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Social Development

Parliaments play a central role in enacting legislation that recognizes indigenous peoples’ rights and adopting budgetary measures to implement those rights, both of which are critical enablers to drive the implementation of the UN Declaration at the national level. This handbook aims to be a practical instrument to enable parliamentarians around the world to understand indigenous peoples’ rights better and to provide practical ideas for the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which defines the minimum standards necessary for the survival, dignity and well-being of indigenous peoples of the world.

The handbook presents good practices in…

Social Development

In General Assembly resolution A/RES/50/81 the World Programme of Action for Youth, Member States were called upon to address health issues of young people. In this context, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs has prepared a publication on the emerging issue of the Social Inclusion of Youth with Mental Health Conditions.

The publication raises awareness on the situation of youth with mental health conditions among relevant stakeholders and aims to start a global conversation regarding strategies for addressing the specific challenges faced by young people with mental health conditions.  It underscores the critical need to move beyond treatment-oriented mental health…

Statistics

Millions of people’s lives have improved due to concerted global, regional, national and local efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which serve as the foundation for the next global development agenda, according to the report launched by the Secretary-General on 7 July 2014.

With many MDG targets already met on reducing poverty, increasing access to improved drinking water sources, improving the lives of slum dwellers and achieving gender parity in primary school, the report says many more targets are within reach by their 2015 target date. If trends continue, the world will surpass MDG targets on malaria, tuberculosis and access to HIV treatment, and the…

Social Development

On 23 September 2013, the General Assembly convened the first ever High Level Meeting on “the Realization of the MDGs and other internationally agreed development goals for persons with disabilities.” During the opening segment, Member States unanimously adopted the Outcome Document, which is reproduced in this brochure.

Population

World Population Policies 2013 report is part of a series that provides comprehensive and up-to-date available information on the population policy situations and trends for all 193 Member States, two Observer States and two non-member States of the United Nations. The publication documents changes in Government views and policies from 1976 to 2013 with respect to population size and growth, age structure, fertility, reproductive health and family planning, health and mortality, spatial distribution and internal migration, and international migration within the context of demographic, social and economic change.

Social Development

The publication reviews the concept of accessibility and its role in achieving inclusive and sustainable development. It propositions that accessibility be, not only a means and a goal of inclusive development, but also an enabler of an improved, participative economic and social environment for all members of society, including persons with disabilities.

Three key issues are addressed in the publication: (1) Accessibility in the context of human rights and development; (2) accessibility in policy and practice; and (3) accessibility and a disability-inclusive post-2015 development agenda.

The publication reviews good practices and lessons learned from both top-down and…

Economic Analysis and Policy

The experience from the Millennium Development Goals has shown that well-defined, objectively measurable indicators can help to maintain focus on internationally agreed development goals and targets, while keeping the world informed of achievements, problem areas and emerging issues.

Looking ahead to the post-2015 development agenda, it will be important to develop a robust monitoring system that draws on traditional data collection methods and innovations in statistics and data collection to develop a monitoring framework that can measure progress on the various thematic areas.

While it is still too early to define a set of indicators and targets for the development…

Statistics With some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) already met, more targets are within reach by the 2015 target date, while challenges to achieving others must be urgently addressed, according to a new report launched on 1 July by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Based on comprehensive official statistics, The Millennium Development Goals Report 2013 shows that the combined actionsof national governments, the international community, civil society and the private sector are making the achievement of the MDGs a reality.



“The Millennium Development Goals have been the most successful global anti-poverty push in history,” Mr. Ban said. “The MDGs have proven that focused global…

Population

The current world population of 7.2 billion is projected to increase by 1 billion over the next 12 years and reach 9.6 billion by 2050, according to a United Nations report launched today, which points out that growth will be mainly in developing countries, with more than half in Africa.

“Although population growth has slowed for the world as a whole, this report reminds us that some developing countries, especially in Africa, are still growing rapidly,” said the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Wu Hongbo in a press release on the report.

The report, World Population Prospects: the 2012 Revision, notes that the population of developed regions will…

Social Development

UNDESA-DSPD, from 8 August to 5 September 2012, conducted a global online survey to gather inputs for consideration by the 51st session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD), which took place from 6 to 15 February 2013.

The survey enabled the public worldwide to respond to a set of questions that were related to the priority theme of CSocD on “Promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all”.

The responses collected and selected from the first question “Empowerment: What does it mean to you?” was published in a separate booklet.

Social Development

The “Definitions of Empowerment” represents a collaborative effort, made possible by the answers received from people all over the world on the Empowerment theme. Their invaluable contributions were essential for the preparation of the Empowerment Publication.

In order to collect people’s ideas and experiences, the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of UNDESA launched an on-line survey on “Promoting Empowerment of People”.

We were glad to receive tens and tens of responses from young individuals, persons with disabilities, older persons, and people working for various institutions and organizations committed to social development issues. Their keen interest…

Statistics

The report presents the yearly assessment of global progress towards the MDGs, highlighting several milestones – three important MDG targets have been met well ahead of the target date of 2015. The report says that meeting the remaining targets, while challenging, remain possible – but only if Governments do not waiver from their commitments made over a decade ago.

Based on a master set of data compiled by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG indicators led by DESA’s Statistics Division, the 2012 report outlines gains in poverty reduction and access to safe drinking water, and an improvement in the lives of slums dwellers in urban areas. The report also highlights important…