New UN websites & publications
UN in General
UN News Centre
Make 2021 a year of possibility and hope, UN chief tells General Assembly (28 January 2021)
• English: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1083162
• French: https://news.un.org/fr/story/2021/01/1087992
• Spanish: https://news.un.org/es/story/2021/01/1487222
• Portuguese: https://news.un.org/pt/story/2021/01/1739892
Speech
• English: Following Year of Death, Disaster, Despair, Secretary-General Outlines Priorities for 2021, Telling General Assembly ‘Crisis Gives Rise to Change’ (SG/SM/20558, 28 January 2021): https://www.un.org/press/en/2021/sgsm20558.doc.htm
• French : Le Secrétaire général énonce dix priorités pour que le monde passe en 2021 d’une « annus horribilis » à une « annus possibilitatis », une année de possibilités et d’espoir (SG/SM/20558, 28 janvier 2021) : https://www.un.org/press/fr/2021/sgsm20558.doc.htm
Selection and Appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
https://www.un.org/pga/75/sg-selection/
The office of the President of the General Assembly has just launched a web page, which should help the public to better understand the Secretary-General selection and appointment process. It will be updated regularly.
https://results.un.org/
The newly launched results.un.org portal is a product of the reform, providing access to hundreds of results contained in the proposed programme budget for 2021. When you visit results.un.org you will find more than 600 results in all six official languages that are presented in an easy-to-use portal that is available to Member States and anyone with internet access. You can filter results by entity, geographical location and category of result, which includes intelligent search capability. The various examples in results.un.org show how the UN intends to help reduce inequality, achieve sustainable development, advance adherence to human rights and the rule of law, achieve safer and more peaceful societies, and ensure greater access to humanitarian assistance and protection for refugees while advancing international law. The focus on governments, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, women, youth and vulnerable groups is evident throughout.
New in the UN Digital Library: Press Releases
https://digitallibrary.un.org
Many people know that the latest UN Headquarters press releases are readily accessible online. But did you know that the Dag Hammarskjöld Library is a treasure trove for new and historical UN press releases? As of November 2020, more than 23,000 press releases going back to 1946 have been catalogued in the UN Digital Library, with more than 9,600 records linking to the online version.
Video on the World Bank Group Archives
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/video/2020/12/03/uncover-the-treasures-of-the-world-bank-group-archives?cid
This short promotional video describes the possibilities available to researchers when they “jump in and explore” the holdings of the World Bank Group Archives.
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/339256/WHO-EURO-2021-1936-41687-57038-eng.pdf
Media outlets are key public health players, shaping perceptions of risk and targeting communities to protect health. This document offers tools to help the media play their role in the COVID-19 pandemic response through accurate, ethical and responsible reporting. It also proposes ways to approach coverage and encourages journalists to provide advice and solutions that can help reduce health risks and save lives.
Report: https://www.who.int/publications/global-report-on-health-data-systems-and-capacity-2020
Data dashboard: https://www.who.int/data/data-collection-tools/score/dashboard#/
The first global assessment on the status and capacity of health information systems in 133 countries, covering 87% of the global population. It identifies gaps and provides guidance for investment in areas that can have the greatest impact on the quality, availability, analysis, accessibility and use of health data.
ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work. Seventh edition
https://bit.ly/3qVFFfY
Tentative signs of recovery are emerging in global labour markets, following unprecedented disruption in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest report from the International Labour Organization, released on 25 January 2021. New annual estimates in the seventh edition of the ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work confirm the massive impact that labour markets suffered in 2020. The latest figures show that 8.8 per cent of global working hours were lost for the whole of last year (relative to the fourth quarter of 2019), equivalent to 255 million full-time jobs. This is approximately four times greater than the number lost during the 2009 global financial crisis.
The impact of COVID-19 on fisheries and aquaculture food systems: Possible responses – Information paper, November 2020 (FAO)
http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cb2537en
Global fisheries and aquaculture have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and could face further disruption in 2021 as lockdowns affect supply and demand across the sector, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), released on 2 February 2021. The report was featured during the 34th session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) hosted by FAO. Fish supply, consumption and trade revenues for 2020 are all expected to have declined due to containment restrictions, the report noted, while global aquaculture production is expected to fall by some 1.3 per cent, the first fall recorded by the sector in several years.
Impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the enjoyment of human rights around the world, including good practices and areas of concern: Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
English, French & Spanish: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/46/19
“Summary: In the present report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights presents an update on the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)pandemic on human rights and highlights the extent to which it has exposed systemic gaps in human rights protection that have undermined resilience. The High Commissioner also presents select good practices of Member States as they attempt to deal with the worst global health crisis in over a century. In the recommendations she makes, the High Commissioner underscores the need for addressing human rights throughout the response and recovery to the pandemic in order to build a more sustainable, equitable and secure future for people and for the planet.”
Livelihoods, food and futures: COVID-19 and the displaced (UNHCR)
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/4b999f79628644df84ccb7c10a9edd9e
In this data visualization project UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, collated statistics from numerous sources to shed more light on the effects of the pandemic on poor and vulnerable people, including refugees. The storymap — the third in a series examining how displaced communities have been affected by the coronavirus — illustrates the drastic falls in levels of employment and income since the onset of the pandemic. It also explores how families are coping to meet basic needs, in many cases forced to cut corners because of shrinking household budgets.
Risk communication and community engagement for COVID-19 contact tracing: interim guidance (2021) (WHO/Europe)
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/339100/WHO-EURO-2021-1897-41648-56945-
Second Progress Report / Prepared by the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response for the WHO Executive Board, January 2021
https://theindependentpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Independent-Panel_Second-Report-on-Progress_Final-15-Jan-2021.pdf
Skills development in the time of COVID-19: Taking stock of the initial responses in technical and vocational education and training (ILO)
https://www.ilo.org/skills/areas/skills-training-for-poverty-reduction/WCMS_766557/lang–en/index.htm
According to a global survey of more than 1,350 providers of Technical Vocational Educational Training (TVET), many countries and training providers were insufficiently prepared to respond to the constraints that resulted from the crisis, although some rapidly shifted to distance learning. A majority of survey respondents reported disruptions to training, in particular to work-based learning due to enterprise closures, as well as the cancellation of assessment and certification exams. However, since the start of the crisis, innovations in teaching and learning have begun to emerge, says the report. The survey covered TVET providers, policymakers and social partners in 126 countries. It was conducted between 5 April and 15 May 2020 by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Bank.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #90: A new global deal must promote economic security
https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/un-desa-policy-brief-90-a-new-global-deal-must-promote-economic-security/
Fears related to economic insecurity are on the rise. Changes in the world of work, together with globalization and technological breakthroughs, have benefited many people but are also putting many others at disadvantage or at risk. These long-standing trends, which have raised aspirations but also fears, are compounded by evolving threats, including those brought about by climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
UN/DESA Policy Brief #91: The politics of economic insecurity in the COVID-19 era
https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/un-desa-policy-brief-91-the-politics-of-economic-insecurity-in-the-covid-19-era/
The COVID-19 crisis has served as a reminder of the extent of economic insecurity, even in countries and among groups that previously considered themselves secure. This is likely to have profound consequences, threatening countries’ ability to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs.
https://vaccinemisinformation.guide/
Misinformation threatens the success of vaccination programs across the world. UNICEF, First Draft, Yale Institute for Global Health, and PGP (The Public Good Projects) have partnered to create the Vaccine Misinformation Management Field Guide. This guide aims to help organizations to address the global infodemic through the development of strategic and well-coordinated national action plans to rapidly counter vaccine misinformation and build demand for vaccination that are informed by social listening.
https://www.un.org/pga/75/vaccines4all/
On 30 November 2020, President Bozkir launched an initiative called #Vaccines4All, calling on UN Member States to support global, multilateral efforts to achieve fair and equitable access to vaccines.
Economic Growth and Sustainable Development
Ageing Water Infrastructure: An Emerging Global Risk (UNU-INWEH)
https://inweh.unu.edu/ageing-water-storage-infrastructure-an-emerging-global-risk/
Food system impacts on biodiversity loss: Three levers for food system transformation in support of nature
https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/publication/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss
Global Climate Litigation Report – 2020 Status Review (UNEP)
https://www.unep.org/resources/report/global-climate-litigation-report-2020-status-review
Managing Infrastructure Assets for Sustainable Development: A handbook for local and national governments
https://www.un.org/development/desa/financing/document/un-handbook-infrastructure-asset-management
https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3898826
The book comprises four sections. Section 1 introduces the SDGs and their relation to geospatial data, describing SDG indicators and data transformations for mapping. Section 2 describes foundational design decisions in the cartographic workflow, including projections, scale, generalization, symbolization, typography, and visual hierarchy, among others. Section 3 introduces the common map types (e.g., choropleths, proportional symbols, dasymetric maps, bivariate maps, cartograms) and diagrams (e.g., bar graphs, scatterplots, timelines) for representing the SDG indicators. Finally, Section 4 discusses considerations for map use environments, such as audiences, user interfaces and interaction operators, mobile and web media, storytelling versus exploration, and open access.
https://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/km-qap/UNDP-Oxford-Poeples-Climate-Vote-Results.pdf
Almost two-thirds of over 1.2 million people surveyed worldwide say that climate change is a global emergency, urging greater action to address the crisis, results from a new UN climate survey revealed on 27 January 2021. Findings from UN Development Programme (UNDP)’s “People’s Climate Vote” – which covered 50 countries with over half the world’s population – also showed that people supported more comprehensive climate policies to respond to the challenges.
https://playing4theplanet.org/2020annual_impact_report/
Want to capture the attention of millions of young people and raise awareness about the climate emergency? Then talk to the video gaming industry. Levelling up, going faster, scoring higher and taking on the impossible is not just what it takes to achieve gaming stardom. They are exactly what it will take to confront urgent global challenges. A recent report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners analyses the impact of the Playing for the Planet Alliance, an initiative that taps the power of the gaming industry to encourage action on climate change. Supported by UNEP, GRID-Arendal and Playmob, the alliance brings together 29 major gaming companies, which can reach over 1.2 billion players. In 2020 – a year in which many were confined to their couches – more than 110 million players were also supporting green initiatives like tree planting through activations in games like Angry Birds and Subway Surfers, promoted in the Google Play Store. And Sony Interactive Entertainment surpassed its own energy efficiency standards, launching the Play Station 5 with reduced power consumption modes.
Productive Capacities Index (PCI) (UNCTAD)
https://unctad.org/topic/least-developed-countries/productive-capacities-index
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has launched a new tool to help developing countries improve their development policies, reduce poverty and build economic resilience to negative shocks such as the coronavirus pandemic, which has devastated economies across the world. The Productive Capacities Index (PCI) is an online portal with publications, manuals, resources and tools that allow policymakers to measure their countries’ performance in achieving their national development goals, as well as their ability to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
State of Economic Inclusion (SEI) Report 2020: The Potential to Scale (World Bank)
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/34917
Urban Observatories: A Comparative Review
https://unhabitat.org/urban-observatories-a-comparative-review
UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2020 (UNEP)
https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/adaptation-gap-report-2020
Waste Wise Cities Tool: Step by Step Guide to Assess City Municipal Solid Waste Management Performance through SDG 11.6.1 Indicator Monitoring (UN Habitat)
https://unhabitat.org/waste-wise-data
UN-Habitat has launched the Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT), an innovation that cities can use to evaluate and improve their municipal solid waste management performance. This method is based on the definition of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) indicator 11.6.1 and generates critical information and parameters through primary data collection to establish better waste and resource management strategies and action plans, as well as to mobilise funds and engage stakeholders of the waste chain.
WHAT IS A ‘GOOD PRACTICE’? A framework to analyse the Quality of Stakeholder Engagement in implementtation and follow-up of the 2030 Agenda
https://bit.ly/3po36yp
WIPO-WTO Colloquium Papers
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/trips_e/colloquium_papers_e/colloquium_search_e.htm
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the WTO have launched a new webpage providing comprehensive access to the WIPO-WTO Colloquium Papers, a joint academic effort aimed at stimulating analysis and debate on intellectual property (IP) issues, particularly of interest to developing countries. The launch marks the 25th anniversary of the bilateral agreement between the two organizations which laid the foundation for cooperation in providing technical assistance to the developing world. The new webpage provides a complete list of all articles published in the journal WIPO-WTO Colloquium Papers, listed in reverse chronological order from the most recent. The articles can be browsed by title and author, or searched according to key word, author’s name, title or full text.
Working from home: From invisibility to decent work (ILO)
Report in English, Executive Summary in English, French & Spanish: https://bit.ly/39qn58R
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2021 (UN DESA)
Report & Executive Summary: https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/world-economic-situation-and-prospects-2021/
#YourVoiceYourFuture Report: Turning challenges into solutions (AU / EU / UNICEF)
https://uni.cf/3ohcKRO
https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/democratic-governance/youth-solutions-report-2020.html
The Youth Solutions Report is a flagship annual report under the Sustainable Development Solutions Network featuring youth-led solutions that offer sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. The Youth Solutions Report 2020, the fourth edition, captures key lessons and insights from 50 youth-led initiatives contributing to the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Selected by an Advisory Panel comprising world-leading experts and crowdsourced from a vast network of partners, these youth-led solutions demonstrate the transformative role of young people in the realization of the 2030 Agenda. The Report also includes analysis by a range of partners on how to address barriers that hinder the contribution of young people to sustainable development.
International Peace and Security
Concept note for the high-level briefing of the Security Council on the theme “Cooperation between the Security Council and the League of Arab States”
English, French & Spanish: https://undocs.org/S/2020/1316
The Security Council will hold a high-level briefing on 18 January 2021, in connection with the item entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security”, on the theme “Cooperation between the Security Council and the League of Arab States”. Tunisia, the Security Council President in January 2021, has prepared this concept note.
High-level Replenishment Conference for the Peacebuilding Fund
held virtually on 26 January 2021
https://www.un.org/peacebuilding/content/pbf-replen-conf-2021
https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/content/highlights-2020
In 2020, marking the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, the Security Council was composed of Belgium, China, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Niger, the Russian Federation, South Africa, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Viet Nam. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Security Council sustained its activity in 2020 by holding both in-person meetings and videoconferences.
The Rapid Response Window on Women’s Participation in Peace Processes
https://wphfund.org/rrw/
The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund has launched a new Rapid Response Window (RRW) to address the funding gap on women’s participation in peace processes. The WPHF RRW provides financing for strategic and urgent services and initiatives that support the participation of women peacebuilders and women’s civil society organizations in national, subnational and international formal peace processes. This new funding mechanism is open to peace processes in all ODA eligible countries with a track 1 or track 2 peace process, including non WPHF-eligible countries.
A training manual: Women in preventing and countering violent extremism (UN Women)
https://bit.ly/3cVJ0YI
Youth, Peace and Security – A Programming Handbook (UN DPPA / UNDP / UNFPA)
https://www.unfpa.org/publications/youth-peace-and-security-programming-handbook
Human Rights
Handbook on Gender-Responsive Police Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence (UN Women / UNODC)
https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2021/01/handbook-gender-responsive-police-services
Preventing Torture and Upholding the Rights of Detainees in Afghanistan: A Factor for Peace (UNAMA / OHCHR)
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/AF/2021report/2021-Torture-Public-Report.pdf
Promoting accountability in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea: Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/46/52, 11 January 2021)
English, French & Spanish: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/46/52
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) is gravely concerned by “credible accounts of forced labour” in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) prison system, according to a new report published on 2 February 2021. Since the 2014 landmark UN investigation into human rights in the DPRK, commonly known as North Korea, there have been reasonable indications that crimes against humanity have been perpetrated, the report said. In collecting and analyzing information relating to these possible crimes, identified by the 2014 probe, the report noted “harsh conditions within the ordinary prison system, which may amount to the crime against humanity of enslavement”.
Promotion reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka: Report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/46/20, 27 January 2021, Advance unedited version)
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/LK/Sri_LankaReportJan2021.docx
A new UN report published on 27 January 2021 warns that the failure of Sri Lanka to address past violations has significantly heightened the risk of human rights violations being repeated. It highlights worrying trends over the past year, such as deepening impunity, increasing militarization of governmental functions, ethno-nationalist rhetoric, and intimidation of civil society. Nearly 12 years after the armed conflict in Sri Lanka ended, impunity for grave human rights violations and abuses by all sides is more entrenched than ever, with the current Government proactively obstructing investigations and trials, and reversing the limited progress that had been previously made, states the report, mandated by UN Human Rights Council resolution 40/1.
The Right to Education in Iraq – Part Two: Obstacles in Girls’ Education after ISIL (UNAMI / OHCHR)
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IQ/GirlsRightEducation_EN.pdf
Part One: The legacy of ISIL territorial control on access to education
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IQ/2020-02IraqRightEducationreport.pdf
Humanitarian Affairs
https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/Housing%20for%20Migrants_compressed_0.pdf
This study is a compendium of best practices and illustrates that housing for migrants and refugees can positively support local communities and economies, and facilitate their integration. The study also highlights the key roles of cities and local administrations in housing provision.
International Migration 2020 Highlights (UN DESA)
https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/news/international-migration-2020
WFP Drones: broadening humanitarian horizons
https://drones.wfp.org/
WFP and Mozambique government first deployed drones in the aftermath of tropical cyclones Idai in 2019, where thousands of aerial images were captured, creating high resolution maps of damaged areas. The time needed to map the hardest-hit areas was cut in half from roughly one week to two or three days. This experience was crucial in rapidly responding to Eloise, just over a week ago.
Drug Control, Crime Prevention and Counter-terrorism
Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020 (UNODC)
https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/tip/2021/GLOTiP_2020_15jan_web.pdf
Youth Crime Prevention through Sport: Insights from the UNODC Line Up Live Up Pilot Programme
https://www.unodc.org/documents/dohadeclaration/Sports/LULU/LULUInsightsReport_final_web.pdf
Newsletter Archive: https://unric.org/en/unric-info-point-library-newsletter-archive