Nelson Mandela Day- 18 July
18 July is observed as Nelson Mandela International Day! In November 2009, the UN General Assembly declared 18 July “Nelson Mandela International Day” in recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom.
General Assembly resolution A/RES/64/13 recognizes Nelson Mandela’s values and his dedication to the service of humanity, in the fields of conflict resolution, race relations, the promotion and protection of human rights, reconciliation, gender equality and the rights of children and other vulnerable groups, as well as the upliftment of poor and underdeveloped communities. It acknowledges his contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world.
Global Economic Prospects: Managing growth in a volatile world
According to this report, Economic developments of the past year have been volatile, punctuated by natural disasters, large swings in investor sentiment, and periods of relative calm and improving prospects.
The report is available fulltext PDF format
Unlocking Progress: MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF) lessons from pilot countries
Reviews of MDG progress in various countries have revealed many successes, but also the need for urgent, focused action. In the absence of enhanced efforts, many countries risk missing one or more of the targets by the deadline. In others, even if the target will be reached by the country as a whole, subnational areas may lag behind.The MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF) provides a systematic way for countries to develop their own action plan to pursue MDG priorities. This report shares the lessons from 10 pilot countries on efforts taken toward meeting the 2015 MDG deadline. It also addresses disparities and inequalities, one of the major causes of uneven MDG progress across and within countries, by responding to the needs of the most vulnerable —the poorest of the poor, women, and ethnic minorities.
The report is available fulltext for Downlaod in English, French and Spanish.
What will it take to achieve the Millennium Development Goals? An international assessment
Due to the combination of high food prices, climate change and the impact of the international financial and economic crises, disparities in MDG achievement can be seen within and between countries. This report identifies a concrete action agenda which informed the outcome of the World leaders’ MDG Summit in New York that took place in September 2010. Based on a study of what has worked in 50 countries, it provides an eight-point MDG action agenda to accelerate and sustain development progress over the next five years.
See: Fulltext Summary and Fulltext Full report
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2012
Three important targets on poverty, slums and water have been met three years ahead of 2015, says this year’s Report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Meeting the remaining targets, while challenging, is possible ─ but only if Governments do not waiver from their commitments made over a decade ago.
The report is available fulltext PDF in English and fulltext PDF in french
ECOSOC kick-starts 2012 Substantive Session on 2 July
ECOSOC President Miloš Koterec will chair the opening session of the High-level Segment of the Council, which will focus, among other topics on promoting productive capacity and decent work; reviewing trends and promoting coherence and effectiveness in development cooperation, and discussing the state of the world economy and its implications for the achievement of the United Nations development agenda.
More information including live coverage is available from the ECOSOC Website.
RIO+20 The Future We Want - Zero draft of the outcome document
The RIO+20 concluded with the Zero draft of the Outcome document.
This document is accessible full text.
More information on the summit is available from the conference’s website.
UNU 2011 Annual Report
The United Nations University 2011 Annual report highlights the institutions activities and achievements during the year. The report is available full text in PDF format.
23 June is Public Service Day
The UN General Assembly, in its Resolution 57/277, designated 23 June as Public Service Day (A/RES/57/277). The UN Public Service Day intends to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process; recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector.
You can visit the Public Service Page for more information on activities to observe the day.
2011 Human Development Report :Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All
The 2011 Human Development Report argues that the urgent global challenges of sustainability and equity must be addressed together – and identifies policies on the national and global level that could spur mutually reinforcing progress towards these interlinked goals.
he Report shows further how the world’s most disadvantaged people suffer the most from environmental degradation, including in their immediate personal environment, and disproportionately lack political power, making it all the harder for the world community to reach agreement on needed global policy changes.
Previous reports are available at: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2011/
Downloads are available in several languages at:
Arabic: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2011/download/ar/
Chinese: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2011/download/cn/
English: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2011/download/en/
Spanish: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2011/download/es/
French: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2011/download/fr/
Russian: http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2011/download/ru/
June 20 is the World Refugee Day
. The UN General Assembly, on 4 December 2000, adopted resolution 55/76 where it noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on 20 June.
Global activities observing the day and more information is available at: http://wwlw.unhcr.org/4fe1ad369.htm
Rio+20 kicks off with call to action
More than 100 Heads of State and government today gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the start of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which seeks to shape new policies to promote global prosperity, reduce poverty and advance social equity and environmental protection.
The United Nations News and Media services will continue to provide more coverage at: http://www.un.org/apps/news/html/rio/
and live coverage at: http://webtv.un.org/live-now/watch/rio20-press-conference-vip-room-see-schedule-for-more-details/1691748553001
OHCHR Report 2011
The OHCHR 2011 Report provides a synthesis of the accomplishments by the office during the 2010-2011 biennium.
The report is accessible full text online at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/ohchrreport2011/web_version/ohchr_report2011_web/allegati/downloads/0_Whole_OHCHR_Report_2011.pdf
Other reports from 200o are available full text at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/PublicationsResources/Pages/AnnualReportAppeal.aspx
The 20th session of the Human Rights Council begins
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.
Information and documentation on for the current session is available at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session20/Pages/ListReports.aspx
Sessions reports are available at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/Sessions.aspx
