The World Youth Report 2003 provides an overview of the global situation of young people. The first 10 chapters focus on the priority areas identified by the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY), adopted by the General Assembly in 1995. The remaining five chapters address some of the newer issues that were later identified as additional priorities for youth and were adopted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2003.

The 2003 Report on the World Social Situation is the sixteenth in a series of reports on the subject dating back to 1952. It is available as a United Nations sales publication. Its main theme is ” Social vulnerability”. The present Report is the first produced on a biennial basis. This is not, however, the only change to the Report. Its content should be seen as part of the new initiatives put forward by the Secretary-General in his quest to renew the capacity of the Organization to provide a space for genuine dialogue and to serve as a catalyst for effective action.

There are two new main features in the 2003 RWSS compared to previous reports.…