A renewed global partnership for development
The second report of the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 Development is now available on the UN System Task Team Website. Titled “A renewed global partnership for development”, the report assesses MDG8 and provides an overview of lessons learnt, including the Monterrey Consensus. It reviews new challenges and trends in the international development landscape and suggests possible contours, alternative formats and a robust accountability mechanism for a renewed global partnership.
Established by the Secretary-General in January 2012, the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda assembles more than 60 UN agencies and international organizations under its umbrella to provide analytical inputs to the post-2015 process. It is co-chaired by UN DESA and UNDP.
To download:
A renewed global partnership for development
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 bimonthly, quarterly and annual 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. LXVII – No. 2, February 2013
In addition to the regular recurrent monthly tables, this issue includes the quarterly and bimonthly tables: Retail price indices relating to living expenditures of United Nations officials; Earnings in manufacturing, by sex; Total exports and imports by regions: quantum and unit value indices and terms of trade in US dollars.
For more information:
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics and MBS Online
2009 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles
The 2009 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles contains energy balances for about 115 developing countries, showing production, trade, conversion and consumption in energy units for all energy products; and electricity profiles for about 190 countries, providing detailed information on production, trade and consumption of electricity, net installed capacity and thermal power plant input for selected developing and developed countries.
For more information:
2009 Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles
Outreach material
DESA NGO News
Information about the global plan adopted by the CSW57 to end gender-based violence and the fourth meeting of the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda held in Bali, are featured in the March issue. The online monthly newsletter is published by DESA’s NGO Branch, providing the most up-to-date information on news and upcoming events of interest to civil society at UN headquarters in New York, Geneva and elsewhere.
Read full issue: DESA NGO News
Sustainable Development in Action – Issue 3, Volume 1
The latest issue is now available online. Published by DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, the newsletter aims to highlight the work carried out by Member States, the UN, Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable development and leading the way to the Future We Want.
View full issue: Sustainable Development in Action
Youth Flash Newsletter
March issue is now available featuring an article entitled “Google+ Hangout with Youth Representatives and Expert Panelists Puts a Spotlight on Youth Migration”. The newsletter is published by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development Focal Point on Youth to keep the public informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. It is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, and from youth organizations around the world.
View full issue at: Youth Flash Newsletter
Enable Newsletter
Prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) within DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development, the February issue is now available highlighting the upcoming High-level Meeting on Disability and Development to be held in September. The newsletter features input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes and civil society.
Read full issue: United Nations ENABLE newsletter
Open Government Data for Citizen Engagement in Managing Development Guidance Toolkit (OGDCE Toolkit)
DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) has released the Open Government Data for Citizen Engagement in Managing Development Toolkit (OGDCE toolkit). The toolkit is a practical, easy-to-understand and easy-to-use set of guidelines for government decision makers to implement, evaluate and sustain open government data initiatives for citizen engagement.
The Toolkit introduces the concept of open government data, strategies for designing open data programs, steps for implementing, monitoring and evaluating the related programs, and ideas for sustaining the open data ecosystem. The Toolkit also provides checklists for assessing open government data readiness, options for open data platforms and information on open data formats.
Since open government data is a fast moving field, the Division welcomes contributions to the Toolkit from stakeholders and has released a working version on 27 February 2013 alongside the first edition.
For more information: OGDCE Toolkit
Online Survey on Promoting Empowerment of People
DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development conducted, from 8 August to 5 September 2012, a global online survey to gather inputs for consideration by the 51st session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD), which took place from 6 to 15 February 2013.
The survey enabled the public worldwide to respond to a set of questions that were related to the priority theme of CSocD on “Promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all”.
The responses collected and selected from the first question “Empowerment: What does it mean to you?” was published in a separate booklet.
The ten questions were the following:
1. When you hear the term “empowerment” what does it mean to you?
2. How would empowering people help achieve poverty eradication?
3. How would empowering people improve social integration, especially of people living in poverty, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples?
4. How could empowering people help achieve full employment and decent work?
5. What do you consider would be main barriers to the economic, social and political empowerment of people and social groups including people living in poverty, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and indigenous people?
6. Do you have any examples of successful empowerment of people, including specific social groups? Please indicate them.
7. What policies do you consider would further promote social, economic, political and legal empowerment of people, including social groups?
8. Do you consider that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), especially the Internet has an impact on empowerment? Can you give some examples?
9. How is empowerment related to inequality in societies?
10. Please provide any additional comments.
To download the full survey:
Online Survey on Promoting Empowerment of People
Discussion papers
Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects No. 52
Published by DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, the March issue sheds light on the US automatic spending cuts referred to as the “sequester”. The briefing also states that while China is setting out a GDP target of 7.5 per cent, India is boosting its budget spending.
Download: Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects
Websites
Redesign of DESA’s Population Division website
The new redesign of DESA’s Population Division website, launched on 20 March, includes news, events and exciting features, through which both existing users and new visitors can gain a greater understanding of the Division’s activities and achievements.
“We are very excited to launch the redesigned website. Now it will be much easier for users throughout the global community to find the information they need, whether it is Member States seeking policy-relevant analysis or fact sheets, or members of the general public looking for data about population trends in their home countries,” said Mr. John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division.
To browse: Website of DESA’s Population Division
