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DECEMBER 2002
WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH KEY TO POVERTY REDUCTION Ensuring women's reproductive health and rights, and targeting development efforts at the poor are essential for poverty eradication, according to the recently released United Nations Population Fund's State of World Population Report 2002. Entitled "People, Poverty and Possibilities: Making Development Work for the Poor," the report argues that to meet the Millennium Development Goals, immediate measures are needed to combat poor reproductive health, unwanted fertility, illiteracy and discrimination against women. The report indicates that countries investing in education, women's empowerment and in health – including reproductive health and family planning – register slower population growth and faster economic growth. Conversely, the report finds that inadequate efforts to provide reproductive health services and combat gender inequality result in continued high fertility among the poor; perpetuating poverty and inequality within households and nations.
Links to further information UNFPA media advisory, 3 December 2002 http://www.unfpa.org/news/2002/pressroom/swp2002.htm
"EDUCATION FOR ALL INITIATIVE" RECEIVES FINANCING The international donor community has agreed to assist seven developing countries in Africa and Latin America in making their education goals a reality. Under the "Education for All Fast Track Initiative," this assistance will help developing countries reach the Millennium Development Goal of providing primary school education for every child by 2015. Work is now proceeding with Burkina Faso, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Mauritania, Nicaragua, and Niger to build the required capacity, and to close a financing gap, currently estimated at approximately US$400 million over the next three years.
Links to further information World Bank press release, 27 November 2002
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:20078089~
OCTOBER 2002
BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT WINS UNDP AWARDBrazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardosa has been named the first winner of UNDP's Mahbub ul Haq Award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Development for his achievements in improving employment, poverty, health and education, as well as for his commitment to human rights and the rule of law. The award is to be presented biennially to the Head of State or world leader who has most successfully put human development at the heart of the political agenda. President Cardoso has overseen important human development progress in Brazil, including the 2001 Alvorada Programme, an anti-poverty programme aimed at improving health care, running water, and education. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan offered his congratulations saying that President Cardoso's longstanding dedication to human progress, and his democratic leadership of Brazil, have raised the standard by which governance can be judged throughout Latin America. The award will be presented at a ceremony on 9 December 2002 in New York City.
Links to further informationUNDP press release, 15 October 2002 http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2002/october/15oct02.html UNDP Awards for Human Development http://hdr.undp.org/aboutus/nhdr/awards.cfm
JULY 2002
ARAB STATES EXPERIENCE DEFICITS IN FREEDOM, WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT AND KNOWLEDGE, SAYS REPORT Although the Arab world experiences low income poverty, the region suffers from "poverty of capabilities and poverty of opportunities," says the recent Arab Human Development Report 2002 commissioned by UNDP. These poverties, the report states, are due to three deficits – a lack of freedom, a deficit in women's empowerment and a knowledge deficit, where human capabilities are weak and poorly utilized. The report notes progress in the areas of health, habitat and education, highlighting significant growth in youth education, increase in life expectancy, and decline in infant mortality rates. Tackling human capabilities and knowledge, promoting good governance and empowering women are highlighted as key strategies for the future development.
Links to further information UNDP's Arab Human Development Report 2002
MARCH 2002
NEW COMMISSION TO ADDRESS GLOBALIZATION A new high-level World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization has been launched by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The purpose of the Commission is to seek ways to balance economic development and social concerns in an integrated world economy. It is being co-chaired by Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Tanzania's President Benjamin Mkapa. The 25 members of the Commission include politicians, economists, workers' leaders and academics from both developing and developed countries. The Commission held its first meeting from 25-26 March in Geneva. Participants underscored the need to extend the benefits of globalization to people living in poverty and in developing countries, so as to combat global uncertainty and dispair. Mkapa stressed that "the world stands in dire need of hope, and I hope that this Commission will give the world the faith it needs to embrace the challenges of the new millennium with confidence and hope, not with uncertainty and despair." The Commission will meet several times over the course of the next year, and is expected to report to the ILO Director-General in 2003 on concrete actions to guide and shape the process of globalization.
Links to further information UN Wire, 25 and 26 March 2002 http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/2002/03/26/current.asp#25028 http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/2002/03/25/current.asp#24991 ILO press release, 27 February 2002 http://www.ilo.org/public/english/wcsdg/entry1.htm
WOMEN'S DAY FOCUSES ATTENTION ON AFGHAN WOMEN International Women's Day, celebrated on 8 March, witnessed a special focus on the situation of women in Afghanistan. At a ceremony held at UN Headquarters in New York, many speakers drew attention to post-Taliban efforts and the role of women as the country is being rebuilt. A video on "Afghan Women Today: Realities and Opportunities," was released. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Afghan women "have won world support in reasserting their rights, especially the right to play an active role at all levels of society and the right to join in every stage of the work of bringing peace and development to their country." Sima Wali of the Afghan Women's Summit for Democracy drew attention to the feminization of poverty and urged people not to forget Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's interim Minister of Women's Affairs Sima Samar hosted an International Women's Day event in Kabul, with speakers including Afghan leader Hamid Karzai and UN special representative Lakhdar Brahimi.
Links to further information UN press release, 8 March 2002 http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/sgsm8141.doc.htm UN Wire, 8 March 2002 http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/2002/03/08/current.asp#24508
JANUARY 2002
UN RAISES STATUS OF HABITAT WORK The UN Centre for Human Settlements has been elevated into a full UN Programme, and will now be known as the UN Settlements Programme or "UN-Habitat." The move, which was agreed late December by delegates attending the fifty-sixth session of the UN General Assembly, was in response to calls to strengthen the habitat mandate and status made during the Special Session on Human Settlements - "Istanbul + 5" – held in June 2001. Commenting on the change, Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of the new UN-Habitat, said "the year 2002 begins with a new Habitat for a new Millennium," and warned that "improving the state of human settlements, housing and urban infrastructure is critical if we are to help over one billion poor people who are deprived of the basic fundamental attributes of human dignity - a decent home and an acceptable living environment." The capabilities of the new UN-Habitat will be enhanced, as will cooperation with other UN agencies, and the existing operational centre in Nairobi will be maintained.
Links to further information UN-Habitat website |
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