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UN DESA Policy Brief No. 123: Sandboxing and experimenting digital technologies for sustainable development
Institutions and regulators could consider investing in requisite resources and building capacities in deploying sandboxes and experiments, with the medium- and long-term aims to advance agile, responsive and resilient approaches in adopting new technologies and in preparing for the future of digital government and sustainable development.
UN DESA Policy Brief No. 122: Adapting international development cooperation to reduce risk, enable recovery and build resilience
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed new demands on development cooperation in its various forms: finance, capacity support, policy change and multi-stakeholder partnerships. The ongoing challenge of the pandemic and its consequences has also shown the durability and adaptability of development cooperation.
UN DESA Policy Brief No. 121: Bringing the data community and policy makers together to ensure a world with data we trust
The third Forum, held in Bern, Switzerland, in October 2021 brought together over 700 participants in person and over 7,000 virtually, representing a diverse group of stakeholders from the data and statistics community, joining from over 180 countries around the world. The Forum discussions stressed the need for greater collaboration and coordination for inclusive data to leave no one behind; increase financial support; enhance the capacities of National Statistical Offices; and promote greater inclusion of, and access by, marginalised communities.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #120: Investing in the future of rural non-farm economies
Development strategies that focus solely on urban development and leave rural communities behind are not adequate to overcome the development challenges we face.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #119: The critical role of income redistribution for poverty reduction: Alternative scenarios
Achieving SDG 1 by 2030, will require extraordinary efforts by countries, both individually and collectively.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #118: Policy implications of the disruption of the implementation of the 2020 World Population and Housing Census Programme due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Postponing census-taking will have adverse impact on assessing the effects of national development policies due to lack of granular census statistics in the 2020’s
UN/DESA Policy Brief #117: Building the capacities of public servants to implement the 2030 Agenda
The landscape of capacity building for SDG implementation appears fragmented. There likely is untapped potential for cross-fertilization of capacity-building initiatives.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #116: A view of changes in institutional arrangements for SDG implementation at the national level since 2015
There is a trend of broadening and deepening institutionalization of the 2030 Agenda. Yet institutionalization at the country level remains a work in progress – with many countries still putting in place or adjusting parts of their institutional systems for SDG implementation.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #115: Horizontal and vertical integration are more necessary than ever for COVID-19 recovery and SDG implementation
Integrated policy-making has been critical in responding effectively to the pandemic, and will be paramount in post-COVID recovery to realize the Sustainable Development Goals.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #114: Connecting the dots: The still elusive synergies between accountability institutions and the follow-up and review of the Sustainable Development Goals
Strengthening such integration can contribute to more holistic SDG monitoring efforts and strengthen accountability for progress on the SDGs. This seems particularly relevant in the context of COVID-19, as countries must urgently address the significant and differentiated impacts of the pandemic on SDG implementation.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #113: Digitally enabled new forms of work and policy implications for labour regulation frameworks and social protection systems
Social protection systems need to adapt to ensure no worker is left unprotected in a future world of work transformed by digital technology.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #112: Harnessing longevity in the future of work
Promoting the inclusion of older persons in the new realities of work requires addressing barriers in their access to decent work, including discrimination and participation in informal employment.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #111: Wildfires – a growing concern for sustainable development
This policy brief reviews trends and impacts of wildfires on sustainable development. It provides an analysis of the key drivers of wildfires and proposes measures to reduce the risk and impacts.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #110: Time for transformative changes for SDGs: what the data tells us
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, undermining decades of development efforts. The crisis has pushed hundreds millions of people back into poverty.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #109: Accelerate action to revamp production and consumption patterns: the circular economy, cooperatives and the social and solidarity economy
Achieving sustainable development requires determined actions to revamp production and consumption patterns, creating a resource-efficient and resilient post-pandemic recovery.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #108: Trust in public institutions: Trends and implications for economic security
Economic insecurity—which the COVID-19 crisis threatens to exacerbate—and perceptions of poor or corrupt government performance undermine the social contract and are closely linked to declines in institutional trust.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #107: Social protection in rural areas: achieving universal access for all
Government action is required to ensure social protection measures, including floors, are available for all in rural areas.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #106: Reducing poverty and inequality in rural areas: key to inclusive development
Countries that have succeeded in reducing both rural poverty and inequalities have promoted inclusive agricultural growth, access to land and social protection in rural areas, and paid special attention to the needs of the most vulnerable.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #105: Circular agriculture for sustainable rural development
The strengthening of institutions and incentives such as water user associations and secure water and tenure rights, along with enhanced international cooperation, can spur greater application of circular approaches in agriculture.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #104: In situ urbanization key to leaving no one behind
Expanding opportunities in non-farm activities in rural areas is a key for sustainable development without “leaving no one behind”. Where the typical farmers are small landowners, technology alone may not be able to help farmers escape from poverty, and technical advances need to be complemented by a holistic approach.