Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)

United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)

Working towards an Inclusive, Prosperous and Sustainable World

Who we are…

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) works closely with governments and stakeholders to help countries around the world meet their economic, social and environmental goals.

As the Secretariat entity responsible for the development pillar of the United Nations, our work addresses a range of cross-cutting issues that affect peoples’ lives and livelihoods. From poverty reduction to governance to finance to the environment, DESA’s work is about human progress for all, especially the most vulnerable. We are fundamentally concerned, not only with global prosperity today, but also for tomorrow.

DESA’s work is guided by the United Nations development agenda, which is rooted in the values of equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature and mutual responsibility. Furthermore, with a focus on equitable participation by all people, the United Nations development agenda has unique, universal legitimacy.

Our vision for human progress goes beyond promoting global agreements and is fundamentally about action. Working closely with governments and other partners, DESA seeks concrete solutions. We are committed to addressing the world’s most pressing concerns and taking the necessary steps to help create a better world for all – a world that is inclusive, prosperous and sustainable.

Did you know...?

What we do…

DESA’s work programme can be categorized into three areas: norm-setting, analysis, and capacity-building. Whether by supporting policy-making bodies, facilitating major UN conferences, projecting trends in demography, publishing top quality economic analysis, or helping countries develop capacity, DESA’s influence has reach far beyond the doors of the UN.

One of DESA's primary contributions is providing policy research and analysis for member governments to use in their deliberations and decision-making. Throughout recent decades, DESA’s in-depth policy analysis has helped resolve many of the world's most pressing socio-economic issues. By facilitating major global conferences and summits, as mandated by UN Member States, DESA assists countries as they find common ground and take decisive steps forward. In addition, DESA organises and supports consultations with a range of stakeholders, including the private sector and civil society. Upon request, DESA also advises and assists governments in implementing the policies and programmes developed at UN conferences back in their home countries.

Specifically, DESA is tasked with supporting deliberations in two major UN charter bodies: the UN General Assembly and UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as well as ECOSOC's subsidiary bodies. In this regard, DESA’s main priorities are promoting progress toward and strengthening accountability in achieving UN development goals. Furthermore, DESA is responsible for ensuring civil society engagement with the UN by way of the ECOSOC body.

DESA is also the lead “author” Department of the UN Secretariat. Our research and analytical work covers a range of economic, social and environmental issues. We produce a host of flagship publications and major intergovernmental reports, which are essential to UN negotiations and global policy decisions. Each year, DESA’s many publications are distributed in print and electronic formats around the world. DESA is also known for its first-rate data, including population estimates and statistics, long considered global benchmarks of reliable information.

Reaching the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been an integral focus of DESA’s work and informs many aspects of the Department’s programming. As the 2015 deadline for achieving the Goals approaches, DESA is now working with a range of partners to build on the MDGs and help create a vision for the future that puts people and planet first. Part of this effort includes following-up on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and elaborating a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These important initiatives are converging and will guide us to the future we want – one that is sustainable, prosperous and inclusive of all.

Who leads the way…

On 1 August 2012, Mr. Wu Hongbo became Under-Secretary-General of DESA, as appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

In this capacity, Mr. Wu is responsible for a number of tasks, including:

• managing the Department and its divisions;
• advising the Secretary-General on issues related to social, economic and sustainable development;
• establishing key partnerships with governments, UN agencies and civil society organizations;
• convening the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs, which is the UN Secretariat’s network for joint initiatives on development;
• and overseeing the Development Account of the United Nations regular budget, which funds programmes implemented by ten different entities in the UN Secretariat and is designed to assist developing countries build technical capacity;
• Mr. Wu is also Secretary-General for the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which will take place in Samoa in 2014.

A career diplomat, Mr. Wu was previously the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Federal Republic of Germany.

To hear from Mr. Wu, watch the video below.

In directing and managing DESA, the Under-Secretary-General is supported by the Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and the Assistant
Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs.

You can hear from them directly as they share how DESA’s work supports development worldwide.

Meet Shamshad Akhtar,
Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development

Meet Thomas Stelzer,
Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs.

What are our priorities...

Working to fulfill the goals of the United Nations development agenda, each division and office within DESA plays an important role. Come on a tour with us and learn a little more about each one.

ECOSOC Support and Coordination

The Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination (OESC) assists global policy dialogue and consensus building on development issues in the UN General Assembly and Economic and Social Council. It supports the Council in strengthening policy development, coherence and coordination. Furthermore, OESC assists Member States in implementing commitments through annual ministerial-level reviews, which assess progress towards the MDGs and other development goals.

Through the Development Cooperation Forum, OESC reviews and analyzes trends in international development cooperation, facilitates policy coherence among the different actors, and identifies best practices to guide policy-making at the country level.

OESC also prepares and advises the Assembly’s periodic review of the funding of the UN’s operational activities for development and the functioning and effectiveness of the UN development system. It works to bring the voices of all stakeholders into ECOSOC deliberations, including those from the UN system, civil society, young people, parliamentarians and local authorities. In addition, OESC advises the Council on its relationship with its subsidiary bodies and the Charter Bodies.

Meet Navid Hanif, Director of the Office for the ECOSOC Coordination and Support.

Social Development

The Division for Social Policy and Development promotes awareness and understanding of the core social issues of poverty eradication, employment generation and social integration through its analytical and normative work.

The Division assists governments and civil society organizations in formulating social policies that foster more secure, just, free and inclusive societies: societies in which all members – young and old, rich and poor, persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples alike – are active participants.

The Division’s work is vital for the social pillar of sustainable development. It also serves as the secretariat of the Commission for Social Development, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Meet Daniela Bas, Director of the Division for Social Policy Development.

Sustainable Development

The Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) provides leadership in promoting and coordinating implementation of the sustainable development agenda of the United Nations. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which concluded on 22 June 2012, is considered one of the largest conferences in the history of the United Nations. Governments renewed their strong political commitment to sustainable development, to promoting integration and coherence of policies, and to implementing actions in the social, economic and environmental areas.

The work of the Division translates into five core functions:

1. support to UN intergovernmental processes on sustainable development;
2. analysis and policy development;
3. capacity development at the country level; (4) inter-agency coordination; and
4. knowledge management, communication and outreach.

In addition, the Division houses the SIDS Unit, which supports the sustainable development of small-island developing States by implementing the Mauritius Strategy of Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States.

Meet Nikhil Seth, Director of the Division for Sustainable Development.

Statistics

The Statistics Division is committed to the advancement of the global statistical system. It organizes the annual meetings of the UN Statistical Commission, which is the primary authority for global statistical matters. The Division compiles and disseminates global statistical information, develops methodological standards and norms, coordinates global statistical activities and supports countries’ efforts to strengthen their national statistical systems.

The Division regularly publishes are wide range of economic, social, demographic and environmental data, for instance through the United Nations open data portal <data.un.org>. Most visibly, the Division, in a collaborative effort with relevant UN agencies, compiles the MDG-indicators and leads the production of the Secretary General’s annual Millennium Development Goals Report. The Division also launched and now oversees Global Geospatial Information Management, an initiative to improve geospatial information and its integration with statistical information in support of the sustainable development agenda.

Meet Keiko Osaki-Tomita, Chief of Demographic and Social Statistic Branch of the Statistics Division.

Population

The Population Division studies population dynamics and monitors demographic trends and policies worldwide. Population estimates and projections prepared by the Division for all countries – on fertility, mortality, international migration, urbanization, and population size and structure – are widely used by various entities. Main users include the UN system for the derivation of other indicators and for modeling purposes; governments for policy formulation and programme design; and civil society for information and advocacy purposes.

In its role as substantive secretariat for the Commission on Population and Development, the Population Division is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. It produces selected indicators used for tracking improvements in maternal health under Goal 5 of the Millennium Development Goals. The Division also participates, in partnership with other UN agencies, in the assessment of child mortality levels for monitoring Goal 4 of the MDGs.

Meet John Wilmoth, Director of Population Division.

Development Policy Analysis

The Development Policy and Analysis Division contributes to strengthening the role of international cooperation in the economic and social development of all countries and to fostering countries’ effective integration into the world economy in the context of the UN development agenda.

he Division’s core functions include monitoring and analyzing global economic trends and prospects in order to make recommendations on global macroeconomic policy coordination; analyzing long-term development trends in order to provide policy advice on the international development agenda; serving as the Secretariat for the Committee for Development Policy, a policy advisory body of the Economic and Social Council; and, providing leadership to DESA’s capacity development priority area on macroeconomic issues.

Meet Pingfan Hong, Acting Director of Development Policy and Analysis Division.

Public Administration

The Division for Public Administration and Development Management assists countries strengthen public institutions and government capacity in order to promote sustainable development, advance public sector reform and improve service delivery.

The Division’s training and capacity-building activities promote citizen-oriented, efficient and effective government, based on the principles of transparency, accountability and civic participation. The Division stresses innovative approaches to public management, in particular through e-government and expansion of the information society.

Meet John-Mary Kauzya, Chief of Public Adminisstration Capacity Branch of the Division for Public Administration and Development Management.

Forests

The secretariat of the UN Forum on Forests promotes sustainable forest management based on Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration, Forest Principles, Global Objectives on Forests, and the Non-legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests.

The secretariat is the UN focal point on all matters relating to forests and supports the work of the Forum in global forest policy development, implementation and coordination. The secretariat also provides information and analysis on critical forest issues including forest finance.

To enhance UN system-wide cooperation on forests, it also serves as the secretariat for the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.

Meet Jan McAlpine, Director of United Nations Forum on Forests.

Financing for Development

The Financing for Development Office provides secretariat support for sustained follow-up, at all levels, to the agreements and commitments contained in the Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration.

To this end, the Office promotes an inclusive intergovernmental process, with the participation of all relevant stakeholders, in order to address a range of issues in a coherent and integrated manner.

These issues include domestic resource mobilization, private investment flows, international trade, official development assistance, external debt and the global financial and economic system and architecture.

Capacity Development

The Capacity Development Office (CDO) supports the Under-Secretary-General of DESA in overseeing the use of resources for capacity development purposes. Building on the department’s comparative strengths, the CDO helps Member States develop coherent capacity development strategies.

The CDO also supports DESA actively engage in the United Nations Development Group (UNDG). The Office promotes linkages among DESA’s normative and analytical work and the UN system’s operational work, including through regional and country-level cooperation mechanisms. The CDO also helps DESA mobilize partnerships to support its capacity development activities.

Meet Marie Oveissi, Chief of Capacity Development Office.

Strategic Planning

The Strategic Planning Unit supports the Under-Secretary-General define and pursue DESA’s strategic objectives, facilitates department-wide action in selected areas, and works to strengthen DESA’s ties and collaboration with Member States, as well as UN and other partners around key substantive priorities.

The Unit serves as the secretariat for the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs and is the focal point for DESA engagement in the Policy Committee and other strategic planning processes. The Strategic Planning Unit also leads the work of the DESA Task Force on Conflict, Disaster and Development.

Communications and IT

The Communications and Information Management Service provides outreach, web and social media services for the Department and facilitates the use of information technology and knowledge sharing for DESA colleagues.

Key priorities include the multi-lingual DESA websites, online newsletters, social and multi-media outreach, records management and civil society participation. The Service also works in close consultation with the UN Information Technology Office to ensure cost effective and efficient management of ICT and knowledge management resources.

Meet Guenther Gross, Chief of Communications and Information Management Service.

Executive Office

The Executive Office assists the Under-Secretary-General with personnel, finance and general administration. It manages a Staffing Table of more than 550 positions, certifies requirements for a budget of more than $160 million annually and assists in the organization of and support to major international conferences such as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro of 2012.

The Executive Office works closely with the Office of Legal Affairs and the Office of the Controller to conclude an average 24 Host Country Agreements and donor contribution agreements annually, which range in complexity and funding amounts. The Office’s main goal is to enhance the effectiveness of programme support, both in the traditional areas of responsibility and in managing the Department’s extra-budgetary funds.

Meet Ivan Koulov, Executive Officer of DESA.