More from UNDESA
Vol 21, No. 07 - July 2017
Launch of the World Economic and Social Survey 2017: Reflecting on 70 years of development policy analysis
The World Economic and Social Survey is celebrating 70 years of publication!
The Survey is the oldest continuing publication dedicated to recording and analyzing the performance of the global economy and global development while offering relevant policy recommendations. The first World Economic and Social Survey was called the “Economic Report: Salient Features of the World Economic Situation 1945-47”, launched at Lake Success, NY in January 1948. Over the 70 years, the Survey has taken on different names. In 1947, it was called the Economic Report; and from 1948 to 1954, the World Economic Report. In 1955, the publication was renamed the World Economic Survey. Since 1994, it has been called the World Economic and Social Survey. The year 1999 marked the launching of a companion publication entitled World Economic Situation and Prospects.
Since the publication of the first issue, the World Economic and Social Survey has promoted a broader understanding of development, emphasizing the importance of advancing the structural transformation of the economy, progress in social development and environmental sustainability.
This year’s edition, reflecting on 70 years of development policy analysis, shows that many parallels can be drawn between the challenges currently facing the international community and those that confronted the world in the past. These lessons from the past are relevant to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, the Survey highlights the importance of a stable global economy supported by coordinated global actions, well-functioning international trade and monetary systems, respect for national policy space, international solidarity and development planning.
Watch the launch of the World Economic and Social Survey 2017 on 13 July 2017, 11 am EDT at webtv.un.org.
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2017
Two years after the world leaders adopted the transformative and ambitious 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, how is the world progressing in delivering on the Goals and targets? The two progress reports on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an overview: the report of the Secretary-General: Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (E/2017/66) and The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2017. The reports review progress made towards the 17 Goals in the second year of implementation of the 2030 Agenda highlighting the most significant gaps, challenges and progress made.
The reports show that while considerable progress has been made over the past decade across all areas of development, the pace of progress observed in previous years is insufficient to fully meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets by 2030. Time is therefore of the essence. Moreover, progress has not always been equitable. Advancements have been uneven across regions, between the sexes, and among people of different ages, wealth and locales, including urban and rural dwellers. Faster and more inclusive progress is needed to accomplish the bold vision articulated in the 2030 Agenda.
Current data indicate that an estimated 767 million people still lived below $1.90 a day in 2013 — down from 1.7 billion people in 1999; the under-5 mortality rate fell 44 % from 2000 to 2015, but 5.9 million children under 5 died in 2015. About 793 million people are undernourished globally in 2014-2016. Between 2000 and 2015, there was a 46 per cent reduction in HIV incidence and a 41 per cent decrease in the incidence of malaria. About one in four women between the ages of 20-24 reported being married before age 18. Ocean acidification is substantially above pre-industrial levels and 31% of marine fish stocks were overfished in 2013.
The Report of the Secretary-General: Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (E/2017/66) was made available on 8 June 2017 as an input into the deliberations of Member States for the HLPF. The report is prepared annually by the Secretary-General in cooperation with the United Nations system and is based on the global indicator framework developed by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators.
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2017 will be launched on 17 July 2017 during the Ministerial Segment of the HLPF. The report presents data and analysis on SDGs for a wider audience with charts, infographics and analysis on selected indicators for which data are already available.
The reports were prepared by the UN DESA’s Statistics Division and will be presented in an interactive platform on the Statistics Division website on SDG indicators at https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/.
World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2017
Growth in the global economy has picked up in the last six months in line with expectations, but in many regions, growth remains below the levels needed for rapid progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2017 report, launched on 16 May at UN Headquarters.
The report identifies a tentative recovery in world industrial production, along with reviving global trade, driven primarily by rising import demand from East Asia. World gross product is expected to expand by 2.7 per cent in 2017 and 2.9 per cent in 2018, unchanged from UN forecasts released in January this year. This marks a notable acceleration compared to just 2.3 per cent in 2016.
In a statement on the report, Mr. Lenni Montiel, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, underscored the “need to reinvigorate global commitments to international policy coordination to achieve a balanced and sustained revival of global growth, ensuring that no regions are left behind.”
According to the report, underpinning global economic recovery is firmer growth in many developed economies and economies in transition, with East and South Asia remaining the world’s most dynamic regions. However, economic recovery in South America is emerging more slowly than anticipated, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is declining or stagnant in several parts of Africa.
Forecasts for GDP growth in some of the least developed countries (LDCs) have been revised downward since January, with growth in the group as a whole projected to remain well below the Sustainable Development Goals target of at least 7 per cent. The report notes that under the current growth trajectory and assuming no decline in income inequality, nearly 35 per cent of the population in LDCs may remain in extreme poverty by 2030. Additional policy efforts are needed to foster an environment that will accelerate medium-term growth and tackle poverty through policies that address inequalities in income and opportunity.
The report points to a combination of short-term policies to support consumption among the most deprived and longer-term policies, such as improving access to healthcare and education and investment in rural infrastructure.
The report states that inflation dynamics in developed economies have reached a turning point, and risks of prolonged deflation have largely dissipated. By contrast, inflationary pressures have eased in many large emerging markets, allowing interest rates to come down.
The report further stresses heightened uncertainty over international policy, which will hinder a strong rebound in private investment globally. Corporate sectors in many emerging economies are vulnerable to sudden changes in financial conditions and destabilizing capital outflows, which could be triggered by faster-than-expected interest rate hikes in the United States.
The report highlights some positive developments related to environmental sustainability. The level of global carbon emissions has stalled for three consecutive years. This reflects growing renewable power generation, improvements in energy efficiency, transition from coal to natural gas, and also slower economic growth in some major emitters. But, the report also warns against waning commitments going forward.
Looking ahead, the report advocates for renewed global commitments to deeper international policy coordination in key areas, including aligning the multilateral trading system with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; expanding official development aid; supporting climate finance and clean technology transfer; and addressing the challenges posed by large movements of refugees and migrants.
For more information:
World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2017
Find out who are making pledges to #SaveOurOcean!
Over 320 Voluntary Commitments for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 to #SaveOurOcean have been registered as of 30 May 2017. The distribution of commitments among the entities include Governments (74); UN entities (51); IGO’s (24); NGOs (83); Civil Society (16); Academic Institutions (22); Scientific Community (5); Private Sector (23); Philanthropic Organizations (8); Partnerships (17); and Other relevant actors (3).
Examples of commitments from governments include one from Australia for Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific (COSPPac), from the Government of Algeria to decrease impacts of ocean acidification, and from the Government of Peru to establish programs of formalization of fisheries for the strengthening of artisanal fisheries.
Iceland is committing to reduce marine litter in its waters and Austria to reducing nutrient and hazardous substances discharge in Austrian rivers and lakes. In total, governments have been making the following number of commitments: Albania (1); Algeria (1); Australia (2); Austria (4); Belgium (6); Chile (1); Fiji (1); France (4); Germany (8); Grenada (5); Iceland (1); Indonesia (6); Madagascar (3); Maldives (2); Monaco (4); Nigeria (1); Pakistan (1); Palau (1); Panama (2); Peru (1); Republic of Korea (2); Samoa (2); Seychelles (1); Spain (1) and Sweden (1).
Examples of commitments from UN entities include one from UNDP to strengthen capacity for international cooperation in the ecosystem-based management of the Antarctic Large Marine Ecosystem, one from the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to promote standards for sustainable fisheries management and traceability of fish products on a global scale, and one for Mapping the Blue Economy of Africa to support decision-making, investment and governance of activities undertaken on the continental shelf and in adjacent international seabed areas from the International Seabed Authority.
The breakdown of commitments by UN system entities is as follows: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (1); Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (1); Economic Commission for Europe (2); Global Environment Facility (1); International Labour Organization (1); International Maritime Organization (4); Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2); UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (5); United Nations Development Programme (13); United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (3); United Nations Environment (11); United Nations Information Centre (1) and World Meteorological Organization (3).
Examples of commitments by IGOs include one from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea to develop a science basis to support ecosystem based management and one from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme to establish a Partnership on Ocean Acidification.
The breakdown of commitments by IGOs is: Association of Caribbean States (1); Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (1); Commonwealth Secretariat (1); International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (2); International Hydrographic Organization (2); International Seabed Authority (2); Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (5); Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (1); South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (1); Southern African Development Community (1).
In addition, several other stakeholders from civil society, research institutions, academia and the private sector have also made voluntary commitments.
For a complete list and to register a new commitment: https://oceanconference.un.org/commitments/
Voluntary commitments on ocean action picking up pace in advance of June Conference
A growing number of countries, businesses and civil society groups are stepping forward with new commitments to improve the health of the world’s oceans in advance of The Ocean Conference that will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 5-9 June.
“For too long, we have taken the Ocean for granted, without understanding the vital role it plays in our lives,” said the President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson. “The voluntary commitments being made through the website of The Ocean Conference, from countries large and small, from agencies and civil society, register the good action being taken to restore and preserve the Ocean’s health.”
“We have seen a surge in new commitments to address the very real concerns that our oceans are facing,” said Wu Hongbo, Secretary-General of The Ocean Conference and Under-Secretary-General of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. “We hope the pace will pick up even further,” he added.
As of 26 April, a total of 87 voluntary commitments to support the implementation of SDG14 have been made at the Voluntary Commitments registry of the Ocean Conference at: https://oceanconference.un.org/commitments.
Commitment types
Among commitments to-date are projects to protect coral reefs and coastal zones in Grenada and Bali; a commitment to increase ocean conservation philanthropy, and Belgium’s commitment to prepare a national action plan to combat marine litter that will contain several cleaning activities such as the removal of fishing nets from ship wrecks and beach clean ups.
The leading nation in the number of voluntary commitments currently is Indonesia, with six, followed by Grenada, with five.
The leading entity type for submission of voluntary commitments is non-governmental organizations, with 30, followed by governments, with 16, and intergovernmental organizations with 7 and partnerships with 8.
The majority of voluntary commitments are global in nature—there are 51 so far, while the ocean basins with the most voluntary commitments are the South Pacific (22), the North Atlantic (20), and the North Pacific (17). Only two commitments (each) have been made that impact the Arctic and Southern Oceans. Of the 10 SDG14 targets, support for the sustainable management of marine ecosystems have garnered the most commitments, with 45, followed by marine pollution reduction with 40, and scientific knowledge, research capacity and technology transfer, with 39.
Stakeholders at all levels, from local civil society groups to UN member states to the largest private companies, are invited to submit their SDG14 voluntary commitments to the registry towards their official inclusion in the report of the Ocean Conference.
About the Conference
The Ocean Conference, to be held at UN Headquarters in NY from 5 to 9 June, aims to address and reverse the deterioration of the health of the ocean through the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. SDG 14 calls for the conservation and sustainable use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
For more information: The Ocean Conference
Apply now for the US$ 1 Million UN DESA Energy Grant
UN DESA has opened applications for its 2017 Grant on Energy for Sustainable Development. The thematic focus this year is Sustainable Energy for Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity in a Changing World.
“This focus is of great relevance as it addresses critical issues that will help accelerate progress in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those reflecting the multiple roles that energy plays in eradication of poverty through advancements in health, education, water supply, industrialization and combating climate change, among others,” said UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Wu Hongbo.
The 2017 Grant seeks to advance sustainable development by encouraging scientific and technological innovations and fostering leadership initiatives and innovative actions that improve sustainable energy for eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity, while addressing economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Applications are open to individuals, institutions or partnerships based on past and current achievements. Successful recipients should be able to demonstrate leadership and innovation in sustainable energy for eradicating poverty, as well as willingness and ability to implement knowledge transfer through capacity building activities aimed at replicating and scaling up successful experiences and lessons learned.
The Grant carries an award of one million US dollars to fund such capacity building activities.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications are accepted online only. To access the online application form, please see https://poweringthefuture.un.org/apply2/
For eligibility requirements and selection criteria, please see https://poweringthefuture.un.org/about/guidelines
Applications must be submitted in English by 15 June 2017.
For queries and additional information, please send emails to poweringthefuture@un.org.
Preparations for the Ocean Conference on track
The preparations for the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development – The Ocean Conference – are in full swing. The conference will take place from 5 to 9 June 2017 at UN Headquarters in New York.
The themes of the seven partnership dialogues of the Conference have been decided, they are:
- Addressing marine pollution
- Managing, protecting, conserving and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems
- Minimizing and addressing ocean acidification
- Making fisheries sustainable
- Increasing economic benefits to SIDS and LDCs and providing access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets
- Increasing scientific knowledge, and developing research capacity and transfer of marine technology
- Enhancing the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
The partnership dialogues will deal with all targets of SDG 14 and will aim to strengthen cooperation, scale up and replicate existing successful initiatives and launch concrete and new partnerships that will advance the implementation of SDG 14. Details about the times and venues of these dialogues can be found on the Conference website.
“Call for Action”
The first round of intergovernmental consultations on the zero draft of the “Call for Action”, the outcome document of the Ocean Conference, took place on 20-22 March 2017 at UN Headquarters in New York.
The co-facilitators of the preparatory process of the Ocean Conference, H.E. Mr. Alvaro Mendonça Moura, Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations, and H.E. Mr. Burhan Gafoor, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations, chaired the consultations.
Delegations went through the zero draft prepared by the co-facilitators and finished the first reading. Delegations were generally satisfied with the zero draft and considered it a good basis for further consultations. Based on the comments from the meeting, the co-facilitators will prepare and circulate a revised draft by mid-April. The second round of consultations will be held on 24, 25 and 27 April in New York.
Registering voluntary commitments
UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Mr. Wu Hongbo has sent a letter to Member States in which, among other things, he encourages them to announce voluntary commitments. “I would like to encourage Governments and all stakeholders to register voluntary commitments that aim to contribute to the implementation of SDG 14 and associated targets”, he said.
The voluntary commitments can be registered through the online form at the Conference website. 31 commitments have been registered by 31 March. A list of commitments will be compiled at the end of the Conference and will be included in the report of the Conference as an important outcome.
Guidelines for the side events, exhibitions, registration to the Conference as well as important dates and deadlines and are now also available at the official website.
For more information:
The Ocean Conference
Be a part of ocean history: Join the efforts to #SaveOurOcean by registering your commitment!
The Ocean Conference taking place this June, aims to be the game changer that will reverse the decline in the health of our ocean for people, planet and prosperity. It will be solutions-focused, seeking the engagement from all actors within the international community.
In addition to the outcome document, the “Call for Action”, gathering as many voluntary commitments as possible to help implement Sustainable Development Goal 14, will be an important goal for this event. The international community is therefore strongly encouraged to make voluntary pledges via the Conference website ahead of the event. By 31 March, 31 commitments have been made via the online commitment registry.
Find out who have made pledges so far and register your voluntary commitment here!
https://oceanconference.un.org/commitments
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: a conversation with experts
This year marks 10 years since the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) was adopted, setting minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of indigenous peoples around the world.
Ahead of its anniversary on 13 September, UN DESA’s Division of Social Policy and Development (DSPD) gathered experts for a three-day meeting on 25-27 January to discuss achievements made and challenges that remain in realizing the UN Declaration at the global, regional and national levels.
The meeting was the first step in a series of events to take stock of the current situation and to advance the lives and rights of indigenous peoples. This includes the direction that the UN Declaration takes as governments around the world continue to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The UN Declaration has also played its part in influencing the new phase of global goals. In fact, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) now show six direct references to indigenous peoples. This is a major step forward compared to the Millennium Development Goals, where indigenous peoples were largely invisible.
In light of the anniversary, we asked experts attending the meeting, where the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has made an impact, and how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are making a difference. Check out this video to hear what the experts answer!
For more information: UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development – Indigenous peoples
Bringing about positive change for people on the move
Today, there are around 244 million people who have crossed international borders in search of a better life. To ensure the safety and dignity of all people on the move, the Fifteenth Coordination Meeting on International Migration took place in New York, bringing together key actors to start the work of realizing the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, which was adopted by UN Member States at the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants on 19 September 2016.
“Five months ago, the General Assembly came together to address the issues associated with large movements of refugees and migrants,” UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Wu Hongbo said in his opening remarks to the meeting, which was held on 16-17 February.
“The result was the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants […], which set us on a path to develop a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, to be adopted at an intergovernmental conference on international migration to be held in 2018,” Mr. Wu said.
The two-day event held at UN headquarters in New York covered a wide range of topics vital to addressing today’s migration challenges and to alleviate the hardship of millions of people on the move. Discussions evolved around the next steps to implement the New York Declaration, preparations of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, human rights dimensions and social inclusion as well as implementing the migration-related commitments of the 2030 Agenda.
“You gather at a crucial time, with hundreds of millions of people affected by the issues at stake. We cannot fail them; we must work [more] closely than ever before,” conveyed Secretary-General António Guterres in his message delivered by Mr. Wu.
“Migration is a pressing global issue that should not be viewed solely as a problem but rather as a potential solution to many of the challenges we face today. In the current atmosphere of rising xenophobia, it is essential to have a clearheaded understanding of the facts,” Mr. Guterres said.
Mr. Guterres stressed that human rights must guide our work; that we need to address the root causes of displacement; and that realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development must be a top priority.
“We must forcefully reject discrimination […]. It is important to respond to misrepresentations with truth and replace fear with hope. That is the aim of our TOGETHER campaign, which deserves wide support,” Mr. Guterres said.
In his message, the Secretary-General also highlighted the important contributions of migrants to development. “Migrants often perform critical jobs and send remittances to their families in what amounts to a major contribution to development,” he said.
The positive impact of migrants was also something that Bela Hovy, Chief of the Migration Section in UN DESA’s Population Division highlighted in a Facebook live interview in connection with the event.
“Today, the amount of remittances that migrants are sending back is over 400 billion dollars each year,” explained Mr. Hovy, describing how this money is used “to send children to school, to improve housing, to have better access to water, to healthcare”. “[…] [T]hese are all development goals. So what we see is that migration and the remittances it generates, contribute to the development goals that the Member States have agreed upon.”
Related information:
Fifteenth Coordination Meeting on International Migration
New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants
Migration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Together campaign
Facebook live interviews
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2017
Although a modest global recovery is projected for 2017-18, the world economy has not yet emerged from the period of slow growth, characterised by weak investment, dwindling trade and flagging productivity growth, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2017 report launched on 17 January.
The report states that the world economy expanded by just 2.2 per cent in 2016, the slowest rate of growth since the Great Recession of 2009. World gross product is projected to grow by 2.7 per cent in 2017 and 2.9 per cent in 2018, a slight downward revision from the forecasts made last May.
Launching the report at the UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Lenni Montiel, UN DESA’s Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development underscored the “need to redouble the efforts to bring the global economy back on a stronger and more inclusive growth path and create an international economic environment that is conducive to sustainable development.”
According to the report, the moderate improvement expected for 2017/18 is more an indication of economic stabilization than a signal of a robust and sustained revival of global demand. As commodity prices trend higher, commodity-exporting economies are likely to see some recovery in growth.
Developing countries continue to be the main drivers of global growth, accounting for about 60 per cent of the world’s gross product growth in 2016-18. East and South Asia remain the world’s most dynamic regions, benefiting from robust domestic demand and supportive macroeconomic policies.
The report projects that growth in the developed economies will slightly improve in 2017, but headwinds arising from weak investment and policy uncertainty continue to constrain economic activity.
GDP growth in the least developed countries (LDCs) is projected to remain well below the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of at least 7 per cent. This represents a key issue to address if the SDGs overall are to be attained. The report notes, specifically, that under the current growth trajectory and assuming no decline in income inequality, nearly 35 per cent of the population in LDCs may remain in extreme poverty by 2030.
For more information:
World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2017
WESP 2017 – balanced policy mix
Launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2017
The World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2017 Report will be launched on 17 January at 11 a.m. in New York. In subsequent days, this will be followed by regional launches in major cities around the world. The launch on 17 January will be broadcast live via UN Web TV.
The WESP 2017 report is jointly produced by the UN DESA, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the five UN regional commissions, with contributions from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
The publication features an overview of recent global economic developments and provides growth projections for 2017 and 2018, based on an assessment of the outlook for the developed economies, the economies in transition and the developing economies. The report examines key macroeconomic and development challenges faced by the international community, including issues in the areas of global trade, financing for development, poverty and inequality, and renewable energy.
In the face of high uncertainty and pressing global challenges today, the report highlights several key risks that may derail global growth prospects. The report also discusses a set of policy measures that could help restore robust and balanced growth and facilitate progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
For more information:
World Economic Situation and Prospects
Happy New Year 2017!
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