DESA News

Volume 16, No.03 - March 2012

Feature articles

Committed to a future we want

Sha Zukang, Rio+20 Secretary-General and UN DESA's Under-Secretary-General

The world is counting down to one of the most important events of our times, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development. “Rio+20 needs to show how we can move faster towards sustainable development, before it is too late”, says Rio+20 Secretary-General Sha Zukang in an exclusive interview for DESA News. “My message is: come to Rio ready to commit.” Read more

Taking up emerging development issues

CDP takes up emerging development issues

High unemployment is the Achilles Heel of the recovery. In fact, most developing and transition economies are still seriously challenged by high unemployment – especially among the youth. These and other matters will be addressed by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) at the annual meeting in New York on 12-16 March, chaired by Professor Frances Stewart. Read more

Spotlighting challenges of today’s youth

“Today we have the largest generation of young people the world has ever known. They are demanding their rights and a greater voice in economic and political life,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as the “World Youth Report”, published by UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, was launched on 6 February. Read more


Publications and websites

Forests for People

On 9 February, DESA’s UN Forum on Forests Secretariat launched the Forests for People book as part of the special event marking the closing of the International Year of Forests 2011. It celebrates the interconnections between people and forests and promotes greater understanding of their economic, environmental and social values. The 300-page fully illustrated publication is a collaborative effort between the UNFF Secretariat and Tudor Rose publishing. Read more

More on Publications and websites