Who We Are:

The Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) is part of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the United Nations Secretariat. The Division seeks to strengthen international cooperation for social development, particularly in the areas of poverty eradication, productive employment and decent work and the social inclusion of older persons, youth, family, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, persons in situations of conflict and other groups or persons marginalized from society and development.

What's New:

The Second Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will take place in New York from 2 to 4 September 2009. The Conference of States Parties is serviced by DESA, while the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is serviced by OHCHR.

UN International Youth Day, 12 August 2009. The theme for this year is Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future. Sustainability encapsulates three facets of life: the environment, society and the economy, and sustainable development can only occur where the three intersect in symbiotic fashion.

UN International Day of the World's Indigenous People, 9 August 2009. For more information about this event, please visit the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) Website.

UN International Day of Cooperatives, 4 July 2009 "Driving Global Recovery through Cooperatives". This year's International Day theme focuses on recovery rather than crisis. It aims to highlight the role that cooperatives have in not only promoting economic growth, but also in promoting ethical values - values which have been severely challenged during the financial and food crisis.

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will hold its substantive session of 2009 from 6 to 31 July at the United Nations Office at Geneva. The session will open on Monday, 6 July, at 9.30 a.m. The annotated provisional agenda is contained in document E/2009/100.

The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues concluded its Eighth Session with adoption of key text (document E/C.19/2009/L.3) designed to transform Historic Declaration into ‘Living Law’. Latest press release.

Conference at the Highest level on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development: The United Nations is convening a three-day summit of world leaders from 24 to 26 June 2009 at headquarters to assess the worst global economic downturn since the Great Depression.

The Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has released The Economic Report on Africa 2009. The report highlights the recent economic trends and prospects in Africa. It is jointly published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union Commission. The theme of this year’s report is: “Developing African Agriculture through Regional Value Chain”.

The Global Monitoring Report 2009: A Development Emergency notes that the global financial crisis is imperiling attainment of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and creating an emergency for development.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has a Global Job Crisis Observatory. In addition to a wealth of information organized by region and by theme, the site links to related news, reports, and publications.