KEY PUBLICATIONS AND ONLINE
RESOURCES
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
This page was updated
on: 01/12/10
2006
Human Development Key Publications and Online Resources Archives:
2010;
2009;
2008;
2007;
2005;
2004;
2003;
2002
Securing Equality, Engendering Peace: A guide to
policy and planning on women, peace and security
(UN-INSTRAW, September 2006)
This guide was developed for governments, UN and regional organizations,
and NGOs. It focuses on the creation of action plans related to women,
peace and security (WPS), and presents good practices, specific
recommendations and a six-step model process. The
guide.
Property Ownership & Inheritance Rights of Women for Social
Protection-The South Asia EXPERIENCE
(International
Center for Research on Women (ICRW), 2006)
The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) has released this
report, which links South Asian women's home ownership with decreased
risk for domestic violence. The
report.
The unresolved land reform debate:
Beyond state-led or market-led models
(UNDP International
Poverty Centre, November 2006)
This policy
research brief indicates that severe
inequality in land distribution is a basic issue of social injustice. It
points out that the reason why many poverty reduction specialists are
reluctant to address it is because reform is inevitably controversial as
it alters the distribution of economic power in a country and,
ultimately, the distribution of political power. The
policy research brief.
This
Handbook provides practical tips on how to mainstream gender issues and
checklists to measure progress in meeting the needs and ensuring the
equal participation of women, girls, boys and men in all aspects of
humanitarian responses. The
Handbook.
Environmentally Sustainable
Transport and Climate Change: Experiences and lessons from community
initiatives
(UNDP and
GEF, November 2006)
This publication reviews 65 sustainable transport community projects
funded by the GEF Small Grants Programme, and provides lessons and
experiences that demonstrate the role community initiatives play in
testing new approaches, raising awareness of new ideas, piloting
innovative strategies, and informing and stimulating policy dialogue in
a cost-effective way. The
publication.
TSUNAMI,
INDIA TWO YEARS AFTER
(UN, World Bank and ADB, 2006)
The report is a joint initiative by the UN, the World Bank and the Asian
Development Bank to reflect on the pace and extent of progress on
tsunami recovery efforts in India over the last two years. The
report.
UN WEB PORTAL ON AVIAN & HUMAN PANDEMIC INFLUENZA
(UN System Influenza Coordination, September 2006)
The web portal is part of the UN's
response to bird flu (avian influenza, H5N1) and the pandemic threat to
humans. Managed by the UN System Influenza Coordination (UNSIC), it
offers links to existing UN knowledge about avian and human pandemic
influenza. The
web portal.
Land Rights Reform and Governance in
Africa: How to make it work in the 21st Century?
(UNDP DDC and Oslo
Governance Centres, March 2006)
This paper, by
specialist Liz Alden Wily, argues that insecurity of land tenure is a
socio-political condition that can be made and unmade. The paper
highlights that a new wave of global land reform is underway based on an
improved legal status of customary rights held by rural Africans and
other indigenous populations around the world. The
paper.
Optimism and Poverty in Africa: Adaptation or a
Means to Survival?
(The Brookings Institution, 2006)
This draft report, written by Carol Graham and Matthew Hoover, looks at
the links between optimism and happiness and other positive traits and
behaviors among the poor in Africa. The report explores linkages between
labor market outcomes, health, support for markets and democracy.
The
report.
Decentralization and the Human
Development Approach
(UNDP, 2006)
This study,
based on a review of over 40 National Human Development Reports (HDRs)
looking at decentralization and various sectoral and cross-cutting
themes, provides a synthesis of innovative analytical approaches, data,
and recommendations on local accountability, participation, and
marginalized groups; financing for decentralized services; and equity in
social spending across regions. The study points out that some HDRs
explore the impact of decentralization processes on environmental issues
affecting human development, including the management and preservation
of natural resources. The
study.
ARAB HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2005: TOWARDS THE RISE OF WOMAN IN THE ARAB WORLD
(UNDP, December 2006)
This annual report indicates that human development is about
empowerment, noting that despite Arab women's equal status under
international law, many are not encouraged to develop and use their full
capabilities. The report calls for the adoption of time-bound
affirmative action, tailored to the specificities of each Arab society,
in order to expand the participation of women in all fields of human
activity.
The
report.
WHEN ARE PAYMENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
SERVICES BENEFICIAL TO THE POOR?
(FAO, April 2006)
Authored by D. Zilberman, L. Lipper and N. McCarthy, this working paper
aims to develop a conceptual framework to analyze the conditions under
which policies related to payments for environmental services can serve
to reduce poverty and give insight into ways such programmes can be
targeted to obtain poverty reduction benefits. The authors attempt to
identify how the pursuit of environmental goals can be used to improve
the lot of the poor in the developing world. The analysis concludes that
there is a wide array of circumstances where payments for environmental
services can both promote environmental quality and reduce poverty.
However, the impact on the poor will vary considerably depending on the
local circumstances of the poor. The
paper.
GREENHOUSE DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS:
An approach to the
global climate regime that takes climate protection seriously while also
preserving the right to human development
(EcoEquity and Christian Aid, November 2006)
The principal authors of this report, Tom Athanasiou and Paul
Baer of EcoEquity and Sivan Kartha of the Stockholm Environment
Institute, argue that "Green House Development
Rights" should be considered in relation to the global climate regime.
This approach would take into account fundamental rights to human
development. The paper provides an alternative for calculating
countries' responsibility and capacity indexes in a manner that is
sensitive to intra-national income disparities. The
paper.
Poverty and Exclusion, Resources and Relationships: Theorising the
Links Between Economic and Social Development
(Economic & Social Research Council, October 2006)
In this paper, author James Copestake "investigates the nature of
illbeing in a Latin American context" through a summary and criticism of
the social exclusion theory of Adolfo Figueroa, a Peruvian economist.
This paper is a revised version of a chapter in Wellbeing in
Developing Countries: New Approaches and Research Strategies, a
forthcoming book edited by Ian Gough and J. Allister McGregor, to be
published by Cambridge University Press. The
paper.
Joining Forces and Resources for Sustainable Development -Cooperation
among Municipalities: A Guide for Practitioners
(UNDP, Bratislava Regional Centre, October 2006)
This guide provides local actors with practical ideas for
engaging in inter-municipal cooperation, focusing on incentive systems,
enabling legal environment and management arrangements. The
guide.
Gender
review of media development organisations supported by Sida
(Gender Links, September, 2006)
This study reviews the extent to which gender is integrated into
the work of the twenty media development organizations that the Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) supports. The
study.
Report of Informal Consultation: Human Rights
and Poverty Reduction Strategies
(OHCHR and New York New School,
September 2006)
This report presents the
proceedings of a meeting that focused on monitoring public policies from
a human rights perspective through national budget processes. The
report.
IMPLEMENTATION
BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A Civil Society Assessment in 15
countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America
(Sustainability Watch, September 2006)
This first "Sustainability Watch Report 2006" presents assessments
by national CSO networks on barriers that hinder the effective
realization of sustainable development goals. The
report.
Aid and the MDG
poverty target: How much is required and how should it be allocated?
(Overseas Development Institute, 2006)
This paper, authored by Edward Anderson and Hugh Waddington, examines
how much additional aid is required to meet the target associated with
the Millennium Development Goal of halving extreme poverty and hunger by
2015, and how this aid should be allocated across recipient countries.
The
paper.
Migration and the
remittance euphoria: development or dependency?
(New Economics Foundation, 2006)
This report examines migration and remittance flows and sets out a
reform programme to address the systemic global inequality that drives
migratory flows. The
report.
SECURING EQUALITY, ENGENDERING PEACE: A GUIDE TO POLICY AND PLANNING ON
WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY
(INSTRAW, 2006)
This guide, prepared by the UN International Research and Training
Institute for the Advancement of Women, seeks to facilitate policies and
action plans on women, peace and security, through good practices,
recommendations and a six-step model process. It is intended as a
resource for governments, United Nations and regional and
non-governmental organizations. The
guide.
PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY IN NEW AID MODALITIES AND PARTNERSHIPS
(UNIFEM, 2006)
This discussion paper, published by the UN Development Fund for Women,
identifies considerations to streamline gender equality in the aid
effectiveness agenda. The paper argues in favor of a new aid
architecture that integrates gender equality as a key component in
poverty reduction and national development, and ensures that women are
fully represented in decision-making. The
paper.
GENDER
FOR JOURNALISTS: TOOLKIT
(International Institute for Communication and Development, 2006)
This toolkit aims to provide journalists with an understanding of gender
issues, and of the roles and responsibilities of women and men in
society, so that their reporting will be accurate and gender sensitive.
The
toolkit.
Fiscal Space for
Public Investment: Towards a Human Development Approach
(UNDP, September 2006)
This paper explores the analytical and policy possibilities for an
enabling fiscal framework for long term development transformations. It
advocates a collaborative effort using IMF expertise on fiduciary
instruments and UN system expertise in demonstrating the long term human
development payback from well designed public investment programmes, in
equal partnership with other development partners and developing country
groupings. The
paper.
Up in Smoke?
Latin America and the Caribbean: The threat from climate change to the
environment and human development
(Working Group on Climate Change and Development, August 2006)
This resource represents the third report from the Working Group on
Climate Change and Development, a coalition of 20 major environment and
development groups. It catalogues the impact of climate change and
environmental degradation ranging from drought in the Amazon to floods
in Haiti and elsewhere, vanishing glaciers in Colombia to extreme cold
in the Andes, and hurricanes in Central America and the Caribbean as
well as southern Brazil. The
report.
Pursuing Gender Equality through the Millennium
Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific
(ADB, UNDP, UNESCAP, 2006)
This paper is part of a series of studies identifying critical issues
and problems concerning the timely achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). It holds that, if the MDGs are to be achieved,
ensuring gender equality and women's empowerment is essential, given the
relevance of gender concerns to all of the MDGs. The paper finds that
MDG progress reports and studies from across the Asia and Pacific region
confirm the interrelationships between the gender-specific MDGs and all
of the other goals, as well the as importance of a gender perspective in
any strategy to achieve these goals. The
paper.
FEMALE MIGRANTS: BRIDGING THE GAPS
THROUGHOUT THE LIFE CYCLE
(UNFPA, 2006) This collection of papers from an Expert Group Meeting
organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) in New York, from 2-3 May
2006, focuses on women migrants, their positive contributions and the
negative aspects associated with migration. The publication contains
recommendations for action by governments, international organizations
and civil society, as a contribution to the High-Level Dialogue on
International Migration and Development to mainstream female migrants'
needs and rights into the agenda. The
collection.
RECOGNISING THE IMPORTANCE OF
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
(Eldis, 2006) This blog on migration includes information on the 2006 UN
High Level Dialogue on Migration, the UNFPA State of the Population
Report, and other relevant documents on the feminization of migration.
The
blog.
GENDER MAINSTREAMING AND ITS
CONSEQUENCES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
(The Analyst, 2006) Authored by Eva Fodor, this paper examines the
development of gender mainstreaming, its relevance for post-communist
countries, and the ways in which the European Union (EU) is achieving
its social goals through gender mainstreaming. The author concludes that
current EU policies targeting gender inequality are "often ineffective
and their implementation leaves much to be desired." The
paper.
ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AND
VIOLENCE AGAINST THE GIRL CHILD
(UN Division for the Advancement of Women, September 2006) This archive
collects the contributions to the online discussion on the elimination
of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child
facilitated by the UN Division for the Advancement of Women from 14
August to 8 September 2006. The
archive.
MADE BY WOMEN: GENDER, THE GLOBAL GARMENT INDUSTRY
AND THE MOVEMENT FOR WOMEN WORKER'S RIGHTS
(Clean Clothes Campaign, December 2005) This report highlights the
importance of gender, gender concerns and gender-related changes in the
garment industry. The report provides profiles of women workers,
activists, and organizations; and discusses migrant workers, worker's
health, codes of conduct and trade unions. The
report.
PREVENTING CORRUPTION ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
(Transparency International, 2005) This set of documents for the
prevention of corruption in the construction sector targets project
owners, funders, engineering and consulting engineering firms. The
collection of documents also includes a number of model construction
integrity agreements and a model claims management code. The
collection of documents.
THE WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2007: DEVELOPMENT AND
THE NEXT GENERATION
(World Bank, September 2006) The World Bank released this report during
it Annual Meetings in Singapore. The report suggests that developing
countries that invest in better education, healthcare and job training
for young people between the ages of 12 and 24 years of age could
produce surging economic growth and reduce poverty. The
World Bank report.
MAKING POVERTY REDUCTION IRREVERSIBLE: DEVELOPMENT IMPLICATIONS OF THE
MILLENNIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT
(IIED, 2006) This paper, authored by Steve Bass, identifies the major
developmental implications of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)
and calls for action in four areas: information, institutional reform,
international cooperation, and investment vehicles and budgets. The
paper.
UNFPA WORLD POPULATION REPORT 2006
(UNFPA, 2006) The UN Population Fund has entitled its 2006 report on the
state of the world's population, "A passage to hope: women and
international migration," to highlight the positive contribution of
migrant women to the global economy and the wellbeing of people in their
home countries.
More
information.
The report is accompanied for the first time by a companion volume
entitled "Moving Young," which highlights the social, economic and
demographic aspects of youth migration.
More information.
EMPOWERING YOUNG WOMEN TO LEAD CHANGE
(UNFPA, 2006) This resource manual aims to enable young women to prepare
and facilitate training on young women's leadership, economic justice,
HIV/AIDS, human rights, peace, self-esteem and body image, sexual and
reproductive health, and violence against women. The
manual.
MEASURING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE: A FRAMEWORK FOR
DEVELOPING FOR SELECTING PRO-POOR AND GENDER SENSITIVE INDICATORS
(UNDP, May 2006) This guide aims to provide a framework for generating
pro-poor gender sensitive indicators to assist policy-makers monitor and
evaluate democratic governance at the country level. The guide also
provides assistance on the ways in which different indicators of
governance can better reflect poverty and gender dimensions, and
concludes by arguing that indicator selection is itself a governance
process, which should be based on an inclusive and participatory debate.
The
guide.
INCORPORATING GENDER INTO YOUR NGO
(Network Learning, May 2006) This guide seeks to support NGOs and
community-based organizations seeking to mainstream gender into their
work. It covers: an overview of key concepts and definitions of gender,
gender roles, and gender divisions of labor; practical and strategic
gender needs; and steps and considerations to effectively mainstream
gender into NGOs. The
guide.
WOMEN IN DECISION-MAKING
(INSTRAW, March 2006) Produced by the United Nations International
Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW),
this briefing paper presents the latest figures on women's involvement
in decision-making at various levels on a global scale, including
parliamentary representation, local government and managerial posts. The
paper.
REPORT OF THE THIRD SESSION OF THE WORLD URBAN FORUM
(UN-HABITAT, 2006) The official report of the third session of the World
Urban Forum (19-23 June 2006, Vancouver, Canada) summarizes highlights
and emerging issues of the meeting, with a view to show how the Forum
"paved the way for a new drive forward on the international urban agenda
in a world of rapidly growing cities." The
report.
UNIFEM ANNUAL REPORT 2005-2006
(UNIFEM, 2006) The Annual Report documents UNIFEM's work to promote
women's empowerment and gender equality worldwide, and for 2005-2006
also celebrates UNIFEM's 30th anniversary, taking the theme, "30 Years
of Challenge, 30 Years of Change." The
report.
INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT BY
2015
(Northern Alliance for Sustainability, Greenpeace, WWF, 2006) This
discussion paper on UN reform describes sustainable environmental action
as a "make or break opportunity for the UN," arguing that states should
modify the UN's institutional structure to influence environment-related
decisions by international financial institutions, the World Trade
Organization and UN groups. The
paper.
THE HAPPY PLANET INDEX: AN INDEX OF HUMAN WELL-BEING
AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
(New Economics Foundation, 2006) This report argues for greater
attention to environmental and quality of life consequences of
government policies and proposed a "Happy Planet Index" (HPI) as an
alternative to the gross domestic product, to measure countries'
success. The HPI seeks to measure the ecological efficiency with which
human well-being is delivered, comparing countries' life expectancy,
ecological footprint, and people's subjective well-being or "life
satisfaction". The
report.
BEIJING PLUS 10: AN AMBIVALENT RECORD ON GENDER
JUSTICE
(UNRISD, 2006) This paper, drawing on research undertaken by the UN
Research Institute on Social Development (UNRISD), elaborates on the
ambivalent record of progress achieved by women over the last decades
and considers how the policy environment has changed since the 1995
Beijing Conference on Women. The
paper.
POVERTY,
HEALTH, AND ECOSYSTEMS: EXPERIENCE FROM ASIA
(IUCN,
Asian Development Bank, 2006) This book, edited by Paul Steele, Gonzalo
Oviedo, and David McCauley presents a series of case studies focusing on
the links between poverty, health and ecosystems in poor and often
resource-dependent households across Asia. Case studies illustrate the
links between livelihoods and ecosystems, highlighting pressures on some
agricultural systems, effects of ecosystem pollution on health, as well
as the complex linkages between gender, poverty and environment. The
book.
UN-HABITAT ANNUAL REPORT 2005
(UN-HABITAT, 2006) The publication reports on events and milestones for
UN-HABITAT in the year 2005. This includes UN-HABITAT's responses to
humanitarian crises and its current involvement with the affected
communities in Indonesia, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The
report.
BUDGETING FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS: MONITORING
GOVERNMENT BUDGETS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH CEDAW
(UNIFEM, 2006) This report elaborates on how budgets and budget
policy-making processes can be monitored for compliance with human
rights standards, in particular with the Convention of the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The report is
based on the premise that accountability to women's rights needs to be
translated into mobilizing the necessary resources to meet the
commitments made by the ratification of CEDAW. The
report.
ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH MEN
(UNESCAP, 2006) This publication of the UN Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific encompasses a series of papers and
an inventory of organizations and initiatives aimed at highlighting
ideas, concepts, policies, approaches and strategies for a greater
involvement and engagement of men to eliminate gender violence. The
publication.
UNCOUNTED AND DISCOUNTED
(UNIFEM, 2006) This report, a study of more than 1300 cases reported to
authorities between January 2003 and June 2005, found that violence
against womenwhether sexual, physical or psychologicalaffects all
branches of Afghan society, regardless of the woman's marital status or
her level of education or employment. The
report.
USING GENDER RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENT
(International Food Policy Research Institute, 2006) This practitioners'
guide presents research findings from the International Food Policy
Research Institute's multi-country research programme on gender and
intra-household issues, along with implications and key questions for
integrating gender research findings into project cycle and policy
decision-making processes. The
guide.
NEW WEBSITE OF THE UN RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
The new
web site of the UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
based in Geneva, Switzerland, is a repository of research findings and
publications, with over 700 documents and publications available in full
text and free of charge, as well as a resource on the future directions
of the organization. The website.
ELIMINATING WORLD POVERTY: MAKING GOVERNANCE
WORK FOR THE POOR
(DFID,
July 2006) This "White Paper on International Development" by the UK's
Department for International Development sets out what the British
government plans to do to reduce world poverty over the next five years.
The White Paper.
WOMEN LEAD
(Centre for Development and Population Activities, 2006) This
publication compiles accounts of how women are engaged in the response
to HIV/AIDS in various countries, including Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ukraine,
Kenya, Swaziland, Bangladesh, Nepal, USA and Pakistan. The study
examines how women are working to raise awareness about prevention
methods, mobilizing communities, and pushing for treatment and services
to be made available. The
paper.
GENDER, INSTITUTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT DATABASE
(OECD, 2006) The Gender, Institutions, and Development Database aims to
provide a tool for researchers and policy makers to determine and
analyze obstacles to women's economic development. It examines over 160
countries and includes 50 indicators relating to gender discrimination.
The database includes institutional variables that range from
intra-household behavior to social norms, as well as information on
cultural and traditional practices that impact on women's economic
development. The
database.
TRADE ON HUMAN TERMS: THE ASIA-PACIFIC HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2006
(UNDP, 2006) The United Nations Development Programme has released the
first Human Development Report in a new annual series that seeks to
focus on critical development issues in the Asia-Pacific region. The
report outlines an eight-point agenda that could be applied by national
governments to make trade work more for the poor. Recommendations
address such topics as investments to improve competitiveness, strategic
trade policies, and agriculture and rural development, and strategies
for combating "jobless growth." The
report.
PUBLIC CHOICES, PRIVATE DECISIONS: SEXUAL AND
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND THE MDGS
(UN Millennium Project, 2006) This report released by the UN Millennium
Project seeks to show that addressing sexual and reproductive health is
critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The
report.
ASSESSING THE WORLD URBAN FORUM 2006
(Housing and Land Rights Network, 2006) This report examines ideological
trends at the third World Urban Forum, such as the dynamic that
low-income people are left to their own devices to achieve their human
right to adequate housing and human well-being. The report argues that
alternative people-driven and community-determined solutions within the
human rights framework are indispensable and urgent. The
report.
GENDER AND TRADE: OVERVIEW REPORT (2006)
(Bridge: Development-Gender, 2006) This report demonstrates how trade
generally benefits men more than women, lists gender-biased consequences
of trade such as increased unemployment and greater human rights abuses,
and recommends that the UN, non-governmental organizations and
development agencies engage in gender analysis and develop ways to
measure their own accountability. The
report.
THE SOCIAL DIMENSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
(OECD, 2006) This policy brief prepared by the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development considers the distributional concerns about
environmental policy, and the link between environment and health. It
further seeks to answer to questions such as whether poorer households
pay more and get less, and how can environmental costs and benefits be
shared fairly. The
policy brief.
PREVENTING DISEASE THROUGH HEALTHY
ENVIRONMENTS: TOWARDS AN ESTIMATE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN OF DISEASE
(WHO, 2006) This report is based on a review of available scientific
evidence as well as consultations with more than 100 experts for
estimates of how much environmental risk factors contribute to the
disease burden of 85 diseases. The results are summarized globally, by
14 regions worldwide, and separately for children. The findings suggest
that environmental risk factors play a role in more than 80% of the
diseases regularly reported by the World Health Organization. The
report.
PREVENTING DISEASE THROUGH HEALTHY
ENVIRONMENTS: TOWARDS AN ESTIMATE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN OF DISEASE
(WHO, June 2006) This report by the UN World Health Organization finds
that more than 13 million deaths around
the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes. It
suggests that the lives of 4 million children, mostly in developing
countries, could be saved if such ecological risks are addressed. The
four main diseases influenced by poor environments identified by the
report are diarrhoea, lower respiratory infections, various forms of
unintentional injuries, and malaria. The report also suggests various
preventive measures, including safe household water storage and better
hygienic measures, cleaner and safer fuels, improved building safety,
better management of toxic substances in the home and workplace, and
better water resource management. The
report.
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION 2006 WALL CHART
(UNPFA,
June 2006) The wall chart displays the latest data and information
available on international migration and development, covering topics
such as size of the migrant stock, net migration, remittances,
immigration and emigration policies and ratification status in respect
of relevant United Nations instruments. The
wall chart.
GENDER AND TRADE KEY ISSUES PAGE
(ELDIS,
June 2006) This online guide is aimed at trade, development and gender
in development professionals who wish to know more about the
relationship between trade and gender, particularly the different ways
in which trade policies affect men and women. The
guide.
THE STORY BEHIND THE NUMBERS: WOMEN AND EMPLOYMENT
IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND THE WESTERN COMMONWEALTH OF
INDEPENDENT STATES
(UNIFEM,
June 2006) The study by the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
points to trends that indicate that women's economic security has
declined in Central and Eastern Europe and the western countries of the
former Soviet Union since the end of the Cold War. Notwithstanding the
fact that women across the region are on average better educated than
men, they are paid significantly less no matter what sector (public or
private) or what occupation they work in. The report suggests that a
longer-term deterioration in women's situation relative to that of men
is likely. The
report.
GENDER AND SOCIAL POLICY IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT:
UNCOVERING THE GENDERED STRUCTURE OF "THE SOCIAL"
(UNRISD, 2006) This report from the UN Research Institute for Social
Development argues that the failure of orthodox economic models to
generate growth and eradicate poverty has led to a renewed interest in
social policy and social institutions. This report illustrates why both
academic research and policy thinking need to factor in gender
hierarchies and structures if they are to address some of the key
challenges of contemporary societies: the widespread informality and
insecurity of paid work and the crisis of care. The
report.
GENDER AND DESERTIFICATION: EXPANDING
ROLES FOR WOMEN TO RESTORE DRYLANDS
(IFAD, 2006) The International Fund for Agricultural Development has
released a new study highlighting the role of the world's rural women in
restoring drylands, managing natural resources and dealing with
desertification. According to the report, desertification affects women
and men differently due to their "strictly gendered division of labor":
through their daily work, rural women have acquired extensive knowledge
on managing natural resources, which enable them to play a crucial role
in combating desertification. The authors further note that women often
do not have decision-making authority and are thus excluded from dryland
development projects. The
report.
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
(BRIDGE, 2006) This bibliography gathers together a range of materials
that consider women's empowerment from varied perspectives, to provide
an accessible introduction to key concepts, approaches and debates. The
bibliography is divided into four main areas: key texts; policy and
practice; evaluation; and critiques and debates. The
bibliography.
A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES: BRINGING A GENDER VISION TO THE
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT FRAMEWORK
(INSTRAW,
2006) Authored by J. Bond and L. Sherret and released by the UN
International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of
Women, this paper analyses the importance of incorporating a gender
perspective into the Responsibility to Protect framework. The paper
discusses how and why gender issues should be incorporated into the
framework, as well as the ways in which to advocate for the protection
and participation of women. The
report.
ENERGY AND GENDER ISSUES IN RURAL SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
(FAO,
2006) This paper by Yianna Lambrou and Grazia Piana discusses gender
issues and energy linkages within the international sustainable
development context and presents recommendations on ways of
incorporating gender sensitivity into energy and development policies
and planning processes. The
report.
STATE OF
THE ENVIRONMENT IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 2005
(UNESCAP, April 2006)
This report looks at the pressures on the environment from rapid
economic growth in the region. It finds that environmental
sustainability requires long-term perspective, greater focus on
eco-efficiency, investment in natural resources, and better measures of
sustainability. The report describes measures for shifting towards
"green growth" as a key requirement for achieving MDG-7 on environmental
sustainability and MDG-1 on poverty reduction. The
synthesis report and the
full report.
PROTECTING TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE: PATHWAYS TO
THE FUTURE
(ICTSD,
April 2006) Authored by Graham Dutfield, this paper overviews the
international framework regarding traditional knowledge, including
developments in the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World
Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization, and
explores solutions to the protection of traditional knowledge in
intellectual property rights law, including positive and defensive
protection. The
paper.
AFRICAN WOMEN'S STATEMENT ON HIV/AIDS AND WOMEN'S
RIGHTS
(Health
and Development Networks, 2006) In this statement issued at the African
Regional Consultation on Women's Rights and HIV/AIDS held in
Johannesburg, South Africa, from 6-7 April 2006, a number of women's
organizations demanded meaningful participation and involvement in
institutions and processes aimed at providing global responses to
HIV/AIDS. The
statement
(April 2006).
WOMEN'S EARNING POWER AND WELLBEING
(UNDP International Poverty Center, 2006) This publication highlights
models of bargaining relationships within households as more accurate
measures of earnings and wellbeing, arguing that when women's
contributions to household monetary income increases, women are more
able to influence how household resources are allocated. The
publication.
BEYOND FIREWOOD: FUEL ALTERNATIVES AND PROTECTION
STRATEGIES FOR DISPLACED WOMEN AND GIRLS
(Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, 2006) This paper
examines fuel provision, collection and physical protection strategies
by internally-displaced and refugee women and girls worldwide, and
assesses alternatives appropriate to the local context and in all phases
of an emergency. The
paper.
FIGHTING POVERTY: A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
(WBI, InWEnt, UN Global Compact, Insituto Ethos, 2006) This publication
reports on the proceedings of of the 10th International
Business Forum on "Business and the Millennium Development Goals: An
Active Role for Globally Responsible Companies," which took place from
11-13 September 2005 in New York. The report was launched during the
World Bank Institute's April 2006 meeting on "Business, NGOs and
Development: Strategic Engagement to Meet the Millennium Development
Goals." The
report.
CREATING AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR THE
ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS
(World Vision International Resources on Child Rights, 2006) This
publication was World Vision's briefing paper to the 50th Commission on
the Status of Women. It compiles articles from World Vision's gender and
development, relief, and advocacy experts in the Sudan, Uganda,
Ethiopia, UK, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and the former
states of the Soviet Union, focusing on the challenges and practices for
the advancement of women and girls in the areas of education, health,
work, and violence. The
publication.
THE EU'S RESPONSIBLITY AT THE WTO: ENVIRONMENT, GENDER
AND DEVELOPMENT
(Women in Development Europe, 2006) This publication, prepared by Women
in Development Europe and Friend's of the Earth Europe, aims to
contribute to a constructive dialogue between civil society
representatives from the North and the South and representatives from
the EU that could contribute to an EU trade policy consistent with
social and gender justice and environmental sustainability. The first
part reports on the public hearing, entitled "The EU's responsibility at
the WTO: Environment, gender and development," highlighting issues such
as the commodification of natural resources under the WTO, the
importance of people's food sovereignty, the gender dimension of the
trade agenda, and biosafety. The second part consists of an analysis of
the outcome of the Hong Kong Ministerial meeting from a feminist and
environmentalist perspective. The
publication.
GLOBAL GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE: ANNUAL REPORT 2006
(World Economic Forum, 2006) The Global Governance Report considers six
major areas: peace and security, poverty and hunger, education, health,
the environment and human rights. The report provides both a scorecard
to measure the effort exerted by governments, international
organizations, business and civil society during 2005 in these areas and
a concise discussion of key actions taken and opportunities missed. The
report.
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND GENDER
EQUITY: A REVIEW OF RESEARCH AND POLICY
(UNRISD, 2006) This paper provides a summary of the empirical and
policy-related literature on the multifaceted relationships between
gender inequalities and foreign direct investment (FDI). The literature
on gender and FDI is evaluated with reference to the broader literature
on FDI and economic development, new research directions are identified,
and the policy implications of managing FDI for development and gender
equity are discussed. The
paper.
NATIONAL TRENDS IN POPULATION, RESOURCES,
ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT 2005: COUNTRY PROFILES
(UN, 2006)
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Population Division
has produced a report presenting country profiles for 2005 building on a
variety of national-level comparative data and documents. The report
shows the current situation and recent trends in population, resources,
environment and development indicators. The
report.
WORLD POPULATION POLICIES 2005
(UN, 2006) The latest version of this biennial report seeks to provide
comprehensive and up-to-date information on the population policy
situation for each of the 194 UN Member States and also non-Member
States, in relation to population growth, population age structure,
fertility, mortality, spatial distribution, and internal and
international migration. The
report.
GENDER, DEVELOPMENT, AND ADVOCACY
(Oxfam, 2006) This online journal considers gender advocacy at different
levels, charting the experience and successes of gender equality
advocates in Pakistan, Australia, and southern Africa. The
journal.
EN ROUTE TO EQUALITY: A GENDER REVIEW OF NATIONAL MDG
REPORTS 2005
(UNDP, 2005) This gender review of national Millennium Development Goal
(MDG) reports provides practical suggestions for effective mainstreaming
of gender concerns and tracking of progress under each Goal. The
findings of the review demonstrate the added value of including a gender
equality perspective in future reporting on the progress of the MDGs.
The review.
TAKING GENDER EQUALITY SERIOUSLY: MAKING PROGRESS,
MEETING NEW CHALLENGES
(UNDP, 2006) This booklet documents UNDP success stories in gender
mainstreaming, focusing on the areas of democratic governance, poverty
reduction, crisis prevention and recovery, energy and environment and
HIV/AIDS. The
booklet.
SOCIAL AND GENDER ANALYSIS IN NATURAL RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT: LEARNING STUDIES AND LESSONS FROM ASIA
(International Development Research Centre, 2006) This book documents
the steps taken by researchers to implement social and gender analysis,
based on studies in China, India, Mongolia, Nepal, and Viet Nam. The
book combines learning experiences and scientific results on several
natural resource management questions, including those related to
biodiversity conservation, crop and livestock improvement, and
sustainable grassland development. The
book.
SOCIAL
JUSTICE IN AN OPEN WORLD
(UN, 2006)
This book builds on a three-year project, the International Forum for
Social Development, undertaken by the UN Department of Economic and
Social Affairs to promote international cooperation for social
development and support developing countries and social groups not
benefiting from globalization. The book discusses the legal and
developmental dimensions of international and social justice, the
raising inequalities among States and among people, and international
and social justice in the UN, highlighting the impact of the Millennium
Declaration, the Millennium Development Goals and the World Summit on
Social Development. The
book.
UNAIDS NEW WEBSITE AND QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
UNAIDS – the joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS – has launched its new-look
website, which focuses on the impact of UNAIDS' work through its
cosponsors and partners. The website contents are available in English,
French, Spanish and Russian, and target the following audience groups:
business and labor, civil society, donors, media, people living with
HIV/AIDS, policy-makers, researchers, the UN family, and women. The
website. UNAIDS has also launched a
new quarterly
newsletter.
WHO'S WHO OF FEMALE ENVIRONMENTALISTS
(UNEP, March 2006) This new publication was unveiled on Wednesday, 8
March 2006 to mark
International Women's Day. The new publication includes
information on many of the world's leading female decision makers and
influential figures on environmental issues.
More information.
ASSESSING ENVIRONMENT'S CONTRIBUTION TO POVERTY
REDUCTION
(UNEP;
IIED; IUCN; WRI, 2005) This paper examines how countries can use
information and assessment methods to measure and report on progress
towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7 (ensure environmental
sustainability). This study reviews the five indicators of the MDG
framework that measure progress toward reversing environmental resource
loss, including indicators of forest cover, biodiversity, energy use,
emissions of carbon dioxide and ozone-depleting substances, and use of
solid fuels. The
paper.
EQUAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND MEN IN
DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON POLITICAL
PARTICIPATION AND LEADERSHIP
(UN
Division for the Advancement of Women, 2005) This paper examines both
the political participation and political representation aspects of
decision-making, the underlying issues that influence the disparity
between men and women in this area, and assesses the various strategies
to address this disparity. The paper concludes that women's
participation in decision-making bodies illustrates that globally the
political pressure brought about by women's groups and movements and
international institutions have begun to address some issues of
under-representation. The
report.
THE WORLD'S WOMEN 2005: PROGRESS IN STATISTICS
(UNDESA,
2006) This report presents, reviews and analyses national sex
disaggregated statistics on demographics, health, education, work,
violence against women, poverty, human rights and decision-making
relevant to gender concerns during the past 30 years. It proposes a set
of strategies to strengthen national capacity to collect and report
statistics and also to improve mainstreaming of gender concerns. The
report.
LAND TENURE REFORM AND GENDER EQUALITY
(UNRISD,
January 2006) This Research and Policy Brief reviews the research
findings of the UN Research Institute for Social Development showing
that the new generation of land tenure reforms introduced in the 1990s
is not necessarily more gender equitable than earlier efforts, even
though women's ability to gain independent access to land is
increasingly included in government statutes. The
brief.
If you
would like to submit details of
recently published documents and online resources,
send a message to
Diego Noguera, IISD
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