DESA News for February 2012
Feature Articles
Facing the challenge of measuring the unmeasurable
UN DESA’s Statistics Division plays a vital role in collecting and analyzing data from around the world. Leading this work is Professor Paul Cheung, known worldwide for his contributions to the development of official statistics. “Statistics are crucial to economic and social development,” he says in an interview for DESA News. Professor Cheung, recognized for his pioneering research in the fields of manpower, population and social planning, highlights the importance of statistics and their contributions to global development. “It is clear that without solid information we cannot measure where we are and what needs to be done, with respect to …
Read moreMaking strides towards extreme poverty eradication
As the global economy remains fragile at the outset of 2012, the need to eradicate extreme poverty is clearer than ever. UN DESA renews its commitment to work with stakeholders to promote sustained, inclusive and equitable growth, and reach the Millennium Development Goal of halving extreme poverty by 2015. Heralded at the 1995 World Summit for Social Development, poverty eradication continues to be an overarching objective of national and international development efforts. There has been significant success in recent decades in reducing poverty. In 1980, for example, 1.5 billion people were living below $1 per day; by 2005, the number …
Read moreNew ECOSOC President outlines focus for 2012
“While some nations escape the poverty-trap, many more desperately need help. In 2012, ECOSOC must therefore carve out its niche as the forum for frank, free-flowing discourse on development cooperation,” said H.E. Mr. Miloš Koterec, its newly elected President at the handover ceremony on 10 January in New York. Mr. Koterec also gave an overview of what ECOSOC would be focusing on in 2012. “As we look ahead, two other themes will surely compete for the Council’s attention in 2012: sustainable development and the post-2015 development architecture. What have we learned from our past endeavors? At the last Rio summit, …
Read moreGlobal Dialog on Development
- Advancing social development worldwide
- Highlighting role of cooperatives for communities and youth
- Spotlight on economic and financial situation
- Reflecting on a rapidly changing development context
- Forests for people comes full circle
- Committee to review 190 new NGO applications
- Rio+20: Accreditation and registration now open
- Promoting development of national statistics
- Discussing the Rio+20 zero draft
- Towards a new sustainable development architecture
- Wide range of social issues addressed
Trends and Analysis
Capacity Development
Publications and Websites
Calendar
- 50th Session of the Commission for Social Development, 1-10 February, New York, 1-10 February, New York, 1-10 February, New York, 1-10 February, New York
- International Year of Forests closing ceremony, 9 February, New York, 9 February, New York, 9 February, New York, 9 February, New York
- 43rd session of the Statistical Commission, 28 February - 2 March, New York, 28 February - 2 March, New York, 28 February - 2 March, New York, 28 February - 2 March, New York