Tel. (212) 963-4628 (Back to top ) |
General Assembly, 58th SessionExpert Group Meetings Regional Seminar on an International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination General Assembly Commission on Sustainable Development
, 12th Session The third meeting of the Bureau of the 12th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-12) will take place in New York at the offices of the Division for Sustainable Development, which services the Commission. Regional Implementation Meetings The following regional implementation meetings will be taking place during the period November-December 2003 as part of the preparatory work for the Review Session of CSD-12 scheduled for 19-30 April 2004 at UN Headquarters. For detailed information about the meetings, please visit the following link: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd12/rim.htm Expert Group Meeting on WSSD Outcomes Review Regional Forum of Ministers of Environment Preparatory Meeting for the Regional Implementation Meeting Pan-African Implementation and Partnership Conference on Water (Back to "Global dialogue in development" ) (Back to top ) Regional Seminar
on an International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities This Regional Seminar will review and build on previous regional meetings and recommendations and prepare a draft text of a convention on disability. The draft text agreed upon by experts and stakeholders in this seminar will be submitted to the Working Group of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, to be held from 5 to 16 January 2004. The Ad Hoc Committee will have its third meeting later in the year from 26 May to 4 June 2004. Contact: Jean-Pierre Gonnot, DSPD, Tel. (212) 963-3256 Expert Group
Meeting on Modalities for Review and Appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing The overall objective of the Meeting is to contribute to elaboration of modalities – including the content , format and procedure – for a bottom-up review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. The Commission for Social Development, at its forty-first session, endorsed a bottom-up, narrative approach, defined as an open-ended, participatory process that seeks to incorporate and link local and national activities to UN regional commissions and global intergovernmental bodies for the review and appraisal. The central idea of the bottom-up approach is to allow the traditional intergovernmental deliberative process to benefit from a sound and carefully considered narrative assessment of whether or not the Madrid Plan's objectives are being achieved at local, national, sub-regional and regional levels. Participants at the meeting will be invited to assist the Secretariat in identifying modalities to support this process. Contact: Alexandre Sidorenko, DSPD, Tel. (212) 963-0500 Expert Group Meeting on Peace Agreements
as a Means for Promoting Gender Equality and Ensuring Participation of Women - A Framework of Model Provisions
The Division for the Advancement of Women is organizing, in collaboration with the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women and the Department of Political Affairs, an Expert Group Meeting on “Peace agreements as a means for promoting gender equality and ensuring participation of women – a framework of model provisions". Canada. The Expert Group Meeting will form part of the Division’s preparation for the forty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which will consider the issue of “women's equal participation in conflict prevention, conflict management and conflict resolution and in post-conflict peace-building.” It is expected that the expert group will formulate a framework of model provisions for the promotion of gender equality and the participation of women, for use in future peace agreements. Such provisions would fully address the needs and priorities of women in the aftermath of conflict and would be a tool for all actors involved in peace processes. Contact: Ann Syauta, DAW/WRS, Tel. (212) 963-3162 Expert Group Meeting to Review
the United Nations Demographic Yearbook System Review of the Demographic Yearbook system of data collection and dissemination and propose strategies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the system and strengthen its outreach programme. Ad Hoc Expert Group on Approaches and Mechanisms
for Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting (in support of sustainable management of forests) This group will be comprised of experts representing major regions of the world in monitoring, assessment and reporting on forests. Observer experts representing agencies working in forests and major groups will also attend. For monitoring, assessment and reporting on progress in implementing IPF/IFF proposals for action and progress towards sustainable forest management, the ad hoc expert group will: a) Assess existing reporting requirements under relevant international conventions, processes, instruments and organizations in order to identify strengths, weaknesses and duplication in reporting processes, taking into account the relevant work undertaken by Collaborative Partnership on Forests members; b) Assess existing monitoring and assessment procedures in international conventions, processes, instruments and organizations related to forests in order to identify strengths, weaknesses and duplications, taking into account the relevant work undertaken by Collaborative Partnership on Forests members; c) Propose ways for the Forum to monitor and assess progress, based on:
d) Propose an outline for voluntary reporting to the Forum; e) Recommend options for drawing upon the reports provided to Forum sessions to identify trends and lessons learned; f) Develop recommendations on how to build capacity in countries, including the increase of resources for that goal, for monitoring, assessment and reporting, taking into account the special needs of developing countries. Ad Contact: Abigail Sarmac, UNFF, Tel. (212) 963-3130 Ad Ad Hoc Expert Group on Finance and Transfer
of Environmentally Sound Technologies (in forest management) This group will be comprised of experts representing major regions of the world in monitoring, assessment and reporting on forests in support of sustainable management of forests. Observer experts representing inter-agencies working in forests and major groups will also attend. The ad hoc expert group will undertake the following specific tasks on finance: a) Consider previous initiatives on finance, including recommendations from the Croydon, Oslo and Pretoria workshops, as well as the relevant IPF/IFF proposals for action, background papers and strategy documents of Collaborative Partnership on Forests members; b) Assess the role and status of official development assistance (ODA) directed towards sustainable forest management and consider ways for enhancing its availability and effectiveness; in this regard, identify possible means to enhance developed countries’ efforts to fulfil their commitments on ODA; c) Review the effectiveness of existing international financing for sustainable forest management, including methods and mechanisms, analyse opportunities, country-level gaps, limitations and donor and recipient priorities, as well as the contribution of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests towards financing sustainable forest management; propose measures to improve the effectiveness of that financing for enhancing the enabling environment at both the national and international levels and to attract increased financing from all sources; d) Explore the potential of new and innovative approaches to attract increased financing for sustainable forest management; discuss and make suggestions for expanded use of those approaches to address the need for financial resources for financing sustainable forest management, including through national forest programmes or equivalent processes; e) Assess country experiences in the mobilization of financial resources to support sustainable forest management; in this regard, identify gaps in, and the potential and limitations of current financing sources and financial mechanisms in implementing sustainable forest management; further, propose approaches to enhance and more effectively use and mobilize national and international financial resources; f) Assess and consider the role of the private sector in financing sustainable forest management; in this regard, recommend measures to improve the enabling environment for private investment in sustainable forest management, at both the national and international levels, and encourage increased private resource flows to the forest sector, in particular in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The ad hoc expert group will undertake the following specific tasks on the transfer of environmentally sound technologies: a) Review and assess existing initiatives on the transfer of environmentally sound technologies and knowledge diffusion for the promotion of sustainable forest management among countries and sectors and stakeholders, including through North-South, North-North and South-South cooperation and programmes of Collaborative Partnership on Forests members. This should include an analysis of incentives that promote and obstacles that inhibit the transfer of forest-related environmentally sound technologies between and/or within countries, in particular to developing countries and countries with economies in transition, in both the private and public sectors; b) Recommend approaches to improve transfer of forest-related environmentally sound technologies. The recommendation may include the role of various policy instruments, such as concessional and preferential terms, public/private partnerships and research cooperation, as well as capacity-building in the use and application of current and emerging environmentally sound technologies, including remote sensing. Contact: Abigail Sarmac, UNFF, Tel. (212) 963-3130 (Back to "Global dialogue in development" ) (Back to top ) United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
Inter-Agency and Expert Meeting on Millennium
Development Goals Indicators The meeting will identify priorities for improving existing international standards and guidelines and for developing new standards where metadata are not yet well-defined. It will also develop plans for further methodological work and identify needs for strengthening data collection programmes. I n addition, it will take note of expected new data availability and ongoing gaps and consider possible changes to the agreed list of indicators that might be proposed over the next several years. Some 60 participants are expected at the meeting, including: the partner UN agencies involved in the MDG indicator development, regional Commissions, representatives from selected countries and invited experts. Contact: Tarek Chabake, SD, Tel. (917) 367-0086 Inter -Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) The Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) has established three new Task Forces. The Task Force on Gender and Trade was formally set up in July 2003 at a meeting in Geneva, co-chaired by Mr. Rubens Ricupero, Secretary-General of UNCTAD and Ms. Angela King, Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Chair of the IANWGE. UNCTAD was designated as the Task Manager. The output from the Task Force will contribute to the work of UNCTAD XI, the 2005 review and appraisal of Beijing and Beijing+5; and other fora. Another Geneva-based Task Force was launched in July to assist in preparations for the 2005 review and appraisal of Beijing and Beijing+5 . It was decided that ITU would convene the meetings of this Task Force for the remaining part of 2003. ECE and UNRISD would function as Task Managers from January 2004. A third new Task Force, on Gender and Water, held its first meeting in September 2003. It was created as part of the activities of the International Year of Fresh Water to facilitate gender mainstreaming in water-related policies and planning. The Task Manager is the DESA/Division for Sustainable Development. Priorities include, inter alia, integrating a gender perspective in the formulation of strategies to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to water and sanitation; and promoting a gender perspective in the thematic clusters to be considered by the next two sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development (2004-5), which includes water and sanitation. Contact: Wariara Mbugua, OSAGI, Tel. (212) 963-2226 On Gender and Water TF, contact: Marcia Brewster, Tel. (212) 963-8590 (Back to "Global dialogue in development" ) (Back to top ) Inter-Agency Gender & Water Task Force A new inter-agency Task Force on Gender and Water held its inaugural session on 10 September with the participation of some 15 representatives of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations that are actively working in the areas of water and sanitation. As part of the activities of the International Year of Freshwater 2003, the Task Force will facilitate gender mainstreaming in policies and programmes and assist in the implementation of gender-sensitive water and sanitation activities within and outside the UN system. The new task force was initiated by the Interagency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) and was subsequently endorsed by the inter-agency group of agencies and programmes called “UN-Water” in June of this year. The role of women in water resources management and sanitation, especially in developing countries, is increasingly recognized at all levels of development activity. As the primary providers of water inputs to domestic consumption, agriculture, health, sanitation and other productive activities, women's participation is critical to the success of these projects. Studies have shown that they are more efficient and sustainable when women are involved in planning and project design. As global freshwater supplies are degraded and local water resources become scarcer, the international community has recognized that women's involvement and gender mainstreaming are crucial to achieving sustainable development and to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The new task force will advocate and promote gender mainstreaming in the implementation of MDGs related to water and sanitation and in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. In addition to facilitating a dialogue between gender and water focal points and integrating gender into the MDGs related to water and sanitation, the Task Force will undertake several other priority activities, including: promoting a gender perspective for the main themes of CSD-12 and -13; providing inputs to the World Water Assessment Programme so that the next edition of World Water Development Report (2006) incorporates gender into indicators and policy recommendations; and mainstreaming gender into field projects on water management. The Water, Natural Resources, and Small Island Developing States Branch, Sustainable Development Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has been nominated as Task Manager of the Inter-agency Task Force. The Task Force brings together the gender and water focal points from thirteen UN agencies and programmes, including: DESA, Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) and Sustainable Development Division; Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); the International Telecommunications Union (ITU); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); UN-Habitat; the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); and the regional Economic and Social Commissions for Africa (ECA), Western Asia (ESCWA) and Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Four non-UN agencies are also participating: the Gender and Water Alliance, Women's Environment and Development Organization, the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC); and the UN Foundation. Contact: Rolando Gomez. UN Department of Public Information, Tel. (212) 963-2744 OR Marcia Brewster, Inter-agency Task Force on Gender and Water, Tel. (212) 963-8590 |
Fifth Global Forum on Reinventing Government: Innovation and Quality in the Government of Fifth Global Forum
on Reinventing Government: Innovation and Quality in the Government of the 21st Century The Global Forums on Reinventing Government have been held annually since 1999 and hosted each year by a different Member State. In 2002, the General Assembly of the United Nations requested the UN Secretariat and the UN system to support the host governments in organizing the Forums. Following an invitation from the President of Mexico at the Fourth Global Forum in Morocco in 2002, the Fifth Global Forum is being organized by the Government of Mexico, in cooperation with the United Nations, to be held in Mexico City from 3-7 November 2003 on the theme “Innovation and Quality in the Government of the 21st Century”. For this year’s Forum, DPADM has been a member of the Organizing Steering Committee, representing the UN system. The Division, in partnership with various international partner institutions such as UNDP, the United Nations Capital Development Fund, UN Habitat, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, Transparency International, Harvard University, and the American Society of Quality, will be organizing seven Capacity Development Workshops as part of the Global Forum agenda. These workshops will focus on the following themes: 1) Building Human Capital in the Public Sector Capacity; 2) Innovation and Quality in Government; 3) Public Service Delivery and Urban Governance; 4) E-government; 5) Innovations in Linking Decentralized Governance and Human Development; 6) Accountable and Transparent Government; and 7) Fiscal Transparency Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes and Other Tools for Promoting Continuing Fiscal Management. A High-Level Meeting on “Sharing of Best Practices on Innovation in Public Administration in the Mediterranean Region” will take place on 5 November during the Forum. The objective of the High-Level Meeting is to provide a platform for high-level officials, including Ministers and Directors-General, and experts of the Mediterranean region to present and discuss significant innovations in public administration in their respective countries. 20 to 30 participants are expected to participate in this event. The First Global Forum was organized by the Government of the United States of America in 1999. Since then, it has emerged as one of the most significant global events dealing with themes of importance to democratic practices. Subsequent Forums were organized by the Governments of Brazil, Italy and Morocco, respectively. Since 1999, each Forum has focused on different themes for reinventing government. The goal of the First Global Forum on Reinventing Government in Washington, D.C. was to facilitate the exchange of innovations and practical experience linked to new types of democratic governance and to strengthen democratic institutions. The Second Forum was held in Brasilia in 2000, focusing on “Democratic States and Governance in the 21st Century”. The Third Global Forum, entitled “Fostering Democracy and Development through E-government”, was held in Naples in 2001. Last year, the Fourth Global Forum was held in Marrakech on “Citizens, Business and Governments: Dialogues and Partnerships for the Promotion of Democracy and Development". Contact: Shabbir Cheema, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-4533, OR Nahleen Ahmed, Tel. (917) 367-5012 Contact on the High-Level Meeting: Adriana Alberti, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-2299 Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals Workshop
The Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE), and the Multilateral Development Bank Working Group on Gender will jointly sponsor a workshop on Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals hosted by the World Bank in Washington, D.C. The workshop seeks to gather lessons and approaches that can be used by key actors, both in the development community and in developing countries, in their work to integrate a gender perspective into MDG policies and interventions. A report will be prepared for wide dissemination throughout the development community. In preparation for the workshop a five-week online discussion on Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals began on 29 September 2003. Contact: Wariara Mbugua, OSAGI , Tel. (212) 963 2226 Consultative Meeting
on Migration and Mobility and How This Movement Affects Women The Division for the Advancement of Women is convening a Consultative Meeting on Migration and Mobility and How This Movement Affects Women, in Malmö, Sweden. The Consultative Meeting will form part of the Division's preparation of the 2004 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development that will focus on issues of migration and mobility. Issued every five years, the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development is a flagship publication of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Contact: Birgitte Alvarez-Rivero , DAW/GAS, Tel. (212) 963-8400 (Back to "Trends and analysis" ) (Back to top ) Global Forum on Indigenous
Peoples and the Information Society and the World Summit on the Information Society The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will take place in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003. Within the context of the preparatory process, one of the civil society groups identified as important stakeholders is indigenous peoples. Indigenous organizations and Governments have shown keen interest in an indigenous component in the WSIS. The preparatory committee of the World Summit for the Information Society has decided to devote one of the formal pre-Summit events to the theme “indigenous peoples and the information society”. The event (the Global Forum on Indigenous Peoples and the Information Society) will take place from 8 to 11 December 2003. The World Summit on the Information Society will take place from 9-12 December 2003. The timeframe of the two events have been slightly staggered to allow indigenous peoples access to both events. Contact: Elissavet Stamatopoulou, DSPD, Tel. (917) 367-5100 Consultative Meeting on Mainstreaming
the Family Issue The objective of the Meeting is to review the concept of mainstreaming, as a tool for increasing capacities for more effective planning and coordination of family related activities. Specifically, the Meeting will exchange knowledge and experiences on approaches and problems relating to the mainstreaming process with respect to the family topic. It is expected that the Meeting will formulate practical guidelines for concerned policymakers and also serve as a basis for follow-up actions by the Secretariat in order to incorporate a mainstreaming strategy within the work programme of the Division for Social Policy and Development Contact: Amr Ghaleb, DSPD, Tel: (212)963-3238 High-Level Meeting on the Capacity of Governance
in Central and Eastern Europe The Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee) and the Centre for Social and Economic Strategies of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University, Prague (CESES) will hold a high-level meeting on the Capacity of Governance in Central and Eastern Europe in Prague. The Meeting is held under the auspices of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Mr. Vladimír Špidla, and in collaboration with the Government of the Czech Republic, DPADM, the UNDP Regional Support Centre of Bratislava, Slovakia and the World Bank. The high-level meeting will bring the attention of politicians and civil servants of ten Central and Eastern European countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) to the strategic importance of improving the capacity to govern and how to advance the practice of public policy-making in the region by upgrading core governmental capacities and social requisites for making critical future-shaping choices. Contact: Elza Maharramova, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-8389 Commonwealth of Independent States Forum on Youth
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Forum on Youth took place on 24-26 September 2003 in Kiev, Ukraine under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The meeting took place in Kiev at the invitation of the Government of Ukraine in cooperation with the Executive Committee of the CIS and with the support of DESA. It was convened as a follow-up to the UNECE First Regional Forum on Youth: “Security, Opportunity and Prosperity”, held in August 2002 in Geneva. More than 500 participants from all CIS countries as well as other countries of the UNECE region attended the Forum, representing governments, businesses, and national and international youth NGOs. The Forum considered the effects on young people of the economic hardship and deterioration of social conditions that has accompanied the period of transition of the CIS countries. The Forum addressed such issues as youth employment and employability, development of youth entrepreneurship, social protection and social work with young people, youth health problems, and the role and place of youth organizations in addressing and solving youth problems. It provided a strong impetus for all the stakeholders to more actively respond to youth in distress both comprehensively and systematically. Contact: Joop Theunissen, DSPD, Tel. (212) 963-7763 International Days International Day of Disabled Persons
This year the theme of the International Day of Disabled Persons is "A voice of our own". This theme is based on the goal of full participation and equality of persons with disabilities in social life and development, established by the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons (A/RES/37/52), adopted by the General Assembly in 1982. The International Day of Disabled Persons aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of disabled persons in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. Also of significance is that this year is the tenth anniversary of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. The Rules represent a strong moral and political commitment of Governments to take action. Standard Rule 1 calls for States to act to raise awareness in society about the rights, needs, potential and contribution of persons with disabilities. An exhibition of artwork by artists with disabilities and a seminar to discuss disability issues will be held at United Nations Headquarters to observe the day. More information is available at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/ Contact: Jean-Pierre Gonnot, DSPD,Tel. (212) 963-3256 International Volunteer Day On 5 December 2003, volunteers and volunteer involving organizations across the globe will join to celebrate International Volunteer Day (IVD). Building on momentum from the International Year of Volunteers 2001, which raised the global profile of volunteerism, IVD highlights collective challenges in voluntary action and serves as a platform to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This requires dedicated, coordinated action. All over the world, many existing organizations and networks are harnessing volunteer effort towards bringing about relief or a better quality of life for millions of people. These actors include local and national governments, community-based and non-governmental organizations, schools and universities, religious institutions, sporting unions and volunteer associations. Serving as global focal point for IVD, the UN Volunteers programmed recognizes the critical role of committed organizations, working in partnership, to involve new actors and extend the reach of volunteerism for development; it supports these initiatives with a range of activities. To learn about UN Volunteers: http://www.unvolunteers.org |
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Development Account Project The meeting will include a Regional Workshop on Statistical Organization and Management, and in conjunction with the Workshop, a Steering Committee of the ECOWAS Development Account Project will be established and will hold its first meeting to discuss implementation of the project. Contact: Gisele Kamanou, SD, Tel. (212) 963-4328 Managing Water and Energy Services for Poverty Eradication in Rural Gambia
This project aims at providing support to the rural communities of The Gambia in their fight against poverty through integrated management of water and energy resources using market-based mechanisms and decentralized participatory management structures. The project has three main components. First, it aims at expanding the existing water supply and energy systems to generate surplus water and energy resources after meeting the basic demand. Second, it will supply the surplus resource (that is available after meeting the basic demand) on demand basis to generate and promote economic activities. As a result of these two components, a number of service providers and small-scale entrepreneurs will evolve. Their capacity building is the focus of component 3 to reinforce the interventions made under the first two components. Already existing community-based structures in the form of VDCs will be further strengthened. The project rationale is based on the three intrinsically connected principles: reliability, affordability, and sustainability. Development of private service providers will ensure an increased reliability of services to the consumers; reliability of services will result in improved economic opportunities that will guarantee affordability of services by the consumers; and affordability will secure sustainability of the systems. This project is funded by the Human Security Trust Fund (HSTF), and executed by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA). This is the first project being executed by UN DESA utilizing HSTF resources. A multi-disciplinary team of advisers representing three different branches of the Department provides technical backstopping to the project. A technical cooperation mission recently visited Banjul (24 Sep – 03 Oct) to launch the project implementation. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with the Government of Gambia reflecting various decisions reached to move ahead with the implementation of the project. Selection of the project team is currently in progress, while a process has been initiated for carrying out the baseline socio-economic and technical studies in five selected villages. Contact: Aslan Chaudhry, DSD, Tel. (212) 963-8558, Fax: (212) 963-4340 Regional Symposium on Gender Mainstreaming ESCWA, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI) and the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) will hold a workshop on gender mainstreaming from 5 to 6 December 2003. The workshop immediately follows the First Session of the Committee on Women (Beirut, 2 to 6 December 2003). The ESCWA Workshop aims to, inter alia, assess progress achieved since the Beijing Conference in gender mainstreaming at the regional level; support gender mainstreaming efforts at the national level by identifying entry points and approaches, methodologies and tools and good practices; and establish greater links between gender mainstreaming efforts in ECSWA and at the national level. Participants include national machineries, line ministries, NGOs, academia, experts and research institutes, donors, and representatives of the UN system. The outcome of the workshop will feed into the 2005 review and appraisal of Beijing and Beijing+5. Contact: Wariara Mbugua, OSAGI, Tel. (212) 963-2226 Interregional Workshop on Engaged Governance DPADM is organizing an interregional workshop on Engaged Governance in collaboration with the Government of Sri Lanka. The aim of the Workshop is to develop inclusive methodologies in public decision-making systems and processes by involving civil society organizations and the private sector. This Workshop will address two major issues: (i) to further the articulation of the emerging concept of engaged governance; and (ii) to examine concrete cases of the application of the engaged governance methodologies. The Workshop is expected to pave the way to initiating programmes of technical cooperation for capacity-building, including training on engaged governance. Contact: Y. Yonekawa, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-7009 Workshop on Governance Challenges and Innovations for Human Development: the Conditions of Globalization The Regional Asia Pacific Workshop on the follow-up of the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD), Governance Challenges and Innovations for Human Development: the Conditions of Globalization is being organized by DPADM in cooperation with the Government of Bangladesh and the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). This regional workshop will examine the issues of globalization – its opportunities and challenges as expressed at the WSSD – and will attempt to examine the regional and country-level experiences and practices related to the State’s capacity to cope with these issues. The Workshop will provide a forum for the sharing of knowledge and experience among participants in the region on governance challenges and innovations for human development. Contact: A. Tikhomirov, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-1070 At its July Board meeting, the United Nations Foundation approved a new $1 million project to be implemented by UN/DESA that will test a market-based approach to energy efficiency in China. The project budget includes a matching grant of $500,000 from the Italian Ministry of Environment and Territories. Poor operational efficiency has been a chronic problem with small and medium-size coal-fired boilers in China, which consume about 300 million metric tons of coal annually. China has about 400,000 operating small and medium coal-fired boilers with unit capacity ranging from 1 to 10 tons-steam/hour (1 ts/h = 0.7MW). They account for about a quarter of China’s annual CO2 emissions. Studies have identified three key contributing factors: poor operations and maintenance, and variable fuel quality. These factors combined reduce the average operational efficiency of boilers by 10 to 20 percent. The main objective of the project is to promote market-based mechanisms for energy efficiency improvements by introducing energy management outsourcing into the operation and maintenance of small and medium-scale industrial boilers and by implementing technology retrofits of boilers and steam systems. The project will accomplish this objective principally through the establishment of Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) that will provide technical and managerial services for energy efficiency to the boiler market. Expected outcomes will include:
Contact: Mohan Peck, DSD/ETB, Tel. (212) 963-8799, Fax: (212) 963 9883 Expert Group Meeting on Globalization, Marketization and Corporate Social Responsibility: Lessons and Options for the CIS Countries DPADM, in cooperation with the UNDP Country Office in Russia, is organizing the Expert Group Meeting on Globalization, Marketization and Corporate Social Responsibility which will take place in Moscow, Russia from 18 to 20 November 2003. The objective of the Meeting is to exchange experiences and ideas on the current status of corporate social responsibility in selected CIS countries, and to provide a forum for government officials and experts to identify obstacles and formulate possible solutions to further strengthen the country-level capacity-building in this area. Contact: A. Tikhomirov, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-1070 Interregional Consultative Meeting on Measures for National Implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing This interregional meeting is being organized by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development and hosted by the Austrian Government. Government and civil society representatives from Bolivia, Egypt, Senegal, Kenya, Vietnam, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan and New Zealand will discuss national implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, focusing on the mainstreaming of ageing and national capacity building. The meeting will form the basis for a future programme of technical cooperation and advisory services. Contact: Rosemary Lane, DSPD, Tel. (212) 963-5090 Energy Policy Profiles and Capacity-Building in Brazil
, Cuba and South Africa The Department of Economic and Social Affairs has provided support for energy policy profiles, networking and capacity building in Brazil, Cuba and South Africa with a view toward facilitating an analytical framework for decision makers for energy policies consistent with sustainable development goals in the area of energy. As part of the overall implementation of Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation at the national level, energy experts are utilizing sustainable energy indicators and energy modeling techniques to assess current energy trends, options and goals in each country. This work builds on activities undertaken in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency on capacity-building and training in sustainable energy indicators and energy modeling as well as energy - related data collection, assessing data needs and preliminary work undertaken to quantify current energy demand and supply trends. National advisory groups comprising relevant government ministries, the private sector and NGOs are being established and consulted on a regular basis. Methods and results will be widely disseminated in each country and an international network has been established to share experiences and lessons learned for the participants and other developing countries interested in undertaking similar. Recently expert group meetings were held in Brazil and South Africa that included stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, national research institutions and relevant government ministries to assess current energy situation and trends and to contribute to the work in progress. Cuba will hold its expert group meeting in November. Participants in these meetings also included international and regional experts as well as those from the international network. Work currently underway in each country includes assessments of energy strategies and goals, current energy status, energy resources, appropriate energy technologies, energy and social issues, energy and economic development, and energy, the environment and health. In addition to providing policy makers with valuable information and analysis, the energy profiles will provide the basis for public information about energy and sustainable development in popular journals, videos/TV shows and other media outlets. Activities are financed by the United Nations Development Account and additional funding has been provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean as well as national governments and local private sector entities. Contact: Kathleen Abdalla, DSD, Tel: (212) 963-8416 Workshop on Harmonized Employment Policies for Youth Employment in the Caribbean Region: Strategies, Policy, Instruments and Modalities DPADM id organizing the Workshop as a follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD). The Workshop will respond to the concerns and recommendations emanated from the Subregional Workshop for the Caribbean on Social Development Policies, organized by DPADM and the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and held in Kingstown in November 2001. This will be an opportunity for participants to learn from the national experiences of a selected group of countries on the implementation at the national level of the WSSD commitments, with a view to reporting to the Commission for Social Development meeting in February 2004. During the first Workshop held in November 2001, nineteen representatives from Aruba, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago identified the issue of employment creation in the Caribbean as one that deserved particular attention and recommended a follow-up workshop. In this second Workshop, representatives from the same countries will gather to acquire a clearer understanding of the unemployment dynamics in the Caribbean, develop harmonized policy and strategy proposals for employment and livelihood creation in the subregion, and agree on intervention measures that could be applied on a subregional basis. Contact: Julio D’Arcy, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-5603 Caribbean Regional Workshop on National Sustainable Development Strategies and Indicators of Sustainable Development The workshop is sponsored by the Division of Sustainable Development (DSD) under the Development Account, to be held in Saint Lucia, and a follow-up capacity building workshop with St.Lucia with the goal of preparing a first draft set of indicators and a draft national sustainable development strategy for St. Lucia. Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP) Partnership After a little more than one year after the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the CLASP partnership initiative has produced important achievements that are helping put developing countries on more sustainable pathways of development. The Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP) is a WSSD partnership that seeks to transform markets for the manufacture and sale of appliances, equipment and lighting worldwide by the cost-effective adoption and application of energy efficiency standards and labels. The partnership is providing focused technical support to international stakeholders in energy efficiency standards and labeling. The energy efficiency gains achieved will play a significant role in changing unsustainable patterns of production and consumption by dampening rapid growth in electricity demand as well as greenhouse gas emissions from combustion of fossil fuels. Some of the significant results achieved to date, include the following. New standards and labels implemented. To date, the partnership has assisted developing countries in establishing new minimum energy performance standards for ten appliance and lighting products and has assisted in development of four energy efficiency labels. The Partnership is actively engaged in assisting the governments of China, India, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa and Mexico, as well as the members of the SARI regional group. Providing web-based access to codes and standards information globally . The CLASP website is now receiving over 50,000 hits per month from over 80 countries, and monthly document downloads of over 1000 MB. The Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is developing an APEC-wide, and hopefully worldwide, web-based information network called ESIS (Energy Standards Information System) in collaboration with CLASP with the intent to merge the two websites. Mobilized significant funding . CLASP partnership funding to date amounts to approximately $6.5 million from 8 different donors. Initial funding from the UN Foundation funding has attracted five to one leveraging of CLASP’s support for China’s extensive program developing energy efficiency test protocols, performance standards, comparison labels and endorsement labels for many energy consuming products. It has attracted over six to one leveraging of CLASP’s support to India for their exciting new standard-setting and labeling program. Moreover UNDP/GEF is now developing a series of regional energy efficiency standards & labeling initiatives potentially totaling tens of millions of dollars, with CLASP providing the primary technical support. Publication of a Guidebook on S&L. The partnership has researched and published a standards and labeling guidebook that has been translated into Chinese, Korean and Spanish and is being used extensively throughout the world. CLASP is now preparing a second updated edition that will be released in 2004. Supporting the EESD Initiative. The U.S. Department of Energy has adopted the CLASP partnership as an element of its own Efficient Energy for Sustainable Development (EESD) partnership, the energy-efficiency leg of America’s type 2 energy commitment under the WSSD. Developed an impact calculator. This tool allows developing country government officials to estimate the technical potential of standard-setting and labeling programs in their countries, relatively easily, using only a small commitment of resources. It was used in Ghana and convinced the Government to seek a substantial increase in the efficiency level for the new room air conditioner standard. Working to reduce trade barriers . The partnership has helped focus world attention on the harmonization of test protocols and mutual recognition of test results that will eliminate some implicit barriers to global trade of energy efficient appliances. Several categories of membership have been established within the partnership, including for governments, technical partners, industry partners and donors. Contact: Mohan Peck, DSD/ETB, Tel. (212) 963- 8799, Fax: (212) 963-9883 |
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/updates.htm An extensive set of over 100 official United Nations publications on statistical methods and standards from the 1950s to the present has now been permanently archived in electronic form on eight CD-ROMs. These publications comprise a comprehensive library of international statistical handbooks, recommendations, methods and technical studies for national and international use in most fields of statistics. Altogether they are an authoritative and comprehensive reference guide for professionals, not previously available in full except in the Statistics Division's print archive and United Nations Libraries in Geneva and New York. All are archived in all the official languages in which they have been published. The files were first prepared by the Division in cooperation with Conference Services, ITSD and the Dag Hammarskjöld Library for ODS and are also available at the Statistics Division's Web site at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/ Contact: Virgilio Castillo, SD, Tel. (212) 963-4867 ST/ESA/STAT/SER.Q/368 Special features in this issue: Indices of world industrial production by branches f industry and by regions; Producers’ or wholesale 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. ST/ESA/STAT/SER.Q/369 Special features in this issue: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Fuel imports, developed economies: unit value indices, volume indices and 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. Contact: Gloria Cuaycong, SD, Tel. (212) 963-4865 Handbook on Non-Profit Institutions in the System of National Accounts Responding to the growing worldwide interest in the character and role of non-profit or civil society organizations, this publication provides guidelines for the development of a satellite account that presents detailed economic data on non-profit institutions within the framework of the System of National Accounts. The Handbook clarifies the definition of non-profit institutions and identifies a methodology for breaking out and aggregating the full range of non-profit institutions, both those currently reported in the SNA sector Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households and those assigned to other sectors. The proposed methodology also captures the contribution of volunteer labour utilized by non-profit institutions and suggests extensions to existing classification systems to differentiate more fully the various types of non-profit institutions. This publication was prepared in close collaboration between the United Nations Statistics Division and the John Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. This publication complements the series of Handbooks on National Accounts, particularly the manuals dealing with various sectors of the SNA such as the Handbook on Household Sector Accounts and the Handbook on Links between Business Accounting and National Accounting. (Studies in Methods Series F/75 (Vol.1) and F/76, respectively). Contact: Magdolna Csizmadia, SD, Tel. (212) 963-4819 2000 Energy Statistics Yearbook The 2000 Energy Statistics Yearbook is the forty-fourth in an internationally comparable series of commercial energy statistics summarizing world energy trends. Annual data for 215 countries and areas for the period 1997 to 2000 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. 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 fuelwood, charcoal and bagasee, refinery distillation capacity and a table on selected energy resources. Contact: Karoly Kovacs, SD, Tel. (212) 963-4748 Statistical Yearbook, Forty-seventh issue This annual compilation of statistics for over 200 countries and areas of the world is organized in four parts: world and region summary; population and social statistics; economic activity; and international economic relations. The latest issue of the Yearbook presents 83 tables in the fields of demographic and social statistics, national accounts, finance, labour force, wages and prices, agriculture, manufacturing, transport and communications, energy, environment, science and technology, intellectual property, international merchandise trade, international tourism, balance of payments, and development assistance. In general, the data presented are those which were available as of the end of January 2003, and whenever possible, cover the ten-year period from 1991 to 2000 or 1992 to 2003. Contact: Mary Jane Holupka, SD, Tel. (212) 963-4578 World Statistics Pocketbook Least Developed Countries This special issue of the United Nations annual World Statistics Pocketbook provides a compilation of basic social, economic and development indicators that together comprise a framework for assessing in quantitative terms each country’s current development situation. The indicators presented can, at present, serve as benchmarks for assessment, monitoring, and further development of statistical capacities in the Least Developed Countries. Contact: Virgilio Castillo, SD, Tel. (212) 963-4867 Statistics Web Pages Most recent additions and updates to the Statistics Division web site include: Commodity Trade Statistics Database (COMTRADE) Website View the latest COMTRADE site of commodity trade data for all available countries and areas since 1962. Currently, it contains almost 700 millions records. Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS On-line Provides monthly statistics on 60 subjects from over 200 countries and areas, together with special tables illustrating important economic developments. Quarterly data for significant world and regional aggregates are included regularly. World Population Prospects : The 2002 Revision on CD-ROM The CD-ROM contains a comprehensive set of demographic indicators for the period 1950-2050, including a full set of estimates and projections of national populations by five-year age group and sex, as well as a number of datasets from the 2002 Revision that are available only in digital form. For instance, a group of data sets presents the results of the No-AIDS variant, produced by assuming that AIDS never existed - useful to highlight the impact of the epidemic. Selected indicators are presented for other hypothetical variants assuming zero-migration, constant-mortality and instant-replacement-fertility. For a detailed description of the CD's contents and how to place an order, please consult the "Ordering Data in Digital Form" page on the Population Division web site: http://www.un.org/esa/population/ordering.htm World Population 2002 (wall chart) World Population 2002 (wall chart) is now available free of charge as a TealInfo folio for Palm OS PDAs (palmtops). The wall chart shows the essential demographic indicators for all countries and regions of the world for 2003 as well as projected population figures for 2025 and 2050. Having these data in a palmtop-readable format greatly enhances their portability and usefulness. The TealInfo folio can be downloaded from the Population Division's web site: http://unpopulation.org Population, Education and Development: The Concise Report This is the "concise" version of the full report which will be issued in 2004. The report provides a summary of recent information on selected aspects of population, education and development. It also discusses topics such as the interrelationships between education and fertility; education, health and mortality; and education and international migration. The report identifies different ways in which education, besides being a primary aspect of individual well-being, plays a pivotal role in national development and demographic change, given that through education, individuals are empowered to have choices and make decisions in areas such as work, place of residence, family size, health and lifestyles and personal development. The report can be downloaded, free of charge, from the Population Division web site: http://www.unpopulation.org The Impact of AIDS he publication documents the wide-ranging impacts of HIV/AIDS on: population size and growth, national mortality levels; families and households; agricultural sustainability; business; the health sector; education, and economic growth. The study shows that the AIDS epidemic will continue to have devastating consequences for decades to come for virtually every sector of society. However, immediate and concerted actions to prevent new infections and to treat and care for people living with HIV/AIDS could save millions of lives and reduce the destructive consequences of HIV/AIDS. Such actions would include strong and direct political leadership, greatly increased resources, comprehensive HIV prevention services, and national strategies for the delivery of treatment and care. The document can be downloaded free of charge from the Population Division web site: http://unpopulation.org Citizens, Businesses and Governments: Dialogue and Partnerships for Development and Democracy With the advance of globalization and the increasing pressures from citizens for greater participation in policy-making processes, the role of the State in the economic and social domains, as well as the concept of public management, have been changing in many ways. There has been a growing awareness that the State, the private sector and civil society have, each in their own sphere, an important role to play in the promotion of democracy and development, and that partnerships in many areas are essential for advancing these goals. This publication, due in November, analyses what changes in the role and functioning of the State are most conducive to promoting a higher quality of life for all. In particular, it explores the concept and application of partnerships between the State, businesses and citizens; methodologies to assess democracy; decentralized governance; public administration reform and management innovation in developing countries; access and quality of public services; issues related to globalization that enable environment, trade and investment; accountability and transparency; resource mobilization and tax administration systems; and gender participation in governance. The publication is based on the findings of the Capacity Development Workshops which took place in Marrakech, Morocco from 10-11 December 2002 and preceded the Fourth Global Forum on Reinventing Government on the theme “Citizens, Businesses, and Governments: Dialogue and Partnerships for the Promotion of Democracy and Development”. Contributions to the publications were made by UNDESA and other United Nations entities/programmes, international institutions and academia. Contact: Adriana Alberti, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-2299 OR Shabbir Cheema, Tel. (212) 963-4533 Governance World Watch
DPADM will issue nos. 56 and 57 of the Governance World Watch on UNPAN at the end of November and December, respectively. The publication provides a collection of news articles by various international media on the most recent major trends and developments in the areas of public policy and globalization, governance systems and institutions, information communication technology (ICT) for development, civil service and ethics in the public sector, human resources development, mobilization of financial resources for development, and private sector development. Contact: Haiyan Qian, DPADM, Tel. 212-963-3393 Training Module on “ Building Institutional Capacity for Sustainable Regional Integration” A training module on “Building Institutional Capacity for Sustainable Regional Integration” was drafted by a DPADM staff member during her four-month sabbatical leave at the United Nations University Programme for Regional Integration Studies (UNU/CRIS) located at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium (http://www.cris.unu.edu). This module is part of a larger multidisciplinary capacity-building initiative aimed at regional and national administrators of developing countries. Contact: Ms. Yolande Jemiai, Tel. (212) 963-8395 Public Administration Web Pages Programme for Innovation in Public Administration in the Euro-Mediterranean Region A new web site on the Programme for Innovation in Public Administration in the Euro-Mediterranean Region is operational since the end of October 2003. The web site is intended to become a virtual centre of knowledge and information on governance in the Mediterranean Region; to favour the exchange of information through an interactive forum; to create a platform for the Network of Innovators; and to provide information on the various activities that will be undertaken in the course of the programme. The objective of the Programme is to contribute to the improvement of governance systems in Northern Africa and selected countries of the Middle East and the Balkan region, with a view to enhancing prosperity, peace and stability. In particular, the Programme aims to reinforce the capacity of national governments, in terms of institutions, human resources, technological adequacy and financial management, to better cope with emerging national, regional and international challenges, as well as to respond more effectively to citizens’ demands and needs. Ultimately, the Programme intends to promote the progressive harmonization of public administration systems in the Mediterranean area in line with the Barcelona Process established in 1995 as a means through which the European Union supports Mediterranean partners in their political, economic and social reforms. By encouraging the sharing of knowledge and best practices, partner countries will benefit from experiences and lessons learned in other areas of the region and develop cooperation models aimed at stimulating vertical (North-South) as well as horizontal (South-South) collaboration. In addition, the southern countries of the Euro-Mediterranean basin will gain a better knowledge of the decision-making and administrative procedures, as well as the legal framework of the European Union. In the long term, they could receive assistance in the process of integrating their regulatory, procedural and decision-making systems with those of the EU with the aim of achieving coordinated governance in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Contact: Adriana Alberti, DPADM, Tel. (212) 963-2299 Family Indicators Contact: Amr Ghaleb, DSPD, Tel. (212)963-3238 Report on the World Social Situation
2003 The biennial Report of the World Social Situation 2003 has been published as a General Assembly document (A/58/153), with the sales publication version forthcoming. The 2003 Report takes a thematic approach, addressing in depth the issue of social vulnerability. The objective of the Report is to develop a frame of reference for identifying the sources of social vulnerabilities and explore strategies to reduce the vulnerabilities of selected social groups. Contact: Office of the Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, Tel. (212) 963-2598, Fax: (212) 963-3062, E-mail: social@un.org
General Assembly United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination Commission on Sustainable Development, 12th Session Expert Group Meeting on Peace Agreements as a Means for Promoting Gender Equality and Ensuring Participation of Women - A framework of Model Provisions
Ad Hoc Expert Group on Approaches and Mechanisms for Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting Ad Hoc Expert Group on Finance and Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies (in forest management) Regional Seminar on an International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities Expert group meeting on Modalities for Review and Appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing Inter-agency and Expert Meeting on Millennium Development Goals Indicators Expert Group Meeting to Review the United Nations Demographic Yearbook System Commission on Sustainable Development, 12th Session DESA News is an insider's look at the United Nations in the area of coordination of economic and social development policies. This issue was produced by the Information Support Unit of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in collaboration with DESA Divisions. DESA News is issued every two months |