Men in Families and Family Policy in a Changing World

In keeping with the objectives of the International Year of the Family, and based on existing research, the current publication aims to promote the knowledge of trends affecting families and increase awareness of family issues among Governments as well as in the private sector. It is also hoped that the study will stimulate efforts to develop family-oriented policies focusing attention upon the rights and responsibilities of all family members.

Promoting knowledge of the economic, social and demographic processes affecting families and their members is indispensable to design appropriate course of action to assist families in fulfilling their numerous functions. These overall considerations have guided the preparations of the current publication, which addresses the issue of the evolving roles of men in families and the corresponding need to develop social policies supporting these new roles for the benefit of families.

For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/publications.html

Statistical compilations

Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS Online

The Monthly Bulletin of Statistics presents current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories of the world. It contains over 50 tables of monthly and/or annual and quarterly data on a variety of subjects illustrating important economic trends and developments, including population, prices, employment and earnings, energy, manufacturing, transport, construction, international merchandise trade and finance.

Vol. LXV – No. 1, January 2011

This month, the following tables, which are featured in the MBS on a quarterly basis, are presented along with the regular recurrent monthly tables: Civil aviation traffic: passenger km and cargo net ton km; Total exports and imports by countries or areas: volume, unit value, terms of trade and purchasing power of exports, in US dollars. .

For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mbs

Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008

The recommendations included in the publication represent an update of a common conceptual framework for the design of the tourism satellite account that had been initially set up in 2000 by an Inter-secretariat Working Group convened by DESA’s Statistics Division, with the participation of the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The purpose of a Tourism Satellite Account is to analyze in detail all the aspects of demand for goods and services associated with the activity of visitors; to observe the operational interface with the supply of such goods and services within the economy; and to describe how this supply interacts with other economic activities. The publication provides an updated framework for constructing a Tourism Satellite Account. It permits greater internal consistency of tourism statistics with the rest of the statistical system of a country, as well as increased international comparability of these data.

For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=434

Publications under preparation

Women at the front-line of public service delivery

This joint publication was finalized during a meeting with DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM), UN WOMEN and a team of researchers from Columbia University on 10 February 2011. The objective of the meeting was to define what public administration cases with a gender component would be included in the publication. The good practices are chosen among the nominees of the past editions of the United Nations Public Service Awards. 27 cases were presented and discussed, and an additional 69 presented and reviewed. Overall, 600 cases were reviewed.

To facilitate the preparation of the selected case studies, it was decided that DPADM would provide the research team with the supporting documentation submitted by government institutions from around the world. Phone interviews would also be conducted to gather additional information pertaining to each case, especially its sustainability. The publication will be available in June 2011.

Outreach material

Rio 2012: Making it Happen

This newsletter, produced by DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development and dedicated to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, announces in this edition the date of the Conference (4-6 June 2012), and the newsletter’s name change from Rio20: Making it Happen to Rio 2012: Making it Happen.

This issue also highlights the second meeting of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability, the launch of the International Year of Forests and the General Assembly’s debate on risk reduction.

For more information: http://www.uncsd2012.org/

Natural Resources Forum, a United Nations Sustainable Development Journal

DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development is pleased to announce that the February 2011 issue is now published on-line:

Link to February issue: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/narf.2011.35.issue-1/issuetoc

Link to all on-line content: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1477-8947

To learn more about the National Resources Forum, please visit: www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/nrf

Advancing the Global Statistical System

The latest version of the brochure of DESA’s Statistics Division provides a summary compilation of the Divisions major work areas and accomplishments.

For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/brochures/UNSD_Brochure.pdf

Discussion papers

Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects

This briefing highlights the challenges and risks associated with the increase in international food prices, as well as in the prices of other primary commodities. It also points out that the pace of the recovery in developed countries is not strong enough to substantially reduce the unemployment rates. While growth in developing countries continues to be robust, the pace is moderating in some regions.

For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/policy/publications/dpad_wespmbn.html

Websites

Statistics Division National Accounts Section

The website of DESA’s National Accounts Section was modernized and updated to improve the accessibility of information about the System of National Accounts 2008, Knowledge Base for economic statistics, national accounts databases, activities related to implementation and research of the 2008 SNA and publications. Its structure contains information not only about the activities undertaken by the Section but also about related work done under the purview of the Intersecretariat Working Group on National Accounts (ISWGNA), the governing body mandated to maintain and implement the System of National Accounts.

To browse: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/nationalaccount/default.asp .

Bringing knowledge management to the service of SIDS

A new and improved SIDSnet (Small Island Developing States Network) will soon become available, and will include exciting features and cutting-edge technology that will enhance stakeholders’ user experience and capacity development opportunities.

For more information: http://www.sidsnet.org

Publications in other languages

The following publications are now available in other languages:

• International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Supplement to the Compilers Manual (Arabic)
• Handbook on Population and Housing Census Editing, Revision 1 (French)
• Measuring the Economically Active in Population Censuses: A Handbook (Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish)
• Handbook on Geospatial Infrastructure in Support of Census Activities (Chinese)
• International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008 (Spanish)
• International Recommendations for Industrial Statistics 2008 (Chinese, Russian)

For more information: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/

Citations

2010 E-Government Survey cited in the Global Information Technology Report

The E-Participation Index from the 2010 E-Government Survey has been analyzed and cited in the Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010.

To view the analysis of the E-Participation Index from this report and/or view the entire report, please go to: http://www.networkedreadiness.com/gitr/main/analysis/showdatatable.cfm?vno=9.23