Vol. 9, no.6 November-December 2005
Print version| Dialogue on development | Trends and analysis | Technical cooperation | Publications | Comings and goings | Calendar | |
H.E. Mr. Jan Eliasson, President of the General Assembly, opens the discussion on 25 October on the 2005 report of the Economic and Social Council and the UN development agenda: http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/ga/60/ga051025pm.rm |
in this issueWorld leaders express strong committement to the UN development agenda: much now depends on the General Assembly Second Committee to put decisions into effect World Summit on the Information Society:delegates will focus on the highly political issues of Internet governance and financing to bridge the digital divide Re-inventing public enterprise:public enterprises have an important role to play in achieving economic growth and social development; in many countries, both developed and developing, public enterprises are the main providers of the social services related to several of the MDGs |
Feature article
World leaders express strong commitment to the UN development agenda
Much now depends on the Second Committee to put decisions of the 2005 World Summit into effect.
This session of the Second Committee of the General Assembly is marked by the 60th anniversary of the United Nations and the historic gathering of world leaders at the 2005 World Summit. The World Summit reaffirmed faith in the multilateral system. It also expressed strong, unambiguous commitments to ensure the full realization of the comprehensive UN development agenda generated by the series of UN conferences and summits, with the Millennium Summit prominent among them.
The Summit asserted the vital role that the conferences and summits have played in shaping a broad development vision, in identifying agreed objectives, in galvanizing development policy and programmes at all levels, and in guiding the work of the UN system. It also produced agreement on a number of precise steps to strengthen their follow-up.
First, the Summit committed all Governments, by 2006, to adopt and begin implementing national development strategies for achieving the array of internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs.
Second, at the Summit, world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the global development partnership agreed in the Monterrey Consensus.
Third, the Summit resolved to make the goals of full and productive employment and decent work for all a central objective of relevant macroeconomic policies and national development strategies.
Fourth, the Summit reaffirmed that gender equality is essential to advance development, and produced commitments actively to promote the mainstreaming of gender perspectives in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic, and social spheres.
Fifth, the Summit reaffirmed wide-ranging commitments on sustainable development, from water and human settlements to energy and changing consumption and production patterns to biodiversity, desertification, and climate change. It noted that efforts in these areas would also promote the integration of the three pillars of sustainable development: economic development, social development, and environmental protection. The Summit recognized the serious challenge posed by climate change and committed the international community to further action through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It also agreed to create a worldwide early warning system for natural disasters and to improve the UN’s Central Emergency Revolving Fund, so that disaster relief arrives more promptly and reliably.
Sixth, the Summit decided to strengthen the UN capacity for peacekeeping, peacemaking, and peacebuilding. In a major advance, it produced a detailed blueprint for a new Peacebuilding Commission, to ensure a more coherent and sustained international effort to build lasting peace in post-conflict situations.
Finally, the Summit forged agreement on key aspects of UN reform. Among the most notable is the genuine impetus provided for a stronger, more broadly capable and effective Economic and Social Council. It gave the Council three specific new functions:
- To undertake ministerial-level reviews of progress towards the development goals, drawing on the work of its functional and regional commissions;
- To convene a Global Development Cooperation Forum, to discuss coherence of the global development cooperation architecture. This means considering the performance of the range of development actors — state and non-state, UN and non-UN; North-South, as well as South-South cooperation; and the overall flow of resources;
- And to build its capacity both to respond better and more rapidly to developments in the international economic, social, and environmental fields, and to coordinate response to humanitarian emergencies.
As another function, ECOSOC will also have an important role vis-�-vis the new Peacebuilding Commission, drawing on the innovative mechanisms the Council has created for post-conflict reconstruction and development. Finally, the Summit reasserted the central responsibility given in the UN Charter for ECOSOC to serve as the principal body for system-wide coordination.
The broad scope of the UN development agenda — and the process of its implementation — render these five ECOSOC functions quite closely related. Performing these functions, and producing their envisioned results, will require the Council virtually to revolutionize its substantive organization and ways of work. Much of its ability to do that will depend directly on this session of the General Assembly. The Committee should seize this opportunity immediately to begin putting the Summit’s decisions on the new ECOSOC into effect.
Financing for development
A core principle of the Monterrey Consensus is that developing countries have primary responsibility for their own development. In line with this, they not only agreed to adopt comprehensive national development strategies; they have also paid increased attention to financial and technical cooperation amongst themselves. During the Summit, a number of measures to increase South-South cooperation were announced.
Moreover, announcements in advance of the Summit will further increase aid. Thanks to new commitments, ODA is now expected to increase from $80 billion last year to $130 billion in 2010. And aid to Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to double, from $25 to $50 billion a year over this period. The increase in aid, however, must be effectively reflected in support to the programs of partner countries through their own budgets — and not only through debt forgiveness, technical assistance, and emergency and humanitarian assistance. This is why our World Economic and Social Survey 2005 strongly recommends that international assistance programmes specifically target the amount of aid that is effectively channeled through the budgets of recipient countries. At present, according to estimates of OECD/DAC, only about one-fourth of registered ODA is so channeled.
This is our understanding of the principles of ownership, alignment, and harmonization agreed earlier this year in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. If aid commitments are fully met, and the principles and targets agreed in the Paris Declaration fully applied and implemented, we will achieve a major breakthrough in international cooperation, particularly for Sub-Saharan Africa. The debt relief for HIPCs, recently agreed in the annual meetings of the BWIs, represents the third dimension of this breakthrough. In short, the Summit catalyzed a set of major commitments in the areas of ownership, aid, and debt that have led the World Bank to refer to 2005 as the “Year of Development” — a Year that should set the stage for a challenging new “Decade of Development,” leading to 2015.
We have also seen progress on innovative sources of financing. The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization announced a pilot project for the International Finance Facility. The French and Brazilian governments aim to introduce a pilot project for a global solidarity contribution on air tickets. Chile plans to implement such a measure, beginning next year. It has also called for reconsideration of using Special Drawing Rights to provide development finance.
The Summit answered another call in the Monterrey Consensus, when the UN Convention Against Corruption received the ratifications required to become operational.
All these actions represent major support for implementing the Monterrey Consensus and advancing development. Nonetheless, to make a truly major impact, they need to — and should — be extended.
First, while reinforcing the political commitment to a rapid conclusion of the Doha trade round, the Summit made clear that there are still significant challenges in realizing the development dimension of the round.
Second, while welcoming the debt relief initiative for HIPCs, we should not forget that the majority of the world’s poor reside in other developing countries — many of them middle-income countries that also face high debt burdens. Some Summit participants thus stressed the importance of extending relief to a larger number of non-HIPC LDCs and to middle-income countries.
Moreover, conditionality attached to aid often conflicts with commitments to increase the responsibility of developing countries for their domestic development strategies. Only when aid is fully aligned with national development strategies, as agreed in the Paris Declaration, can it be nationally owned and fully effective. On this front, the recent proposals by the United Kingdom and the European Commission are positive contributions, deserving rapid implementation.
Finally, according to Monterrey, this increased responsibility would be matched by adequate voice and participation of developing countries in international economic decision-making. It is time to move from discussing this problem to taking concrete action to address it.
State of the world economy
The Second Committee meets as the growth of the world economy has decelerated measurably over the course of 2005, compared to an exceptionally strong and broad expansion in the previous year. According to our estimates, global economic growth (measured, as we always do, at market exchange rates) will reach about 3 per cent in 2005 and a similar pace in 2006 — although growing uncertainty surrounds these projections given the mounting downside risks.
This deceleration has resulted partly from the maturing of the cyclical recovery in a number of economies and the associated unwinding of earlier policy stimuli. But the world economy has also encountered increasing constraints, several of a structural nature. Most notable are the enormous global imbalances: on one side, the rising external deficit of the United States and, on the other side, growing surpluses in a number of economies, mainly in Asia, Europe and oil-exporting countries. The ever-widening imbalances have increasingly given rise to concerns about their sustainability, about the risks associated with various re-balancing processes, and about the consequences for the stability of world financial markets and global economic growth. The responsibility to address global imbalances falls to countries with large current account surpluses at least as much as to those with the deficits. And the required level of international economic cooperation to address this problem has not been forthcoming.
The recent rise in oil prices is another concern. The strong growth in global oil demand has reportedly moderated recently, but the tight situation in the global oil market has been exacerbated by natural disasters and geopolitical instability. Oil-importing countries, particularly developing and least-developed oil-importing countries, have shown growing signs of deterioration, including rising inflation. Oil prices remaining at such high levels will pose challenges for world economic growth and, in particular, for the economic development of many developing countries.
Besides the conspicuous risks associated with the global imbalances and oil prices, other non-negligible caveats include, for example: a possible lull, or even reversal, in the trend of a substantial appreciation of house prices in a number of large economies; a significant rise in long-term interest rates; and an unwinding of the risk appetite in financial markets, which has been reflected in the unusually low interest rate spreads between assets viewed as more and less risky in financial markets.
At the same time, the broad international economic environment does show some auspicious signs. International trade has continued to grow at a robust pace. Financial markets worldwide have generally remained calm. And the terms of trade for a large number of developing countries have improved considerably. Yet even these supportive factors may hold some risky implications. For example, the exceptionally low risk premium for the external borrowing of many developing countries, if not prudently managed, could lead to excessive capital inflows and sow seeds for financial crises, repeating the unfortunate episodes of the early 1980s and late 1990s.
Against this backdrop, how have developing countries fared in their efforts to achieve the MDGs? The present economic strength of many developing countries demonstrates that substantial progress is possible under the right domestic and global economic conditions. A deterioration in the external environment stemming from the global imbalances would have an untoward effect on both the immediate prospects of developing countries and their longer-term development, including their efforts to achieve the array of internationally-agreed development goals. Therefore, addressing the current global imbalances should be seen as part of the long-term development agenda.
Fair, equitable and inclusive globalization
In the UN development agenda, there is a powerful platform for building a fair, equitable, and inclusive globalization, and fair, equitable, and inclusive societies.
As in previous years, the Committee will discuss the issue of globalization and interdependence. Effective and beneficial integration in the global economy requires a variety of strategic and policy measures and actions. A strong institutional underpinning is thus needed to guide and buttress economic activities and mediate sometimes conflicting interests in the development process. The report of the Secretary-General on this issue addresses this institutional dimension of the challenges of achieving the development goals and integrating into the global economy. The main features of successful institutions include fostering inclusiveness, enhancing accountability and transparency, and facilitating innovation and learning. The report points out that policies and regulatory regimes need to be designed in order to flexibly balance social, economic, and environmental objectives, which in turn requires a transparent, participatory approach.
The Committee continues its consideration on the key issue of the MDGs and poverty eradication. This year, the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty focuses on employment —particularly the centrality of employment for poverty eradication, which received prominent recognition from the Summit. Poverty eradication remains one of the core challenges confronting our generation.
One cound not stress more the importance of the Committee's deliberations and decisions on this agenda item. Poverty eradication is also one of the main goals in the Brussels Programme of Action for the LDCs. Next year, the General Assembly will hold a special session to undertake the five-year review of the Programme. The Committee will make an important contribution in setting the stage for that review.
The Committee will also consider a range of sustainable development issues. These include energy efficiency, which will play an important role in tackling climate change, promoting clean energy, and meeting energy needs. With the world facing significant increases in energy prices, energy efficiency is rising to higher levels of priority in the national agendas of many countries, developing and developed alike. It will also be a focus of discussions for the Commission on Sustainable Development, which will start a new cycle in 2006 on the theme of “energy for sustainable development, industrial development, air pollution and atmosphere, and climate change.”
Finally, international migration remains a central dimension of globalization. One of its key features is the movement of skilled labour and people with advanced education, particularly from developing to developed countries. The acceleration of highly-skilled labour mobility is raising concern about the so-called “brain drain” and the loss of economic potential incurred by the countries of origin. Yet international migration brings many benefits to both home and host countries. For example, financial transfer to home countries can be a major benefit. Worldwide, remittances are estimated to have reached some $130 billion per year, with 60 per cent of that amount flowing to developing countries. Some claim that this figure is larger, closer to $175 to $200 billion a year. Against this backdrop, and having in hand the recommendations of the Global Commission on International Migration that will be presented to the Secretary-General this week, the General Assembly will hold a high-level dialogue on international migration and development in 2006. The Committee is tasked to work out the organizational details for this important event.
This session of the Committee faces important decisions and high expectations. Under the able leadership of the Chairperson, there is reason to be confident that it will measure up to the important role it now has in helping to make the most of the World Summit’s decisions on development, and in fulfilling the UN development agenda.
This article is based on the opening statement of Mr. José Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, to the Second Committee of the General Assembly on 3 October. The full programme of the sixtieth session of the Second Committee is available online at http://www.un.org/ga/60/second/ .
OESC adds:
The Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination has organized several panel discussions and other events to support the work of the Assembly and its Second Committee. The events feature renowned academics, as well as representatives of the UN system, civil society and the private sector. http://www.un.org/ga/60/second/specialevents.htm
Contact: Mr. Navid Hanif, Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, +1 212/963-8415
Global dialogue on development
World Summit on the Information Society
Tunis, 16-18 November
The second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society will be hosted by the Government of Tunisia. The Geneva phase of WSIS held in 2003 was a landmark gathering that established the foundations of the information society and culminated in a shared vision to meet the global challenges of the new millennium, accompanied by a concrete plan of action. The Tunis phase will focus on the highly political issues of internet governance, and financing to bridge the digital divide. Delegates are also expected to agree on a follow-up process and implementation plan to pave the way ahead. A central operational challenge is the means by which access to information and communication technologies can be provided to all humanity - not just a privileged few - while making the most efficient use of existing resources.
Measuring the information society
15 November
http://measuring-ict.unctad.org
With the huge interest in the information society and the benefits it can bring, countries are looking at how they will measure progress towards their own information society. This event will bring together stakeholders at national, regional and international levels to present a set of core statistical indicators agreed by key international agencies working in the field; to debate the importance of measuring the information society for ICT policy making and development in areas such as education, government and health; and to illustrate the contribution of ICT measurement to the follow-up of WSIS. The event is organized by the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, launched during UNCTAD XI in June 2004. Its main objectives are to promote the advancement of comparable ICT data at the global level and to assist developing countries in the collection of ICT statistics. It provides an open framework for coordinating ongoing and future activities, and for developing a coherent and structured approach to advancing the measurement of the information society.
High-level dialogue on governance, global citizenship and technology: the role of Parliaments in the information society
16 November
The event, organized by DESA in cooperation with the UN ICT Task Force, will provide the opportunity to present the audience with key Parliament leaders’ views and crucial initiatives on the role that national and regional assemblies can play in building the information society. It will also provide the platform to launch the Global Centre for Information and Communication Technology in Parliament. The objective of the Centre is to contribute to the empowerment of legislatures around the world to better fulfill their democratic functions by reinforcing capacity of Parliaments to use ICT tools and to place them at the service of the institutional process, citizens’ access to parliamentary activities, and inter-parliamentary cooperation.
Building regional partnerships for the information society: regional perspectives and global dimensions
16 November
The event, co-organized by the UN Regional Commissions, UNCTAD and the UN ICT Task Force will consist of two high-level round tables: one on regional perspectives for the global information society, and one on women in the information society: building a gender balanced knowledge-based economy. The objective of the event is to share experience and discuss how the goals of sustainable and inclusive development in the various continents can be supported by innovative technologies. The results and conclusions of these discussions will be delivered to the WSIS.
Roundtable on bridging the digital divide with broadband wireless internet
17 November
The event, co-organized by the UN ICT Task Force and the Wireless Internet Institute (W2i), will focus on the critical role that broadband wireless infrastructure deployments play in bridging the digital divide. Specifically, the round table, based on the work undertaken over the last two years by W2i in cooperation with the ICT Task Force, will identify best regulatory practices in establishing affordable service, early broad deployment case studies and lessons learned. The multi-stakeholder roundtable will gather together Governments, private sector, academia, NGOs and international development agencies in an effort to stimulate continued momentum and reinforce leaders’ commitment to further accelerate the adoption of broadband wireless technologies in support of universal access.
Panel discussion on achieving better quality and higher cost efficiency in healthcare and education through ICT
17 November
The main objective of the panel, co-organized by Siemens and the UN ICT Task Force, will be to raise awareness of the potential of ICT to improve quality and cost efficiency of vital public services, with specific focus on education and healthcare. Panelists will share case studies to illustrate and quantify the returns to ICT investments in these sectors as well as explore means by which developing countries, in partnership with donors, the private sector and international organizations, can develop and implement education and health strategies that integrate information and communication technologies. Siemens is the Convenor of the UN ICT Task Force Working Group on Human Resources Development and Capacity-Building, which works closely with relevant United Nations agencies and other partners from the private and public sectors, together with educators and researchers in both developed and developing countries, to promote the use of ICT for capacity-building and human resource development.
High-level round table on putting ICT to work for the MDGs
17 November
The round table, organized by the UN ICT Task Force, is the second in a special ongoing series of thematic discussions on ICT for development issues. The round table will build on the results of the 13 September roundtable on innovation and investment: scaling science and technology, especially information and communication technologies, to meet the Millennium Development Goals, held in New York on the eve of the 2005 World Summit. It will promote further crystallization of thinking on effective and sustainable ways to raise awareness of ICT as an enabler of development, and examine how ICT can be applied to the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals. The roundtable will afford a multi-stakeholder cross-sectoral forum with a view to increasing support and commitment, and to promoting scaling-up of successful initiatives in order to accelerate the impact of ICT on development. It will thus continue the work launched in New York, with a view to providing a further contribution to multi-stakeholder follow up and implementation of the outcomes of the 2005 World Summit and WSIS.
Contact: UN ICT Task Force Secretariat, +1 212/963-5796
Panel discussion on strengthening the capacity of national machineries through ICT
18 November
The Division for the Advancement of Women is organizing a panel discussion on strengthening the capacity of national machineries through the effective use of information and communication technologies, to be held as a parallel event during the World Summit for the Information Society. The panel will draw on the lessons learned from four sub-regional workshops and one regional meeting organized by the Division for all national machineries in Africa during 2004 and 2005. Panelists will include one representative of national machineries for the advancement of women from each of the sub-regions.
Contact: Division for the Advancement of Women,Ms. Roselyn Odera, +1 917/367-4352, or Ms. Anna Falth Modersitzki, +1 917/367-3124
Knowledge systems and e-government
The Division for Public Administration and Development Management has also organized several parallel events to take place at the WSIS in Tunis. These events will focus on questions of societal adjustment to the challenge of mass-produced knowledge, and public sector management of knowledge resources. Specific events include:
- Workshops on understanding knowledge societies, and on partnerships for e-Government effectiveness in Latin America and the Caribbean;
- A high-level dialogue on governance, global citizenship and technology – the role of Parliaments in the information society (organized jointly with the UN/ ICT Task Force) ;
- Toward the implementation of the e-LAC 2007 plan of action: priorities and work plan ;
- Launch of the Measurement and Evaluation Tool for E-government Readiness Assessment (METER);
- Launch of partnerships for e-Government effectiveness in Latin America and the Caribbean ;
- Launch of the e-Government for development e-accounting initiative .
Contact: Division for Public Administration and Development Management, Ms. Haiyan Qian, +1 212/963-3393, or Ms. Angela Capati-Caruso, +1 212/963-5318
Non-Governmental organizations
The Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination will be facilitating participation of NGOs in the World Summit by:
- Conducting a panel discussion on 17 November on ensuring ICT access for all, jointly with the Tunisian Mothers' Association, and the UN-NGO-IRENE African Regional Coordinator. The panel, composed of a roundtable including several speakers and six interactive workshops, will be chaired by Mr. Patrizio Civili. Participants will discuss how to implement the Tunis Declaration and Plan of Action that were adopted in April by the Tunis ECOSOC NGO/Civil Society Forum. The main purpose of this event is to come up with recommendations and concrete proposals for civil society and public-private partnership to enhance the outcome of the WSIS at the grassroots level;
- Supporting the Tunisian Mothers' Association in conducting an ECOSOC NGO panel on e-success stories and best practices on 16 November. The panel will be chaired by Mr. Sarbuland Khan, Director of the Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, and several presentations related to successful and innovative field activities will be made by NGOs from the North and the South, the DESA NGO Section, training and research institutes, and academia.
- Supporting the Chinese Association for International Understanding in conducting a panel on the role of Chinese NGOs in bridging civil society, ICT and MDGs on 16 November;
- Supporting the Tunisian Association for Children's Rights in organizing on a panel on the information society, children's rights and sustainable development on 17 November, in partnership with the Children's Rights Caucus, the International Institute for Children's Rights, OCAPROCE International, DAPSI, FIEM, ECPAT International and Child Helpline. The Panel is a follow-up to the international seminar on children rights and information society that was organized with the help of the DESA NGO Section in January and concluded with the adoption of a declaration on children rights and the information society submitted to the 2005 ECOSOC high-level segment.
Contact: Ms. Najet Karaborni, Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, +1 212/963-6207
Security Council
Open debate on women, peace and security
New York, 27 October
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/5years1325/
In cooperation with the Interagency Task Force on Women, Peace and Security, OSAGI prepared the Secretary-General's report to the Security Council on women, peace and security (S/2005/636) which includes a system-wide action plan on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.
On 27 October, the Security Council held an open debate on this issue. The debate resulted in a statement by the President of the Council. A number of side-events and activities were organized by UN entities, Member States and civil society organizations in connection with the Security Council debate and the fifth anniversary of resolution 1325.
Contact: Ms. Katarina Salmela, Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, +1 917/367-2252
Economic and Social Council
http://www.un.org/docs/ecosoc/
In the 2005 Summit Outcome document, ECOSOC has been entrusted with the task of ensuring follow-up to the outcomes major UN summits and conferences. To perform these functions, the Council is expected to:
- Hold annual ministerial-level substantive reviews to assess progress in the implementation of the outcomes of the major UN summits and conferences, including the internationally agreed development goals;
- Hold a biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forum to review trends in international development cooperation;
- Respond better and more rapidly to developments in the international economic, environmental and social fields as well as support and complement international efforts aimed at addressing humanitarian emergencies;
- Play a major role in the overall coordination of and in promoting coherence in the functioning of the funds, programmes and agencies;
- Work closely with the Peacebuilding Commission.
To facilitate consultations on operationalization of conclusions of the 2005 World Summit, the President of the ECOSOC has presented two working papers. The first is on implementation of Summit decisions relating to ECOSOC (http://www.un.org/docs/ecosoc/documents/2005/ECOSOCSummitfollow_up.pdf )
and the second on a framework for implementation of the internationally agreed development goals including the MDGs (http://www.un.org/docs/ecosoc/documents/2005/Draft_Elements_on_Implementation_Framework.pdf ).
During its resumed organizational session held on 21 October 2005, the Economic and Social Council adopted the theme of "Creating an environment at the national and international levels conducive to generating full and productive employment and decent work for all, and its impact on sustainable development" for its 2006 substantive session.
"Sustained economic growth for social development, including the eradication of poverty and hunger" is the theme for the second year of the multi-year work programme of the coordination segment. H.E. Ali Hachani, the Vice President of ECOSOC, intends to begin informal consultations shortly in order to complete the initial four year work programme before its substantive session in 2006.
Contact: Mr. Navid Hanif, Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, +1 212/963-8415
Trends and analysis
Expert group meeting on re-inventing public enterprise and its management
New York, 27-28 October 2005
http://www.unpan.org/directory/conference/guest/browseoneconference.asp?conference_id=1870
At the 2005 World Summit, world leaders prominently and unambiguously reaffirmed their determination to ensure the full and timely realization of the development goals and objectives agreed at the major UN conferences and summits, including the MDGs. Furthermore, they committed to a new drive towards implementation, in which a strengthened ECOSOC system will have a new and challenging central role.
In the first instance, this will mean applying ECOSOC’s traditional function — as a quality platform for policy debate and development — in a different and much more focused way: in the context of the UN development agenda generated by the conferences and summits. It also means that the various new functions decided for the ECOSOC system in the outcome document should be considered organically. Annual reviews of implementation, rapid responses to developments that impact the achievement of these goals, and the Development Cooperation Forum will all serve in different ways to advance implementation of the UN development agenda.
Through the General Assembly and the Council, Member States are now engaged in the effort to “operationalize” these key Summit decisions. They know, however, that the ultimate effectiveness of this process — and its capacity to produce the desired results — lies not only in their hands. Indeed, there is increasing recognition of the importance of bringing into the “implementation fold” all possible stakeholders, such as governments, both at the national and local levels; the private sector; civil society; NGOs, and international institutions. This was also one of the key messages of the 2005 World Summit.
This expert group meeting — dealing with one of the principal, concerned actors in realizing the development goals — is therefore most welcome. Public enterprises have an important role to play in achieving economic growth and social development. In fact, in many countries, both developed and developing, public enterprises are the main providers of the social services related to several of the MDGs.
Yet the role of public enterprises has not been at the forefront of debates or initiatives on implementing the development goals. This is in part because public enterprises are unique and somewhat ambiguous in character. Another reason lies in their having been associated with inefficiency, mismanagement, poor accountability, and corruption.
Nonetheless, the debate on public enterprises has shifted to a more productive playing field. The focus is not on whether public enterprises have a role to play, but on how and to what extent they play a role, especially in developing countries. How, for example, can public enterprises help meet deficits in capital shy countries? How can they serve as deterrents to socially unacceptable high prices for basic goods and services, such as energy, housing, and transportation? And how can they help address the challenge of providing employment?
When considering the working paper on implementing the Summit decisions on ECOSOC (http://www.un.org/docs/ecosoc/documents/2005/ECOSOCSummitfollow_up.pdf ), experts were asked to see themselves as part of this new drive towards implementing the internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs. DESA attaches a great deal of importance to participation in and contribution to the intergovernmental dialogue on ways and means.
The conclusions and recommendations arising from the expert group meeting will be channelled to the Council, through the Committee of Experts on Public Administration.
The foregoing observations are based on a statement made by Mr. Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, to the expert group meeting on 27 October.
Second international expert meeting on a 10-year framework of programmes for sustainable consumption and production
San José, 5-8 September
The second international expert meeting on the 10-year framework of programmes for sustainable consumption and production was organized by the Division for Sustainable Development and UNEP, and hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Costa Rican National Cleaner Production Centre. Some 150 experts from 70 countries and 9 international organizations participated in the meeting, representing government agencies, international organizations, consumer organizations, business and industry, and other non-governmental organizations.
At the meeting, it was recognized the important support that task forces on specific issues of sustainable consumption and production, with the participation of experts from developing and developed countries, could provide to the Marrakech Process. The five task forces announced in Costa Rica were: (1) the sustainable lifestyles task force which will identify and disseminate international best practices in the field of sustainable consumption; (2) the sustainable products task force which will identify common priorities for encouraging innovation in product eco-design, and establish practical cooperative projects among countries; (3) the cooperation with Africa task force which will assist African countries in leapfrogging to more sustainable patterns of consumption and production; (4) the sustainable procurement task force will help governments create markets for sustainable goods and services; and, (5) the task force on micro-, small, and medium enterprises which will explore ways to promote sustainable production by MSMEs.
The third international expert meeting on the 10-year framework of programmes for sustainable consumption and production will be hosted by the Government of Sweden in fall 2007.
Contact: Mr. Tarcisio Alvarez-Rivero, Division for Sustainable Development, +1 212/963-5708
Expert consultation on priorities in follow-up to the ten-year review and appraisal of implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
New York, 30 October-3 November
In preparation for the 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Division for the Advancement of Women is organizing an expert consultation on priorities in follow-up to the ten-year review and appraisal of implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Representatives of regional networks will explore priority issues in follow-up to the ten-year review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. DAW is organizing a panel discussion on the outcome of the consultation on Thursday, 3 November, which is open to representatives of Member States, observers, entities of the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations.
Contact: Division for the Advancement of Women, Ms. Sharon Taylor, +1 212/963-5226, orMs.Sibel Selcuk, +1 212/963-3154
Expert group meeting on the world economy - Project LINK
Geneva, 31 October-2 November
The expert group meeting on the world economy (Project LINK), sponsored by DESA, will be held at the United Nations Office in Geneva. Some 100 participants from about 50 countries and several international organizations will be present. The agenda of the meeting will include two broad items: the global economic outlook and emerging economic policy issues in the world economy. At the meeting, DESA will present the LINK global economic outlook, which is made possible by combining inputs from LINK national forecasting/modeling centers and the assessment of DESA staff via a simulation exercise on the LINK modeling system. Other international organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, will also present their views on the world economy. The five United Nations regional commissions will present outlooks for the economies in their regions, and their presentations will be supplemented by comments from the country experts. UNCTAD will also lead discussions on international trade and foreign investment issues. A number of crucial economic challenges facing the world economy, such as the ever-widening global imbalances and the tenaciously higher oil prices, will likely dominate the discussions among the experts during the meeting.
The fall LINK meeting has recently become an integrated part of the preparations for the annual World Economic Situation and Prospects, a joint United Nations publication with contributions from DESA, UNCTAD and the Regional Commissions. The next edition is scheduled for release in January 2006.
Contact: Mr. Rob Vos, Development Policy and Analysis Division, +1 212/963-4838
Avian flu meeting
New York, 3 November
The Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination is organizing a meeting on the avian flu on 3 November in the ECOSOC Chamber. This event is geared towards highlighting the current situation and presenting an “early-warning” scenario of what may happen if an aggressive approach is not taken to control and stop the spread of the virus. The meeting will also address the gaps in current international response, look at best practices, and consider how the UN system could support building capacity of countries to prevent a global pandemic.
The meeting will be chaired by the President of ECOSOC. The following panelists have been invited: H.E. Mr. Jan Eliasson, President of the Sixtieth Session of the General Assembly; Dr. Margaret Chan, Assistant Director General, World Health Organization, Ms. Louise Fresco, Assistant Director-General for Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Dr. David Nabarro, Senior United Nations System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza; and Mrs. Margareta Walstrohm, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Contact: Mr. Sergei Kambalov,Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, +1 212/963-4751
International forum to build inclusive financial sectors: alleviating poverty through microfinance
New York, 7-8 November
The General Assembly Second Committee will host a forum as the culminating event of the International Year of Microcredit, 2005. The forum will bring together representatives from Governments, international organizations, civil society, academia, and private sector to share successes and challenges and to deliberate on how to increase access to microfinance and financial services. Ten panel discussions will address a variety of topics, ranging from the role of public and private sectors in extending microfinance to future of access to microfinance. Over 60 countries have established national committees for the Year and have engaged their governments and private sectors to examine financial sectors and extend services to the poor people.
Contact: Ms. Sarangerel Erdembileg, Division for Social Policy and Development, +1 212/963-4722
Expert group meeting on dialogue in the social integration process: building peaceful social relations by, for, and with people
New York, 21-23 November
The Division for Social Policy and Development is organizing this expert group meeting at UN Headquarters. The objective is to demonstrate the analytical and operational relevance of the concept of social integration for peace-building and conflict transformation, and further, to demonstrate through case studies and a strategic framework how participatory dialogue can facilitate the social integration process.
The meeting is part of continuing efforts to clarify the interconnection of people-centered development with peace-building. The meeting's deliberations will be published as a contribution to the global debate policy dialogue, and evolution of practical strategies for social integration, a theme that the Social Summit placed on the international agenda ten years ago. Approximately 20 experts, researchers and/or practitioners from various regions will be invited to the meeting.
Contact: Ms. Makiko Tagashira, Division for Social Policy and Development +1 212/963-4836
Workshop for UN entities to prepare for the Secretary-General's in-depth study on violence against women
New York, 5-7 December
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw.index
The Division for the Advancement of Women is organizing a workshop for United Nations entities in conjunction with its preparation of the Secretary-General's in-depth study on violence against women. The workshop will aim to identify strategies for ensuring a more consistent and cohesive response by the United Nations system to all forms and manifestations of violence against women. It will seek to identify gaps in our collective policy and operational response, areas of potential overlap and inconsistencies in approach, as well as address the question of resources currently available for activities to combat violence against women.
Contact: Ms. Monique Widyono, Division for the Advancement of Women, +1 9l7/367-9030
DESA/OHCHR sub-regional workshop on follow-up to concluding comments and observations of CEWAW and CERD
Cairo, 5-8 December
The Division for the Advancement of Women, in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, is organizing a sub-regional workshop on follow-up to the concluding comments and observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The workshop, to be hosted by the National Council for Women of Egypt, will bring together Government representatives, as well as representatives of national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations from six countries of the North African region. The objective of the workshop is to build the capacity of the participating institutions to follow-up on and implement the concluding comments/observations of the CEDAW and CERD.
Contact: Ms. Emanuela Calabrini, Division for the Advancement of Women, +1 212/963 8814
Crans Montana Forum
Monte Carlo, 7-9 December
Mr. Adil Khan of DPADM will present a paper on community engagement and multi-culturalism: public policies and ethnic expectations at the Euro-Mediterranean forum on peace stability and economic development.
Contact: Ms. Rossanne Clarke, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, +1 212/963-6812
Joint meeting of the OECD-DAC Group on Gender Equality and the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality
Addis Ababa, 12-13 December
This year, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues will host the biennial joint meeting of the OECD-DAC Group on Gender Equality and the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality. OSAGI is therefore organizing this meeting which will be hosted by the Africa Center on Gender and Development at the UN ECA. The theme of the meeting will be aid modalities and their impact on promoting gender equality.
Contact: Ms. Wariara Mbugua, Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, +1 212/963-2226
Expert group meeting on indicators of sustainable development
New York, 13-15 December
The Division for Sustainable Development is organizing an expert group meeting on indicators of sustainable development as part of its support to countries in developing and applying indicators for sustainable development. The meeting, taking place UN Headquarters, will review and update the 2001 set of CSD sustainable development indicators and their methodologies.
Contact: Mr. Matthias Bruckner, Division for Sustainable Development, +1 212/963-2137
Regional implementation meetings for the 14th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
The plan of implementation adopted at the WSSD in 2002 stated that the implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the Summit should be effectively pursued at the regional and sub-regional levels, through the United Nations Regional Commissions and other regional and sub-regional institutions and bodies. Meeting after WSSD, at its eleventh session, the CSD invited the regional commissions, in collaboration with the secretariat of the CSD, to organize regional implementation meetings as a part of the preparations for the CSD’s review sessions.
Pursuant to the invitation of the CSD, all five regional commissions are organizing regional implementation meetings, in collaboration with other regional and sub-regional organizations and bodies, in their respective regions prior to CSD-14. Dates and venues of these regional implementation meetings are as follows:
Africa regional implementation meeting Addis Ababa, 26-28 October Organized by UN Economic Commission for Africa
West Asia regional implementation meeting Cairo, 13-15 November Organized by UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Europe regional implementation meeting Geneva, 15-16 December Organized by UN Economic Commission for Europe
Latin America and the Caribbean regional implementation meeting Santiago, 18-19 January 2006 Organized by UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
Asia and the Pacific regional implementation meeting Bangkok, 19-20 January 2006 Organized by UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Contact: Mr. Juwang Zhu, Division for Sustainable Development, +1 212/963-0380
Technical cooperation
Global initiatives
Capacity-building activity on ICT for development
This project, a joint initiative of DESA and the Government of Italy, focuses on e-government for development in e-accounting, for the enhancement of good governance, through acknowledging the paramount importance of the modernization and digitization of the procedures supporting the economic and financial cycle of public administrations and governments.
Contact: Ms. Barbara Ubaldi, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, +1 917/367-3349
Expert group meeting on reviewing national sustainable development strategies
New York, 10-11 October
The expert group meeting on reviewing national sustainable development strategies was organized by DSD to share experience and methodologies among States and organizations in reviewing NSDS, discuss country interest in peer reviews and shared learning exercises and to reflect on how the international community could support such efforts. In addition to DESA staff, participants included representatives from twenty-two countries from all regions, ECA, ECLAC, UNDP, GEF, the Council of Europe, OECD, the Environmental Policy Research Centre (Berlin), the Energy and Environment Institute for Francophone Countries, the International Institute for Environment and Development, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and Manchester University.
The Expert Group recommend as next steps, among others, that the United Nations, the European Commission and the Organization for Economic Cooperation for Development should continue to document and share good country specific practices in NSDS development, implementation and review; that they should also seek a common, flexible, approach to peer reviews, and that they should provide a forum for shared learning. During the meeting several countries indicated their interest in undertaking an NSDS peer review, the first of which, with DESA support, will be Hungary, in 2006.
Contact: Ms. Birgitte Alvarez-Rivero, Division for Sustainable Development, +1 212/963-8400
Africa South of the Sahara
Expert group meeting and workshop on mainstreaming environment into development processes: practical experiences in sub-Saharan Africa
Accra, 3-6 October
The expert group meeting on mainstreaming environment into development processes: practical experiences in sub-Saharan Africa was held at the initiative of the Governments of Ghana and Tanzania. The meeting was hosted and co-organized by the Government of Ghana with the Division for Sustainable Development, UNDP and UNEP. The meeting was attended by more than 80 participants including experts from both English and French-Speaking Africa, representing the Ministries of environment, finance and planning and other relevant national organizations as well as experts from the United Nations, international and regional organizations and non-governmental organizations.
The expert group meeting’s main objectives were: (1) sharing country experiences on practical tools and approaches in mainstreaming environment into development processes; (2) collecting relevant best practices in this regard; (3) agreeing on a set of concrete follow-up actions; and (4) setting up a regional networking mechanism. The expert group agreed on an action plan in two parts: General and common actions on issues such as case studies, training, information networks and regional workshops; and specific actions for individual countries such as exchange programmes and study visits and, capacity-building and information sharing.
Contact: Ms. Maria Mercedes Sanchez, Division for Sustainable Development, +1 212/963-9421
United Nations training workshop on data and indicators to monitor progress towards the Millennium Development Goals
Cape Verde, 5-9 December
This workshop aims to strengthen the ECOWAS national statistical systems, improving data users and producers’ understanding of the MDGs, and their capacity to produce, analyse and use data and indicators for monitoring the MDGs at the national level. It will also promote the interaction between data users and producers and the networking across the region. Specific objectives of the meeting are to: (1) achieve a common understanding of internationally recognized concepts and definitions for the statistical indicators of the MDGs; (2) share country experiences in adapting the international list of goals, targets and indicators for national use; (3) elaborate recommendations to strengthen statistics at the national and international levels to meet the ongoing data needs of countries to plan, implement and monitor the MDGs.
Contact: Ms. Fabia Yazaki, Statistics Division, +1 212/963-4823
Expert group meeting on democratic governance in Africa
Addis Ababa, 6-8 December
In collaboration with the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues is organizing an expert group meeting on democratic governance in Africa: strategies for greater participation of Women. The purpose of the meeting is to deepen the involvement and commitment of a broad range of stakeholders in promoting gender equality in decision-making and governance with a particular focus on post-conflict countries. Experts will be drawn from academia, government, civil society, the media, the private sector, and Parliament.
Contact: Ms. Wariara Mbugua, Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, +1 212/963-2226
Asia and the Pacific
Policy workshop on HIV/AIDS and family well-being
Bangkok, 6-9 December
The workshop is organized by the Division for Social Policy and Development in cooperation with the Emerging Social Issues Division of ESCAP. It will draw the attention of policy makers to the threat HIV/AIDS poses to the integrity and functioning of the family, and explore the impact of HIV/AIDS on the family unit and family networks. It will encourage governments to develop and implement policies and programmes to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic through support and protection to families and family networks, focusing on: (1) reinforcing healthy family relationships; (2) protecting and increasing family resources; and (3) strengthening the resilience of families and their ability to cope in changing environments.
A policy framework has been developed, and includes the following policy targets:
- Reduced risk for and prevented spread of HIV/AIDS;
- Avoided stigma and discrimination;
- Supportive family and community networks;
- Diminished economic vulnerability;
- Improved care and service provision to support family functions;
- Mitigated effects of a generation of orphans;
- Intergenerational cohesion.
The overall objective of the policy workshop on HIV/AIDS and family well-being is to review these targets in the context of South and Southeast Asia and contribute to the development of policies and programmes that strengthen the capacity of families and family networks to cope with HIV/AIDS.
Contact: Mr. Eric Olson, Division for Social Policy and Development +1 212/953-0013
Latin America and the Caribbean
Establishment of the technical and advisory support facility on e-Government for CARICOM Member States
This project is a joint initiative of DESA and the Government of Italy, created to promote the sharing of information, data and experiences, and to support the development of national and regional e-government capacity in the Caribbean region.
Contact: Ms. Barbara Ubaldi, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, +1 917/367-3349
Publications and websites
Technical reports
UN Global E-Government Readiness Report 2005
Forthcoming - December
The UN Global E-Government Readiness Report 2005 presents an assessment of the countries of the world according to their state of government readiness and the extent of e-participation worldwide. It ranks the 191 Member States of the UN according to a quantitative composite index of e-readiness based on website assessment, telecommunication infrastructure and human resource endowment.
Underscoring the importance of technological advancements, the role of the government, and human development, it presents a vision of the future with technology-led access-for-all. Expanding the concept of real access into e-inclusion, it points to the need to place development thinking within what it terms as the socially inclusive governance framework, which is a multi-pronged approach to promoting ICT-led real access, with a special focus on the benefits of technology to women and the disadvantaged in society.
The basic message in this report is that there are huge disparities throughout the world in the access and use of information technologies, and that these disparities are not likely to be removed in the near future unless a concerted action is taken at the national, regional and international levels.
Contact: Ms. Seema Hafeez,Division for Public Administration and Development Management, +1 917/367-3025
State-owned Enterprises and Development in the Context of the Millennium Development Goals
Forthcoming - December
This publication deals with: factors leading to privatization, experience and lessons; the role and capacity of public enterprises in development; public enterprises' possible contributions to the Millennium Development Goals; the role of foreign companies; building institutional capacity; and particular cases of least developed countries in relation to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Contact: Mr. Adil Khan, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, +1 212/963-6168
Strengthening Government-Civil Society Engagement for the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals
Forthcoming - December
This report provides an analytical framework of the policy and programme approach of engaged governance. For this purpose, the report reviews how the concept and practices emerged and developed, clarifies the meaning and characteristics of engaged governance, identifies and discusses relevant major policy and programme issues, and presents and analyses concrete cases of the application of the engaged governance in developed and developing countries.
Contact: Mr. Adil Khan, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, +1 212/963-6168
Methodologies for the transfer of innovations and best practices in governance and public administration
Forthcoming - December
Sharing information and knowledge on best practices is an important tool in encouraging governments to introduce innovations in public administration. It addresses four inter-related topics. First, it explores the perspectives, challenges and potential of best practices, and provides a conceptual framework for the assessment and transfer of successful practices and innovations in governance and public administration. Second, it looks at the issue of transferability of best practices. Third, it analyses the issue of endogenous capacity to absorb and implement a best practice. Fourth, it maps out some approaches and methodologies for the adaptation of best practices.
Contact: Ms. Adriana Alberti, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, +1 212/963-2299
Auditing for Social Change
Forthcoming - December
This publication comprises results from an international symposium held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in May 2005, organized by DESA and the Board of Audit and Inspection of the Republic of Korea. Subjects dealt with include: the role of audit in fostering transparent and accountable governance; auditing for social change; audit in relation to planning and budgeting; audit and civil society; audit and legislative oversight; and audit and pro-poor governance.
Contact: Ms. Esther Stern, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, +1 212/963-8100
Compendium of Best Practices and Innovations in Public Administration
Forthcoming - November
This publication highlights the innovative efforts of governments worldwide towards enhancing the performance of the public sector. The selection criteria identified efforts that have had a profound impact in reinventing government and that can be successfully replicated in other parts of the world. The case studies have been classified under three themes: improving service delivery; application of ICT; and improving transparency and accountability.
Contact: Mr. John-Mary Kauzya, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, +1 212/963-1973
Globalization and interdependence
The Secretary-General’s report on globalization and interdependence addresses the institutional dimension of the challenges of integrating in the world economy. The achievement of this integration depends on the attainment of maximum economic growth while at the same time promoting social cohesion and environmental protection, all complex interrelated questions that require strong institutional mediation. The report asserts that a central objective should be to ensure that institutional reforms respond to the needs of the poor as a key priority in poverty-reduction strategies, and in overall strategies to promote more rapid, broad-based and sustainable growth and development.
Human resources development
The Secretary-General’s report on human resources development provides an overview of the need for promoting comprehensive and cross-sectoral approaches to human resources development. It emphasizes the increasing importance of human resources development for the realization of the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, and how this should be pursued in the context of national development strategies and makes a number of recommendations.
Contact: Mr. Navid Hanif, Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, +1 212/963-8415
Unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries (A/60/226)
http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=A/60/226&Lang=E
The report of the Secretary-General was prepared in response to General Assembly resolution 58/198 of 23 December 2003, which requested the Secretary-General to continue monitoring the imposition of unilateral coercive economic measures and to submit a report on the implementation of the resolution to the General Assembly at its sixtieth session. As part of the efforts to undertake this monitoring responsibility, the Secretariat invited Governments of all Member States to provide it with relevant information. Most of the replies from Member States and UN organizations expressed the view that the application of unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion is inconsistent with various facets of international law and other aspects of international cooperation. Four replies reported specific instances of the application of unilateral economic measures and described the adverse impacts of such measures.
Contact: Mr. Rob Vos, Development Policy and Analysis Division, +1 212/963-4838
Meeting records
Open Access for Africa - Challenges, Recommendations and Examples
What options are there to increase access on a wide scale for people in Africa? Would a pan-African fiber network be possible? These and other issues are explored in Open Access for Africa – Challenges, Recommendations and Examples. The articles in this publication build on the workshop entitled Open Access organized by the United Nations ICT Task Force Working Group on the Enabling Environment in partnership with IDRC, SIDA, the Eduardo Mondlane University and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in Maputo in May 2005 (http://www.openaccess.uem.mz ). The publication includes contributions from presenters at the workshop as well as other authors with interesting perspectives on the issue.
Different aspects of how to provide increased availability of ICT infrastructure and services for Africa are examined, and suggestions are made for regulatory frameworks as well as how to support the entrepreneurship that is necessary to build sustainable information and communication technology networks in Africa.
Contact: UN ICT Task Force Secretariat, +1 212/963-5796
Harnessing the Potential of ICT for Education - A Multistakeholder Approach - Proceedings of the Dublin Global Forum of the United Nations ICT Task Force
This book contains key presentations and contributions from the event held on 13-15 April. It captures innovative ideas and initiatives on the use of ICT in strengthening education and communities and highlights the enabling role of all relevant stakeholders. It also introduces case studies of ICT-based projects at the grassroots level and efforts to create a national infrastructure that makes use of new technologies to improve teaching and learning habits. This book is a valuable reference for anyone seeking solutions or thinking about the use of technology in education.
Contact: UN ICT Task Force Secretariat, +1 212/963-5796
Statistical compilations
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS On-line
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs
Provides monthly statistics on 50 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.
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.Q/390
Vol. LIX – No. 6
June 2005
Special features in this issue: 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.
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.Q/391
Vol. LIX – No. 7
July 2005
Special features in this issue: world ship building; civil aviation traffic: passenger-km, cargo net ton-km; total export 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.
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.Q/392
Vol. LIX – No. 8
August 2005
Special features in this issue: indices of world industrial production by branches of industry and by regions; 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.
Contact: Mr. Keith Tong, Statistics Division, +1 212/963-4568
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.Q/393
Vol. LIX – No. 9
September 2005
Special features in this issue: retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; fuel imports, developed economies: unit value index 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.
2002 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.W/12
Sales No. E/F.05.XVII.5
The Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles 2002 is the eleventh issue in a series of energy data for selected developing countries. This volume presents energy balances data and electricity profiles data for 72 and 95 countries respectively. The data are arranged to show energy production, conversion and consumption for each fuel used in the country. Special electricity profiles for an additional group of countries are published to cover, exclusively, the electricity part of conversion and consumption activities.
Contact: Mr.Karoly Kovacs, Statistics Division, +1 212/963-4748
Handbooks
Online and CD-Rom Measurement and Evaluation Tool for E-Government Readiness
Forthcoming - November
DPADM has produced a Measurement and Evaluation Tool for E-Government Readiness (METER). METER is a ready-to-use evaluative tool enabling a country to self-assess its level of e-Government readiness. Based on a holistic and functional methodology for e-Government readiness measurement, it comprises questions covering a range of issues in order to estimate and monitor what is the current state of factors affecting e-Government development. Conceived to serve as an advisory and self-training tool, it helps to identify the key areas to work on and how to prioritize them. By uncovering the level of e-Government awareness, both at the central government and agency levels, as well as within the civil society, it leads to a full understanding of what changes e-Government development entails.
Contact: Ms. Barbara Ubaldi, +1 917/367-3349
Guide to Producing Statistics on Time Use: Measuring Paid and Unpaid Work
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.F/93
Sales No. E.04.XVII.7
This publication presents an overview of different approaches in the design of time-use surveys, providing further impetus to the development of time-use statistics and assistance to countries interested in undertaking time-use surveys. It reviews methods and practices in collecting, processing and disseminating time-use statistics through compilation of country experiences. It is also aimed at facilitating the harmonization of methods and practices in collecting, processing and disseminating time-use statistics. In addition, the publication is meant to solicit comments and suggestions on the trial International Classification of Activities for Time-Use Statistics which will subsequently be revised.
Contact: Mr. Jeremiah Banda, Statistics Division, +1 212/963-8338
National Practices in Compilation and Dissemination of External Trade Index Numbers, A Technical Report
ST/ESA/STAT/SER.F/86 Sales No. E.04.XVII.10
This report describes national practices in the compilation of external trade index numbers for 76 countries and the European Union. The following topics are covered: index number series produced, source of information, index calculation methods, limitations of indices, problems encountered and other methodological observations specific to each country, release dates, revision policy, dissemination, compiling agency and contact information.
Contact: Mr. Serekeberhan Zerai, Statistics Division, +1 212/963-5476
Discussion papers
Information and Communication Technology for Peace: The Role of ICT in Preventing, Responding to and Recovering from Conflict
This publication is a preliminary attempt to address the role of ICT in preventing, responding to and recovering from conflict by the ICT for peace project. The project aims to highlight the use of ICT to promote peace with the objectives of identifying a clear framework and elaborating good practice for developing and implementing ICTpeace initiatives. The first part of the book reviews the origins of ICT for peace in the World Summit on the Information Society, and the role that ICT might play in the broader field of conflict management. The second part showcases many examples of how ICT is being used before, during, and after conflicts. The conclusion and recommendations highlight both the challenges and opportunities for development in ICT for peace, with the aim of raising awareness and building coherence in this important sphere of activity.
Contact: UN ICT Task Force Secretariat, +1 212/963-5796
Reforming Internet Governance: Perspectives from the UN Working Group on Internet Governance
At the December 2003 World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva, governments adopted a Plan of Action that, inter alia, called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to set up a Working Group on Internet Governance. The WGIG’s mandate was to investigate and make proposals for action, as appropriate, on the governance of Internet; develop a working definition of Internet governance; identify the public policy issues that are relevant to Internet governance; and develop a common understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders involved in Internet governance. In November 2004, Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed forty individuals from government, the private sector, and civil society to the WGIG. With the continuing debate in mind, Reforming Internet Governance: Perspectives from the UN Working Group on Internet Governance presents papers by former members of the WGIG and its Secretariat staff that were written subsequent to the release of the group’s reports. The contributors offer their personal reflections on the procedural dynamics and value of multi-stakeholder cooperation in the WGIG, and beyond; and on some of the key substantive issues and institutional reform proposals currently under consideration by the international community.
Contact: UN ICT Task Force Secretariat, +1 212/963-5796
Journal
Natural Resources Forum
The Natural Resources Forum will publish a special issue on energy indicators for sustainable development, a central theme of CSD14, in November 2005. The system of indicators and the indicator applications featured in the journal will help to highlight progress made towards energy-related goals and provide examples of effective policies undertaken by a range of countries with vastly different energy needs and characteristics. The aim of this special issue is to provide background information for the CSD 14th session, and to inform how best to overcome existing constraints related to energy for sustainable development in the lead up to the CSD 15th session.
Contact: Ms. Kathleen Abdalla, Division for Sustainable Development, +1 212/963-8416
Websites
United Nations Committee on Environmental-Economic Accounting
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/envAccounting/ceeameetings.htm
Working site of a major initiative to further the implementation of the environmental-economic information system. Includes the preliminary meeting for the creation of the Committee on Environmental-Economic Accounting, a technical body, that will be coordinating the further developments of the accounting framework.
Preparation of SITC Revision 4
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/trade/sitcrev4.htm
Latest trade statistics sub-site: A repository of information in line with the revision process of the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC, Rev.4). Site includes the proposed workplan and strategies with the coordinating groups; meetings and relevant working papers/documentation in preparation for the next SITC revision.
International work session on water statistics
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/waterstatwksess.htm
Newly posted site: Work session on water statistics on the proposed series of 9 organized sessions, each focusing on a different aspect of water statistics namely: the need for water statistics; water accounting; water resources; supply and use; waste water generation and treatment; water quality and emissions of pollutants; water pricing and environmental expenditure on water.
Comings and goings
Comings
Mr. Pingfan Hong has been appointed Chief of the Economic Monitoring and Assessment Unit of DPAD effective 1 November. Mr. Hong is currently a Senior Economic Affairs Officer in DPAD responsible for providing global economic outlooks for various publications and reports including the World Economic and Social Survey, World Economic Situation and Prospects, and LINK Global Economic Outlook. A native of China, Mr. Hong obtained his PhD in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ms. Vasantha Kandiah has been appointed Chief of the Demographic Analysis Branch of the Population Division effective 1 September. Her experience includes a period of twenty years with the Population Division where she has worked in the areas of fertility, mortality, and population estimates and projections. Ms. Kandiah has a PhD in sociology from the University of Michigan, and is a native of Malaysia.
Ms. Haiyan Qian has been appointed Chief of the Knowledge Management Branch, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, effective 1 October 2005. Since joining DESA in 1997, Ms. Qian has served as a Senior Economic Affairs Officer, focusing on knowledge and networking management and development through ICTs; e-government, public and private sector development; and the management of technology, environment and conversion in the context of economic restructuring for sustainable development. Prior to that, she worked for various other UN agencies and the Chinese Government in the area of science and technology for development. Ms. Qian has a Masters of Public Administraiton from Harvard University.
Goings
Ms. Aliye Celik retired as Chief of the ECOSOC and Interorganizational Cooperation Branch on 30 September. Ms. Celik joined the UN in 1981, and has served in various capacities, first with the Centre for Human Settlements in Nairobi and New York, then with DESA. Prior to joining the UN, Ms. Celik held various research and policy positions with the Government of Turkey. She is the author of many papers, articles and books on the subject of development, human settlements, housing and energy conservation in buildings. Ms. Celik has degrees in architecture from Middle East Technical University and from Princeton University, as well as a PhD and Dozent's degree from Istanbul Technical University.
Mrs. Gloria Kan, Chief of the Social Perspective on Development Branch of the Division for Social Policy and Development, retired on 30 September after thirty-six years with the organization. Mrs. Kan joined the UN in 1969. She served in the Budget Division, Office of the General Services and in the Office of the Controller before joining the Secretariat of the World Summit for Social Development of DESA in 1993.
The following staff members also retired from the organization between 1 August and 30 September.
Mr. Ralph Chipman, Senior Officer, Division for Sustainable Development
Mr. Marcelo Menasche, Recruitment Clerk, Technical Cooperation Management Services
Ms. Christine Shaw, Economic Affairs Officer, Division for Development Policy and Analysis
Mr. Sher Khan, Admininstrative Assistant, Executive Office
Promotions
The following staff members were promoted between 1 August and 30 September.
Mr. Mounirou Djobo, Statistics Assistant, Statistics Division
Mrs. Renata Kazmarska, Associate Social Affairs Officer, Division for Social Policy and Development
Ms. Monica Kjollerstrom, Sustainable Development Officer, Division for Sustainable Development
Mrs. Noemi Lacson, Human Resources Assistant, Technical Cooperation Management Services
Ms. Patricia Lim, Statistics Assistant, Statistics Division
Ms. Francesca Perucci, Chief of Section, Statistics Division
Ms. Chikako Takase, Chief, Policy Coordination Section, Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination
Mr. Thu Win, Statistics Assistant, Statistics Division
Calendar
November
General Assembly
60th session
New York, 13 September-December
Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference 2005
Beijing, 7-8 November
West Asia regional implementation meeting for the 14th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
Cairo, 13-15 November
World Summit on the Information Society
Second phase
Tunis, 16-18 November
International expert meeting on scoping for a future agreement on forests
Country-led initiative in support of UNFF
Berlin, 16-18 November
Expert group meeting on dialogue in the social integration process: building peaceful social relations – by, for and with people
New York, 21-23 November
December
Workshop on data and indicators to monitor progress towards the Mllennium Development Goals
Praia, 5-9 December
Expert group meeting on indicators of sustainable development
New York, 13-15 December
Europe regional implementation meeting for the 14th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
Geneva, 15-16 December
Observances
International Day of Disabled Persons
3 December
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/
The General Assembly proclaimed 3 December as the International Day of Disabled Persons in 1992. Member States were urged to highlight the observance of the Day to further integrate people with disabilities into society. This year’s theme is the rights of persons with disabilities: action in development, highlighting the links between disability, development and human rights. The United Nations will observe the day on 1 and 2 December 2005. A screening of the highly-acclaimed documentary Murderball is planned for 1 December at 6 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjold Library auditorium. Further commemorative events will be held the following day at the Secretariat building between 1.15 and 2.45 p.m. in conference room four. Speakers include Dr. Bill Albert from the International Disability Equality Agency/University of East Anglia, UK, and Ms. Linda Mastandrea, representing the International Paralympic Committee.
Contact: Division for Social Policy and Development, Mr. Thomas Scnindlmayr or Ms. Linda Larsson, +1 212/963-3203
International Mountain Day
11 December
http://www.fao.org/mnts/intl_mountain_day_en.asp
Every year, International Mountain Day is observed with a different theme relevant to sustainable mountain development. The theme chosen for International Mountain Day in 2005 is sustainable tourism for poverty alleviation in mountain areas.
International Mountain Day is an occasion to heighten awareness about the perils and potentials of tourism in mountain areas and to appeal for sustainable tourism amongst a wide audience.
DESA News is an insider's look at the United Nations in the area of coordination of economic and social development policies. The newsletter is produced by the Communications and Information Management Service of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in collaboration with DESA Divisions, and is issued every two months.
Contact: Communications and Information Management Service, + 1 212/963-5874