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MEDIA REPORTS
HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT
This page was updated
on: 01/26/10
2008
Human Development Media Report Archives:
2010;
2009;
2007;
2006;
2005;
2004;
200 3;
2002
DECEMBER 2008
UN DISASTER
MANAGEMENT EXPERTISE IN DEMAND
In a year-end summary, issued on 23 December 2008, the head of the
Emergency Services Branch of the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Arjun Katoch, highlighted that in 2008, UN
Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) – which helps
disaster-stricken countries to rapidly assess priority needs and
coordinate relief on-site –
experienced increased demand due to the
rise of natural disasters caused by extreme weather. He noted that 67
countries, including Spain
and the United Arab Emirates, have joined the UNDAC system to share
their expertise on how to better prepare for and manage emergency relief
after natural disasters. In 2008, UNDAC
sent disaster-management professionals to
16 areas, and organized
disaster-awareness training programmes in the Middle East and in Russia,
for members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In 2009,
UNDAC is expected to organize a training session for the West African
region.
Links to further information
UN News Centre, 23 December 2008
Reliefweb Press Release, 23 December 2008
UNDP SENDS A MESSAGE FROM DOHA TO POZNAŃ
On 3 December 2008, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Administrator Kemal Derviş commended the outcome document from the
Financing for Development Conference, held in Doha, Qatar, from 29
November-2 December 2008, for endorsing the call of the UN
Secretary-General to reaffirm international commitments to address
poverty reduction and achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
The UNDP Administrator highlighted that Doha recognized the centrality
of meeting developed countries' commitment made in Monterrey 2002 to
increase official development assistance (ODA) by 0.7 percent of GNP to
developing countries by 2015, as essential to resolve the triple crisis
posed by financial turmoil, global poverty and climate change. He
stressed that the crises are interconnected and called upon negotiators
at the UN climate change conference in Poznan to focus on opportunities,
such as establishing an effective carbon market and price of carbon, and
mechanisms for resource flows to developing countries to finance green
growth policies and poverty reduction. He noted that UNDP will continue
to support developing countries to build up the capacities required to
promote sustainable green growth, while reducing poverty.
Links to further information
UNDP Newsroom, 3 December 2008
UN News Centre, 4 December 2008
UN HCHR CALLS FOR A
HUMAN RIGHTS APPROACH TO TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
As the world
celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR) Navi Pillay
stressed that a wide range of universally recognized rights – such as
the right to food, to adequate housing and water, and to life – are
under threat due to climate change. Earlier this year, the Human Rights
Council mandated the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
to undertake a study on the interlinkages between human rights and
climate change. The OHCHR study is emphasizes the need for a human
rights based approach to provide the legal rationale to climate change
policies and programmes currently under negotiation, indicating that
human well-being and security in developed and developing countries are
under risk. The study also gives special consideration to the poorest
and most marginalized groups, as age, gender, and socio-economic status
can reduce or increase vulnerability. The Human Rights Council will
consider the study next March and make it available to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, in December 2009.
Links to further information
OHCHR News
OHCHR climate change consultation meeting
UNCCD AND UNU TO EXPAND RESEARCH ON
ENVIRONMENTALLY-INDUCED MIGRATION
The Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
and the UN University (UNU) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to be
carried out as a joint work plan, beginning in 2009, to expand research
on forced migration due to desertification, land degradation and
drought. As a result of the 28 November 2008 MOU, a preliminary policy
position paper is expected to be prepared and presented at the 17th
session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in May 2009,
followed by a joint publication, to be prepared by October 2009 for the
ninth session of the UNCCD Conference of the Parties.
Link to further information
UNCCD Press Release
FAO RELEASES
PRELIMINARY FINDINGS OF CARBOAFRICA
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization
has issued preliminary findings of CarboAfrica, an international
research project gathering 15 institutions from Africa and Europe. The
project aims to quantify, understand and predict the carbon cycle and
other GHG gases in Africa. According to Riccardo Valentini, CarboAfrica
project coordinator, the evidence so far indicates that Africa seems to
be a relevant 'carbon sink,' meaning that it takes more carbon out of
the atmosphere than it releases. It is estimated that Africa's GHG
emissions from fossil fuels are less than 4% of the world's total. The
preliminary findings of the project were the subject of the Africa and
Carbon Cycle Conference held in Accra, Ghana, from 25-27 November 2008.
Links to further information
FAO Newsroom, 25 November 2008
CarboAfrica
NOVEMBER 2008
NEW UN REPORT SHOWS
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY CRITICAL TO SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
On 12 November 2008, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) released its
flagship publication, State of the World Population, in London, UK. The
2008 Report – "Reaching Common Ground: Culture, Gender and Human Rights"
– notes that development strategies that are sensitive to cultural
values can reduce harmful practices against women and promote human
rights, including gender equality and women's empowerment. The report
emphasizes that culture is a central component of successful development
of poor countries, and that it must be integrated into development
policy and programming. The report coincides with the 60th anniversary
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and it is based on the
idea that international human rights have universal validity, while
promoting culturally sensitive approaches to development. At the launch
of the report, UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid noted that
human rights are "everybody's work," that culturally sensitive
approaches are essential for reaching the Millennium Development Goals,
and that analyzing people's choices in their local conditions and
cultural contexts is a precondition for better development policies.
Links to further information
UNFPA 2008 Report
UNFPA News, 12 November 2008
UNGA
PROMOTES AN INTERACTIVE PANEL ON THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS
UN General Assembly
President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann organized an Interactive Panel on
the Global Financial Crisis on October 30, 2008 at UN Headquarters in
New York. The Panel aimed to identify recommendations for member states
suffering from the global financial crisis, and to provide guidance to
the work of the Task Force that Professor Stiglitz, 2001 Nobel Laureate
in Economics and Columbia University Professor, has agreed to chair.
UNGA President d'Escoto Brockmann stressed that solutions must come not
only from the G8 and G20 countries, but also from the G192, referring to
all UN member states and their responsibilities to address the crisis.
During the panel discussion, Stiglitz said emerging markets and less
developed countries are likely to suffer from the current financial
crisis and that any global solution must pay due attention to impacts on
these countries and hear their voices. According to Stiglitz, the
current crisis provides an opportunity for reassessing and rearranging
the global economic arrangements. Other members of the Task Force are
Professor Prabhat Patnaik, Jawahawl Nehru University, India, and Sakiko
Fukuda-Parr, New School University, Japan.
Other
panelists were Pedro Páez, Minister of Economic Policy Coordination of
Ecuador and Coordinator of the Bank of the South; Calestous Juma,
Professor at the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University;
and, Francois Houtart, Chief Editor of the International Journal of
Religion Social Compass. The panel was moderated by Paul Oquist,
senior advisor to the UNGA President and Minister and Private Secretary
on National Policy to the President of the Republic of Nicaragua.
Link to further information
UN General Assembly
report
UNDP PRODUCES CLIMATE CHANGE COUNTRY PROFILES
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with
the School of Geography and Environment at Oxford University, has
developed a dataset of climate change country profiles for 52 developing
countries. The profiles aim to address the climate change information
gap for selected developing countries by making use of existing climatic
data to generate country-level
data plots from the most up-to-date
climate observations and multi-model
projections of each country as country-average time series as well as
maps and diagrams illustrating changes, and summary tables of the data.
The country profiles include analyses of the climatic parameters on an
annual and seasonal basis such as mean temperature, monthly
precipitation, indices of extreme daily temperatures (frequency of hot
days and nights, and cold days and nights), and indices of extreme daily
precipitation (proportion of total rainfall falling in heavy events with
one to five maximum day rainfall). A consistent methodology has been
applied to all 52 countries, which allows for comparison across ten-year
time periods.
Links to
further information
UNDP Climate Change Country Profile
ALM Country Adaptation Profiles
OCTOBER 2008
UN
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONVENES EMINENT ECONOMISTS TO DISCUSS IMPACT OF
FINANCIAL CRISIS ON POVERTY
On 23 October 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and
the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kemal
Dervis, met with five eminent economists to discuss the impact of the
global financial crisis on UN efforts to achieve the anti-poverty
targets known as the Millennium Development Goals, financing for
development, the international reserve system, trade issues and the
regulatory role of multilateral institutions. The participating
economists were Joseph Stiglitz and Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia
University; Kenneth Rogoff and Dani Rodrik of Harvard University; and
Nancy Birdsall, President of the Centre for Global Development.
Link to further information
UN News Centre, 23 October 2008
UN-HABITAT REPORT FOCUSES ON COASTAL CITIES'
VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE
The UN Settlements
Programme (UN-HABITAT) has launched
the State of the World's Cities 2008/2009: Harmonious Cities, a flagship
report published every two years by the UN agency. The Report
indicates that half of humanity currently lives in cities, and that this
proportion will increase to 60% within two decades.
The report also finds that urban growth is most rapid in the developing
world, and stresses the importance of harmony among the spatial, social
and environmental aspects of a city, and between their inhabitants. In
relation to climate change, the report finds that many cities are at
risk from rising water levels, and more needs to be done now to mitigate
the impact this will have on their populations and assets.
Link to further
information
UN-HABITAT Press Release, 23 October 2008
OVER 100 MILLION
PEOPLE 'STAND UP' WITH UN AGAINST POVERTY
From 17-19 October 2008, almost 117 million people mobilized under
the slogan 'Stand Up - Take Action' at events in more than 100 countries
around the globe, setting a new record. People gathered to demand that
world leaders not use the financial crisis as an excuse for breaking the
promises they made in 2000 to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Stand Up Global Campaign, managed by the United Nations Millennium
Campaign, was first launched in 2006 and aims to raise awareness on
poverty and inequality to support the MDGs. Salil Shetty, Director of
the UN Millennium Campaign, noted that the new record indicates that
millions of people that took part of the campaign this year, almost 2
percent of the world's population, demonstrated they will not remain
seated in the face of poverty and broken promises.
Links to further information
UN News Centre, 22 October 2008
UN News Centre, 17 October 2008
Stand Up Against Poverty
UN AND EU PARTNERSHIP –
HIGHLIGHTS OF DEVELOPMENT SUCCESS
The UN Team in Brussels has released its third annual report, which
details UN/EU partnership achievements. The report is based on inputs
collected from UN Country offices around the world. Emphasis is placed
on the support that the UN and EU provide to national development
strategies and initiatives related to strengthening national capacities.
The report details how UN/EU cooperation has positively impacted people
in the areas of humanitarian assistance, sustainable livelihoods,
democratic inclusive processes and policy formulation. Special emphasis
is given to human rights, as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
celebrates its 60th anniversary, and the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) vis-à-vis emerging challenges such as high food
and energy prices and climate change. The report also includes a section
on strengthening governance, which details the work of the European
Commission at different international fora, in particular the OECD/DAC
Environment Working Group. The report also recalls that the 2007
European Development Days focused on climate change, and takes stock of
such events.
Link to further
information
Improving Lives: Results from the Partnership of the United Nations and
the European Commission in 2007
UN CALLS FOR
COORDINATED ACTION TO ADDRESS THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Under Secretary-General for
Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang issued appeals for coordinated
action from multilateral institutions and major economies to address the
global financial crisis. Both expressed their hope that international
commitments made to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by
2015 in the areas of aid predictability, trade, debt reduction, access
to technology and affordable medicine will continue to be honored as
pledged. Next month in Doha, Qatar, the Follow-up
International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the
Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus will take place, and
will provide a forum to discuss how additional financial resources
vis-à-vis the global financial crisis can be raised to support the MDGs.
Links to further information
UN News Centre, 13 October 2008
Doha Financing for Development Review Conference, 29 November-2
December 2008, Doha, Qatar
FAO AND DUTCH
UNIVERSITY TO COLLABORATE TO ACHIEVE THE MDGs
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has signed a
Memorandum of Agreement with Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR),
the Netherlands, to promote education and research in developing
countries with the objective of contributing to reaching the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). The agreement between the institutions will
foster the exchange of scientific staff and experts, identify
technology, and enhance farm production through the sustainable use of
natural resources.
Link to further information
UN News Centre, 10 October 2008
EQUATOR INITIATIVE
RECOGNIZES FIVE COMMUNITIES FOR CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY PROJECTS
On 6 October 2008, the Equator Initiative, a UN-led partnership that
supports grassroots efforts in biodiversity conservation and poverty
alleviation, announced the selection of five communities to receive
special recognition for the Equator Prize 2008. The five communities,
from Ghana, Sri Lanka, Peru, Indonesia and Ecuador, were awarded for
their outstanding leadership in adapting to climate change and
conserving biodiversity while improving the livelihoods of their
community members.
Links to further information
Equator Initiative
UNDP Newsroom, 7 October 2008
FAO URGES REVIEW OF
BIOFUEL POLICIES TO ENSURE THE POOR CAN BENEFIT
On 7 October 2008, at the launch of its flagship publication, The
State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2008, FAO Director-General Jacques
Diouf noted both the risks and opportunities created by biofuels. Diouf
highlighted the need for an in-depth review them, aimed to ensure world
food security, protect poor farmers, promote broad-based rural
development and ensure environmental sustainability. Diouf emphasized
the need to invest on research and technology for the production of
second generation biofuels, which put less pressure on the natural
resource base.Diouf also emphasized the need to remove agricultural and
biofuel production subsidies, along with trade barriers, in order to
facilitate developing countries's ability to reap some benefits.
Links to further information
UN News Centre, 7 October 2008
The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2008
SEPTEMBER 2008
MDG SUMMIT ENDS
WITH US$16 BILLION IN NEW COMMITMENTS
On 25 September 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the
President of the UN General Assembly convened a High-Level Event (HLE)
on the Millennium Development Goals at UN headquarters in New York. The HLE brought together Heads of State or Government, as well as leaders of
the private sector and civil society to reaffirm existing commitments
and announce new ones needed to achieve the MDGs by 2015. UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that fresh contributions and
commitments to the MDGs could amount to around US$16 billion, which was
remarkable given the current financial crisis. Among the commitments,
some US$1.6 billion was pledged to enhance food security. Anew
initiative, "Purchase for Progress," to buy surplus crops directly from
poor farmers in Africa and Central America, was launched. US$3 billion
was committed to launch the Malaria Action Plan and new pledges of
almost half a billion dollars were committed for the Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Commitments relating to child
mortality and maternal health reached almost US$2 billion next year,
rising to US$7 billion in 2015. The Global Campaign on Health has
committed to mobilize an extra US$30 billion by 2015, including the
training of more than 1 million health workers. Considering that MDG 5
on maternal health has the lowest record of achievement, an additional
US$12 billion was pledged to provide 21 million trained birth attendants
to prevent deaths in childbirth. Investments of US$2.2 billion were
committed to provide water and sanitation to 30 million people by 2015,
and US$4.5 billion was promised to launch the "Class of 2015: Education
for All" multi-stakeholder partnership, which aims to put children into
school by 2010. Attention was also given to the threat of climate change
in reversing the achievements made on the MDGs, and over US$750 million
was pledged by member States, along with renewed commitments to reduce
deforestation.
A formal summit on the MDGs to review
implementation in 2010 will convene and will monitor the commitments
made. The High-Level Event also sent a message to the Doha Review
Conference from the highest political level, on strengthening the global
partnership for development and building consensus on financing for
development. The Doha event will take place from 29 November to 2
December 2008, in Doha, Qatar.
Links to further information
High-Level Event on MDGs, 25 September 2008
UN News Centre, 16 September 2008
IISD RS
Coverage
Financing for Development Review Conference
HIGH-LEVEL EVENT ON
AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT NEEDS ADOPTS POLITICAL DECLARATION
The High-Level Meeting on Africa's Development Needs took place at
UN headquarters on 22 September 2008, under the theme "Africa's
development needs: state of implementation of various commitments,
challenges and the way forward." The President of the UN General
Assembly, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, opened the plenary and noted that,
while official development assistance (ODA) has increased from 1.3 % of
GDP in 2005 to 1.8 % in 2007, levels of ODA should be further increased
to meet the commitments undertaken in Monterrey. He urged G8 members to
double ODA for Africa by 2010, as promised at the G8 Summit at
Gleneagles, Scotland in 2005. UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, pointed
out that no African country will achieve all of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, but that they remain achievable in
Africa. He emphasized that the MDG Steering Group assessed that US$72
million per year is necessary to achieve the goals by 2015. The
meeting ended with the adoption of a resolution entitled Political
Declaration on Africa's Development Needs (A/63/L.1). Leaders from
Africa expressed their determination to achieve the MDGs and reaffirmed
that NEPAD provides an agreed foundation. They noted that this framework
can only be implemented if the international community fulfills its
commitments to tackle the myriad challenges faced by Africa.
Links to further information
Africa's Development Needs, 22 September
IISDRS
Coverage
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
SAYS MDGs ARE ACHIEVABLE BY 2015
Speaking to the UN Radio and News Centre on 16 September 2008, UN
Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon said the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
are on track and achievable by 2015 if the necessary resources and
political will are mobilized. He stressed the role of developed
countries, which have the technology and knowledge necessary to support
less developed countries. He emphasized that the High-Level Event on the
MDGs, to be held on 25 September, will aim to revitalize the commitments
made by governments, the business community and civil society towards
the MDG agenda and to ensure that necessary resources are available.
Link to further information
UN News Centre, 16 September 2008
UN RELEASES
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS REPORT 2008
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Millennium Development
Goals Report 2008 on 11 September 2008, noting that substantive success
has been achieved but regional disparities remain, with Asia leading the
process and Sub-Sahara Africa lagging behind. He noted that developing
countries are increasingly devoting more resources to education and
health due to debt relief and new financing mechanisms. The MDG Report
is the most comprehensive global assessment of progress to date, based
on work carried out by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on the official
MDG Indicators. It provides evidence for each of the eight MDGs, showing
what has been accomplished so far in each of the world's major
geographic regions. The report also outlines what the world needs to do
to succeed in achieving the MDGs by 2015. An addendum to the Report
reflects new data on global poverty just released by the World Bank. The
World Bank found that more people were living in extreme poverty in
developing countries than previously thought, as it adjusted the
recognized yardstick for measuring global poverty to $1.25 a day from
$1. The Bank has indicated that there were 1.4 billion people - a
quarter of the developing world - living in extreme poverty on less than
$1.25 a day in 2005.
Links to further information
Millennium Development Goals Report 2008
Addendum to the MDG Report 2008
UN Secretary-General Opening Remarks, 11 September 2008
UN: GAPS REMAIN FOR
THE ACHIEVEMENT OF MDGs
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the report "Delivering on
the Global Partnership for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)"
On 4 September 2008. The report was prepared by the MDG Gap Task Force,
and aimed to track global commitments on aid, trade and debt, and to
follow progress on access to essential medicines and technology. The
report's main message is that, while progress has been made in achieving
the MDGs, important gaps remain in delivering on the global commitments
in the areas of aid, trade, debt relief and access to new technologies
and affordable essential medicines. The report emphasizes that the
weakening world economy and the steep rises in food and energy prices
threaten to reverse some of the progress related to human development.
The report calls for strengthened global partnerships to avoid any
reversal of progress made thus far. The report, which is being release
ahead of the 25 September High-Level Event on MDGs, notes that donors
will need to increase their development assistance by US$18 billion per
year between now and 2010 if they are to meet their 2000 pledgeto halve
poverty by 2015.
Links to further information
MDG Gap Task Force Report
UN News Centre, 4 September 2008
High-Level Event on MDGs
MDG
BLOG LAUNCHED PRIOR TO HIGH-LEVEL EVENT ON MDGs
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Department of Economic
and Social Affairs (UNDESA) have launched a blog discussion on the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Blog is facilitated by the MDG
Network and the UN Development Group Policy Network for MDGs, and will
run from 26 August to 26 September 2008. The Blog seeks to provide a
space for stakeholders from government agencies, civil society and the
private sector to offer comments on five main themes related to the MDG
framework. The themes covered by this Blog are drawn from the
Secretary-General's
background note for the High-Level Event on MDGs, "Committing to Action:
Achieving the MDGs," which are: poverty and
hunger; health and education; environmental sustainability; gender
equality and empowerment of women; and global partnership for
development. Comments submitted through the Blog will be summarized and
considered by the Co-Chairs and Thematic Experts of the round-tables at
the High-Level Event on MDGs, which will convene in New York on 25
September 2008.
Link to
further information
High-Level Event on MDGs
MDG Blog
AUGUST 2008
YOUTH REPORT CALLS
FOR ACTIVE ROLE TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE
The UN Development Programme has launched a youth version of the
2007/2008 Human Development Report on climate change.
Entitled "Two degrees of separation between hope and
despair" and prepared by young people between the ages of 16 and 25, the
report explains the negative impacts of climate change, presents
mitigation and adaptation policies, and concludes with a call to action
by young people. The report was released at the World Youth Conference
held in Quebec City, Canada, on the occasion of World Youth Day,
celebrated on 12 August. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's message for
World Youth Day stressed the active role youth are capable of playing in
making choices for a low-carbon lifestyle and providing support for
comprehensive legislation on climate change.
Links to further information
UN News Centre, 12 August 2008
UN News Centre, 11 August 2008
WFP ANNOUNCES
EFFORT TO RELIEVE FOOD CRISIS IMPACT IN 16 COUNTRIES
The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced its efforts to provide
US$214 million to minimize the impact of the food crisis and fuel prices
in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Liberia, Mauritania,
Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Senegal, Somalia, Tajikistan, Uganda, Yemen
and the Palestinian Territory. The assistance will target vulnerable
groups through the provision of food rations, school feeding programs,
and supplemental nutrition to pregnant women and young children. WFP's
budget has risen from US$3.1 billion to US$6 billion in 2008.
Link to further information
WFP News Release, 12 August 2008
WHO AND UNICEF REPORT
ON DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION PROGRESS
According to a report released on 17 July 2008 by the UN Children's
Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 2.5
billion people lack access to improved sanitation, while nearly 1.2
billion people defecate without sanitary facilities, posing a major
health threat to their communities. The report indicates there are 746
million people in rural areas without improved water sources, compared
to some 137 million urban dwellers. If current trends continue, the
world will fall short by 700 million people in meeting Millennium
Development Goal 7, on sanitation.
Links to further information
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for water supply and sanitation
WHO press release, 17 July 2008
UNICEF press release, 17 July 2008
International Year of Sanitation
The Report on Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation, July 2008
JULY 2008
MDG AFRICA STEERING
GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS LAUNCHED AT AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT
On behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Deputy
Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, joined by Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete,
Chair of the African Union and President of the United Republic of
Tanzania; Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chair of the African Union Commission;
Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank Group; and
Maxwell Mkwezalamba, African Union Commissioner for Economic Affairs,
launched the recommendations of the MDG Africa Steering Group at the
eleventh African Union Summit, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on 1 July
2008. This session of the AU Summit focused on meeting the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) on water and sanitation.
Regarding the launch, Kikwete noted that
the MDG Africa Steering Group recommendations were included in a report
considered by the AU Executive Council, which met from 27-28 June 2008.
He added that a draft resolution recommending that AU members endorse
the recommendations was forwarded from the AU Executive Council for
adoption to the Assembly of the African Union, which was in-session from
30 June-1 July 2008. Migiro emphasized that endorsement of the Steering
Group recommendations by the AU Assembly would give them further
leverage going into the 2008 G8 Summit in Hokkaido, which the UN
Secretary-General attended. The MDG Africa Steering Group is an
initiative of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, launched in September
2007, which brings together eight major multilateral institutions
working on development in Africa to take countries closer to achieving
the MDGs and lay the foundation for robust economic growth.
Link to further information
MDG Africa Initiative
FOOD CRISIS BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS NEW WORLD BANK
AGRICULTURE FACILITY
On 20 June 2008, Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs, the UN
Secretary-General's special adviser on the Millennium Development Goals,
briefed UN correspondents on the status of the food crisis and
recommended action by the G8 leaders in Hokkaido, Japan. Sachs
underscored that the World Bank's recent announcement at TICAD IV
regarding its new agriculture facility, stating this it represents an
important step in aiding developing countries with food insecurity, but
much remains to be done if the crisis to be addressed in the short- and
long-terms. (IISDRS sources)
UNDG LAUNCHES CORE
COURSE ON MDGs
The UN Development Group (UNDG) has developed a
self-paced, on-line course covering core concepts on the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) to advance a common understanding of the Goals
and to strengthen the capacity of UN staff and development practitioners
to effectively support national efforts to achieve them. With this
on-line course, practitioners can improve their knowledge of concepts,
introduce tools, and develop skills for operationalizing MDGs, and
increase collaboration on MDGs within and outside the United Nations
system. The course focuses on practical, concrete and
substantive actions at country, regional and global levels that can
enable the UN system to respond more effectively and efficiently to the
needs of developing countries as they scale up action to achieve the
MDGs.
Link to further information
MDG Course at the UNDG
website
MAY 2008
ALBANIA DELIVERING AS
ONE UN PILOT SCHEME IS DISCUSSED
On 29 May 2008, the President of the UN
General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim and Government officials in
Tirana, Albania, discussed Albania's progress in the pilot programme
"Delivering as One UN." Discussions revolved around priority issues of
the current Assembly session, such as climate change, financing for
development, human security, HIV/AIDS and human trafficking. Other pilot
"Delivering as One UN" countries include Cape Verde, Mozambique,
Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uruguay and Viet Nam.
Link to further information
UN News Centre, 29 May 2008
UNDP and CBD to promote biodiversity in development
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) signed, on 27 May 2008, a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to better integrate the purposes of
the Convention into development programming and substantially reduce
biodiversity loss by 2010 and achieve the MDGs. As part of the
agreement, UNDP will use its knowledge network and country presence to
train staff from the CBD Secretariat and the Convention's national focal
points. A steering committee, comprised of members from both
organizations, will monitor the MOU's implementation, and a programme of
work is expected to be developed.
Link to further information
UNDP News, 27 May 2008
UNDP launches INITIATIVE on negotiation of
natural resources contracts
The UN Development Programme (UNDP)
launched a regional African initiative to boost capacity for the
negotiation and regulation of large-scale investments contracts in the
natural resources sector. The initiative, which was launched on 22 May
2008, will focus on the capacity of countries to manage pro-poor natural
resource revenues, increase financing for achieving the Millennium
Development Goals, and reduce missed business opportunities and
integrate African markets into the global supply chain at the most
favorable terms. The initiative will build the capacity of African
governments that are rich in natural resources, to undertake business
negotiations by providing short-term international expertise to
negotiations and reviews. Work is already ongoing in Guinea, Liberia,
Sierra Leone and Tanzania.
Link to further information
UNDP Newsroom, 22 May 2008
FIFA AND UN JOIN FORCES TO SCORE ON DEVELOPMENT GOALS
On 9 May 2008, the
President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA),Joseph
Blatter, and the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Sport for
Development and Peace,
Wilfried Lemke,
reached an agreement to strengthen their collaboration to enhance the
role of sports in development and peace. The 2010 FIFA World Cup is
scheduled to take place in South Africa, and both FIFA and the UN are
undertaking efforts to use this location as an opportunity to advance
development issues in the African continent. FIFA already has related
initiatives, including "Football for Hope," which focuses on achieving
the Millennium Development Goals.
Link to further information
UN News Centre,
9 May 2008
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY FOCUS ON ACCESS TO
INFORMATION TO EMPOWER PEOPLE
The theme
for this year's World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on 3 May, was
"access to information and the empowerment of people." UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message for
the day emphasized the role of free and independent media as one of the
foundations of peace and democracy. The UN Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in its role as the UN agency tasked to
protect freedom of expression, stressed that freedom and access to
information are essential pillars for empowering people to participate
in the political process and for achieving the overall goals of
development.
Link to
further information
UN News Centre, 3 May 2008
KNOWLEDGE NETWORK TO LINK DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
The UN International Fund for
Agriculture (IFAD) has approved a grant to expand and support a
knowledge network to connect development partners working on initiatives
to reduce rural poverty in Western, Central, Eastern and Southern
Africa. The network known FIDAfrique-IFADAfrica, which has operated
since 1999, will allow members to share lessons learned, experiences and
ideas for development.
Links to
further information
UN News Centre, 30 April 2008
FIDAfrique Network
BIODIVERSITY LOSS AFFECTS HUMAN HEALTH -
STUDY
A new
generation of medical treatments may be lost unless the current rate of
biodiversity loss is reversed, a recently published book involving more
than 100 experts has revealed. Such medical treatments include a new
generation of antibiotics and painkillers, and new treatments for
thinning bone disease, kidney failure, blindness and cancer. The book,
Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity, which
has been supported by UNEP, the Secretariat of the Convention on
Biological Diversity, the UN Development Programme and IUCN, was edited
and written by Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, from Harvard Medical
School, along with more than 100 scientists who contributed to writing
and reviewing it. The book explores how the natural world holds secrets
to the development of new kinds of medical treatments, and its authors
warn that threats to land and marine-based life forms reduce the chances
of revealing and creating them.
Links to
further information
Harvard Medical School Sustaining Life website
CBD press release, 24 April 2008
BBC News, 23 April 2008
Reuters News Service, 24 April 2008
Oxford University Press
DELIVERING AS ONE STOCKTAKING SUMMARY MADE PUBLIC
The UN Development Group has released Delivering as One 2007
Stocktaking Summary, which compiles the assessments provided by UN
Country Teams, national governments and UN agencies on progress,
emerging issues and lessons learnt in the eight pilot countries -
Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania,
Uruguay and Viet Nam. According to the summary report, the key lessons
learnt include the importance of: government leadership and involvement;
greater Resident Coordinator accountability; support from headquarter
level; resource mobilization; and sharing of country experiences.
Links to further information
Delivering as One 2007 Stocktaking Website
APRIL 2008
PESTICIDE BANS DO NOT REDUCE AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT –
STUDY
A Sri Lankan study on the impacts of banning insecticides monocrotophos,
methamidophos, and endosulfan found no reduction in agricultural
productivity. The chemicals were banned in the 1990s in an effort to
reduce fatal poisonings and suicides. The study, which was published in
the April 2008 issue of the journal, Environmental Health
Perspectives,
concluded, that where
affordable substitutes exist for pest control, there is no significant
impact on agricultural output.
Link to
more information
Article, April 2008
WFP CALLS FOR US$ 750 MILLION TO FEED WORLD'S HUNGRY
On 18 April 2008,
the World Food Programme (WFP) indicated it would need an additional US$
756 million to meet its commitment to feed 73 million hungry people this
year. The dollar figure represents an increase of over US$ 250 million
since a WFP announcement in February, which was itself on top of an
initial 2008 appeal for US$2.9 billion to carry out its efforts. The
appeal for additional funds is in response to increasing food prices.
Link to further
information
UN News Centre, 18 April 2008
ILO DIRECTOR-GENERAL CALLS FOR DIALOGUE TO ADDRESS EMPLOYMENT
DIMENSION OF CLIMATE CHANGE
On 10 April 2008, on the occasion of the Spring 2008 Meetings of
the IMF and World Bank, International Labour Office (ILO)
Director-General Juan Somavia identified four priorities for the
multilateral system: fiscal policies for social and economic stability;
international regulation of financial markets; sustainable enterprise
development; and the employment dimension of policies to address climate
change. Somavia noted that enterprises will
invest in building up an economic infrastructure to tackle carbon
emissions, adapting production systems and shifting to renewable
resources to mitigate climate change effects. He emphasized the role for
dialogue between management and union representatives as "an
essential mechanism for developing strategies for such transitions that
are both efficient and equitable," as existing
jobs become redundant and new jobs are created. He highlighted that
"green" jobs may be one of the solutions against the current economic
slowdown, and said that the ILO is partnering with UNEP on the
Green Jobs Initiative, to promote dialogue and action to address the
challenges of climate change to employment.
Links to
further information
UN News Centre, 10 April 2008
Statement of Juan Somavia, ILO Director-General
CLIMATE-HEALTH LINKS
HIGHLIGHTED ON WORLD HEALTH DAY
On the occasion of World Health Day 2008,
Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO),
issued a statement indicating that climate change will erode the
foundations of public health, and noting that "climate-sensitive impacts
on human health are occurring today." To address the health effects of
climate change, WHO is coordinating and supporting research on the most
effective measures to protect health from climate change, with specific
attention to vulnerable populations in developing countries.
Links to further information
World Health Day 2008 website
UNEP press release, 7 April 2008
NEGLECTING AGRICULTURE MAY DRIVE 218 MILLION TO
POVERTY – UNESCAP REPORT
On 27 March, Noeleen Heyzer,
UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and
Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and
India's
Minister for Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath launched the Economic and
Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2008 in New Delhi, India. The
Report emphasizes that continued neglect of agriculture in Asia and
Pacific is estimated to be driving 218 million people to exacerbated
poverty, while increasing the gap between the rich and the poor.
According to Heyzer, the rising prices of food commodities reinforce the
message of the report on the need to revitalize the agriculture sector,
making it economically and socially viable, while contributing to
poverty reduction efforts. The report further notes the need to
implement land reforms, create opportunities for the poor or small
producers to access markets and diversify their skills, and facilitate
access to loans and insurance mechanisms.
Links to further
information
UN News Centre, 27 March
ESCAP Press Release, Press Release No. G/11/2008
MARCH 2008
UNDP RECEIVES US$
137 MILLION GRANT FROM JAPAN
With a view to strengthening its
partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Japan transferred
a grant of US$ 137 million to UNDP on 12 March 2008. According to UNDP,
the grant will support projects such as reconstruction assistance in
Afghanistan and the response to humanitarian crisis and peace-building
in Africa, with a particular focus on African countries that are
vulnerable to climate change. US$ 96 million will be earmarked for the
latter project.
Links to further information
UNDP press release, 12 March 2008
FEBRUARY 2008
WFP launches Cambodia Food Security Atlas
On 15 February 2008, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) launched an
interactive and online map of the food security situation in Cambodia,
identifying 'hot spots' of vulnerability and indicating areas where
improvement has taken place but further interventions are still needed.
WFP Cambodia Country Director Thomas Keusters indicated that food
security goes beyond food production, but it is directly impacted by
different socio-economic vulnerabilities such as poverty levels,
maternal health, access to clean water and health services and natural
disasters. Keusters emphasized that climate change, high energy prices
and globalization will have a significant impact in changing food
production patterns. The Atlas, he noted, will provide an important
reference for public policy makers to target and make the interventions
needed.
Links to
further information
World Food Programme's Food Security Web Atlas of Cambodia
WFP News Press Release, 15 February 2008
UN News Centre, 15 February 2008
NewsFood.com, 15 February 2008
UNDESA AND UNDP ORGANIZE e-DISCUSSION ON ACHIEVING
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and UN
Development Programme (UNDP) are organizing a moderated e-discussion on
Achieving Sustainable Development. The discussion, which will
take place from 4 February to 14 March 2008, is part of a larger global
consultation process for the 2008 Annual Ministerial Review, which will
take place in July 2008.
Link to further
information
e-Discussion website
JANUARY 2008
UNDP and Cadbury team up for sustainable cocoa farming
Cadbury has announced the establishment of
the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership, together with the UN Development
Programme (UNDP) and the Ghanaian Government, which will seek to secure
the sustainable livelihoods of a million farmers in cocoa-growing
communities across Ghana, India, Indonesia and the Caribbean. Cadbury is
expected to invest US$ 2 million in 2008 to establish the Partnership,
with annual funding levels rising to US$ 10 million by 2010. The
majority of the funds will be invested in Ghana, where the Partnership
is designed to help cocoa farmers increase their cocoa yields, as well
as introducing new sources of rural income through microfinance and
investing in community-led development ranging from schools to
biodiversity protection projects. This public-private partnership will
take on a bottom-up model, with farmers, non-governmental organizations,
governments and UNDP working together to determine how best to turn
plans into sustainable action.
Link to further information
UNDP News release, 28 January 2008
MicroCapital Press Release, 29 January 2008
Cadbury Press Release, 28 January 2008
UNFPA REPORTS RECORD
DONATIONS FOR 2007
On 14 January 2007, UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid
announced that the UN Population Fund had received from its 181 member
States a total of US$ 419 million in contributions. Top donor countries
included the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, Japan,
Denmark, Germany, Finland, Spain and Canada.
Link to further information
UN News Centre, 14 January 2008
UN REPORT UNVEILS EDUCATION NOT ENOUGH AS YOUTH
JOBLESS RATE GROWS
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) has launched
the World Youth Report 2007, titled "Young People's Transition to
Adulthood: Progress and Challenges." The Report focuses on the obstacles
faced by youth in finding decent work. According to the Director of the
Division of Social Policy and Development at UNDESA, Johan Scholvink,
educational gains have not been translated into increased employment
opportunities. The Report reveals that, although education enrolment
rates have increased, inadequate and low quality education perpetuates a
mismatch between the skills acquired by youth at school and the demands
of labour markets. The Report calls on governments to undertake measures
to address the obstacles that limit youth participation in the
development of their societies and to facilitate access to quality
education and decent work opportunities.
Links to further information
UN News Centre, 18 December 2007
UN Press conference news release, 18 December 2007
UN World Youth Report 2007
TSUNAMI REPORT
HIGHLIGHTS PROGRESS AFTER THREE YEARS
UNICEF (UN Children's Fund) recently released a three-year update on
the 2004 tsunami, which provides a detailed financial analysis of the
funds it collected and expenditures it made since the Indian Ocean
Tsunami. The report indicates significant progress in the social
conditions in tsunami affected countries such as India, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In
addition to UNICEF's achievements, including the investment of US$ 150
million dollars in education and upgrades and construction of new
schools, the report notes improvements in health and nutrition, water
and sanitation, and HIV/AIDS. The report indicates that issues of
security in Somalia, Sri Lanka and Myanmar remain areas of concern, and
that geographical dispersion in the Maldives and land disputes in
Indonesia have slowed down operations.
Links to further information
UNICEF Press Release, 18 December 2007
Tsunami Three Year Update
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