Rethinking Poverty: Report on the World Social Situation 2010
Launched on 28 January 2010

The 2010 issue of the Report on the World Social Situation seeks to contribute to rethinking poverty and its eradication. It affirms the urgent need for a strategic shift away from the market fundamentalist thinking, policies and practices of recent decades towards more sustainable development- and equity-oriented policies appropriate to national conditions and circumstances. Such national development strategies, as called for by the 2005 World Summit, should seek to achieve the development goals. Responsible development and counter-cyclical macroeconomic policies to foster productive investments and generate decent employment must be at the core of this effort.

The Report makes a compelling case for rethinking poverty and poverty-reduction efforts, saying that over-reliance on market forces and economic liberalization have led to neglect of nationally designed and developmentally-oriented strategies, to the detriment of the world’s poor. The most important lesson, according is that governments need to play a developmental role, integrating economic and social policies that support inclusive output and employment growth, while attacking inequality and promoting justice.

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State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
Launched on 14 January 2010

Although the state of the world's indigenous peoples is alarming, there is some cause for optimism. The international community increasingly recognizes indigenous peoples' human rights, most prominently evidenced by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous peoples themselves continue to organize for the promotion of their rights. They are the stewards of some of the world's most biologically diverse areas and their traditional knowledge about the biodibversity of these areas is invaluable. As the effects of climate change are becoming clearer, it is increaslingly evident that indigenous peoples must play a central role in developing adaptation and mitigation efforts to this global challenge.

The State of the World's Indigenous Peoples is the result of a collaborative effort, organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The Chapters were written by independent experts.

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National Development Strategies Policy Notes

The Policy Notes were developed by UNDESA in cooperation with UNDP, offering practical guidance on how to operationalize: (1) employment-generating macroeconomic policies, (2) inclusive finance for development, (3) public enterprise reform (alternatives to privatization), (4) pro-poor trade policies, (5) investment and technology (industrial) policies, and (6) social policies. The Policy Notes are particularly useful because they focus on critical areas where other sourcebooks and guidelines do not adequately reflect alternative policy options. They were authored by Ha-Joon Chang, CP Chandrasekhar, Murray Gibbs, Mushtaq Khan, Isabel Ortiz and Shari Spiegel (in alphabetical order) and reviewed by Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz and other distinguished development specialists.

Electronic copies of the chapters and translations to Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish are available at: http://esa.un.org/techcoop/policyNotes.asp

Regional Dimensions of the Ageing Situation

This Publication contributes to the series of events, conferences and publications related to the first review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. It highlights priorities, as well as recent trends and policy developments, in the five UN regions of the world. The publication, which is a joint effort of UN staff and international experts, aims to assist national governments, the international community and the public at large to better assess the situation of older persons five years after the Second World Assembly on Ageing. It should better inform the debate on how to align priorities, policy innovations and technical cooperation to implement the objectives of the Madrid Plan of Action.

Foreword and Table of Contents
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Resource Kit on Indigenous Peoples´ Issues

SPFII, in cooperation with ILO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA and SCBD has published the Resource Kit on Indigenous Peoples Issues. The Kit is aimed UN Country Teams (UNCTs), and other development agents, providing them with guidance as to how to engage indigenous peoples and include their perspectives in development processes.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The General Assembly adopted on 13 September 2007 a landmark declaration outlining the rights of the world's estimated 370 million indigenous people and outlawing discrimination against them - a move that followed more than two decades of debate.

Growing Together: Youth and the Work of the United Nations

The brochure is a welcome example of how the United Nations system and the young people it serves are growing together. By taking stock of UN system activities related to youth development, the brochure provides a chance to assess how effectively the United Nations system is responding to this important development challenge, and it helps to identify any gaps that may exist in our approach. It is intended as a source of information to assist all stakeholders and to ensure that the United Nations truly delivers as one in the area of youth development, in an effective and forward-looking fashion.

Guide to the National Implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing

The Guide is primarily intended for use by national focal points responsible for developing and implementing national policies on ageing. It takes two broad approaches towards actualizing MIPAA: the development of effective age-specific policies that facilitate the mainstreaming of older persons' concerns into all aspects of development and policy-making; and the application of a holistic intergenerational life-course approach that emphasizes equity and inclusiveness for all age groups.

Handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Handbook was jointly prepared by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Parliaments and parliamentarians have a key role to play in promoting and protecting human rights. This Handbook aims to assist parliamentarians and others in efforts to realize the Convention so that persons with disabilities can achieve the transition from exclusion to equality.

World Youth Report 2007

The World Youth Report 2007 examines the challenges and opportunities existing for the roughly 1.2 billion young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in the world. Distinct from the 2003 and 2005 editions, it provides a regional overview summarizing the major youth development trends in the fifteen priority areas of the World Programme of Action for Youth. The report explores major issues of concern to youth development, including employment, education, health, poverty and violence. At the same time, it highlights youth as a positive force for development and provides recommendations for supporting their essential contributions.

Report on the World Social Situation 2007: The Employment Imperative

The 2007 issue of the Report on the World Social Situation focuses on the key role of productive employment and decent work in reducing poverty and promoting social development. The Report surveys the global trends in employment and work, as well as the socio-economic context within which the world of work has evolved in the last two decades. It closely examines four areas of increasing concern: jobless growth, global informalization of the labour market, economic and social liberalization, and migration.

Review of National Action Plans on Youth Employment

This present report is a comprehensive version of the Report of the Secretary-General entitled “Global analysis and evaluation of national action plans on youth employment” and its analysis of the complexity and diversity of concerns expressed in National Action Plans, which provide the basis upon which to build and facilitate peer partnerships. This global review of National Action Plans allows countries around the world, at all levels of development, to share and gather experiences of good practice in addressing youth employment challenges.

Indigenous Women and the United Nations System

The publication offers an overview of the work of the Task Force on Indigenous Women of the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANGWE). In 2005-2006, the Task Force collected 18 cases studies submitted by SCBD, FAO, IFAD, ILO, UNFPA, UNIFEM and UNDP about their work with indigenous women in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The publication entitled “Indigenous Women and the United Nations System” will be launched during the Sixth Session of the Forum. Following the Forum’s call for wide dissemination of good practices, the collection will be disseminated widely so that it may serve as a practical tool for future work of the UN system and other organizations engaging with indigenous peoples.

Please download the publication in the following languages:
| English | Espanol | Francais |

The 2005 Report on the World Social Situation: The Inequality Predicament

The 2005 Report on the World Social Situation: the Inequality Predicament was launched on August 25. The Report sounds alarm over persistent and deepening inequality worldwide, focusing on the chasm between the formal and informal economies, the widening gap between skilled and unskilled workers, the growing disparities in health, education and opportunities for social, economic and political participation.

The full report is available for download:
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian |