New UN websites & publications
UN in General
2019 Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference
https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/2019-peacekeeping-ministerial-conference
The United Nations is hosting the 2019 United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial on Uniformed Capabilities, Performance and Protection on 29 March 2019 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Building on the ongoing effort to strengthen peacekeeping operations through the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative (A4P) and the previous peacekeeping ministerials and summits in New York (2014), the Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping in New York (2015), Paris (2016), London (2016), and Vancouver (2017), the meeting presents an opportunity to discuss and generate the specialized capabilities necessary for contemporary United Nations peacekeeping, with a specific focus on uniformed capabilities, performance and the protection of civilians.
High-Level Meeting on the Protection of the Global Climate for Present & Future Generations of Humankind in the Context of the Economic, Social and Environmental Dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 28 March 2019, United Nations Headquarters, New York
https://www.un.org/pga/73/event/climate-and-sustainable-development-for-all/
As per UNGA Resolution A/RES/72/219, the President of the General Assembly will convene a High-Level Meeting on the issue of the protection of the global climate for present and future generations of humankind in the context of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This High-Level Meeting will take an intergenerational approach in highlighting synergies between climate and broader SDGs. It will also focus on identifying specific actions, commitments, and means of implementation that can make a material difference to climate change mitigation and adaptation, or signal an emerging precedent for action.
United Nations Global Leadership
English: https://www.un.org/sg/en/global-leadership/home
French: https://www.un.org/sg/fr/global-leadership/home
In collaboration with Office of the Secretary-General, the Digital Support Unit (DSU) has produced a new UN Global Leadership page as part of the SG website. The page, which lists each department of the Secretariat, the regional commissions, field operations, funds and programmes, and other entities, provides links to photos and biographies of the leaders of each entity.
United Nations Maps – Digitization Update
https://library.un.org/content/digitization-update-united-nations-maps
The Dag Hammarskjöld Library has roughly 8000 UN authored maps in its collection. This map collection is unique in its scope, relating to the work of the United Nations through the decades. The collection includes general reference and thematic maps, such as regional and country maps, as well as maps about non-self-governing territories, demographics, and peacekeeping operations. Some rare printed copies are available in the collection, dating back to the earliest years of the United Nations. To make these striking, one of a kind prints available to the wider public, the Library is carrying out a map digitization project in conjunction with the Geospatial Information Section (GIS) of the United Nations. The project is a unique collaboration between the two departments to unlock and preserve geographic information collected since 1947. In addition to creating digital copies, Library map specialists analyze the map content to create metadata to make each map searchable by subject heading or call number in the United Nations Digital Library.
New UNRIC Library Backgrounder: Venezuela
English – html: https://bit.ly/2NB96l3
English – pdf: https://bit.ly/2IV4yHO
Spanish – pdf: https://bit.ly/2NxccXk
UN Archives Research Guides
Currently three different guides are available:
- Secretaries-General
https://archives.un.org/content/secretaries-general
Archives of all former Secretaries-General are available for consultation. - Death of Dag Hammarskjöld
https://archives.un.org/content/death-dag-hammarskjöld - World War II: Refugees
https://archives.un.org/content/wwii-refugees
For other UN Research Guides check our website:
English: https://unric.org/en/info-point-library/un-research-guides/
French: https://unric.org/fr/ressources/documentation/guides-de-recherche/
Spanish: https://unric.org/es/recursos/guias-de-investigacion/
Women in Politics 2019 (UN Women / IPU)
https://www.ipu.org/resources/publications/infographics/2019-03/women-in-politics-2019
Women’s representation in political decision-making continues to rise slowly, with slight improvements since 2017, according to the data presented in the 2019 edition of the biennial IPU-UN Women map of Women in Politics. The map was launched at a press conference on 12 March 2019 during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) at the UN in New York.
Economic Growth and Sustainable Development
The Critical Role of Infrastructure for the Sustainable Development Goals (UNOPS)
https://unops.economist.com/
The report argues for a new understanding of the role infrastructure plays in long-term sustainable development. Focused on how infrastructure can catalyze long-term sustainability and prosperity, the research explores the fundamental role that infrastructure can and will play in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The paper concludes that new approaches to planning and implementation will need to be adopted to ensure new infrastructure developments meet this potential. Produced by The Economist Intelligence Unit and supported by UNOPS, the independent research essay includes contributions from leading experts in related sectors, including from the World Bank, UK Department for International Development (DFID), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), University of Oxford, International Finance Corporation, Arup and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Frontiers 2018/19: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern (UN Environment)
https://www.unenvironment.org/frontiers
From breathtaking advances in synthetic biology to pitfalls in climate adaptation, UN Environment’s latest Frontiers report, launched on 4 March 2019, explores the biggest emerging environmental issues that will have profound effects on our society, economy and ecosystems, along with some exciting and novel solutions. By scanning the technological and environmental horizons, the report identifies five major topics: – Synthetic biology, modern biotechnology that combines science and engineering to manufacture and modify genetic materials, living organisms and biological systems; – Ecological connectivity – the linking and bridging of fragmented habitats into a connected landscape to prevent species extinctions; – Permafrost peatlands – the ground in the northern hemisphere that remains permanently frozen and holds approximately half of the world’s soil organic carbon, threatened by rising temperatures in the Arctic; – Nitrogen pollution – the disturbance of ecosystems, human health and economies by massively altering of the global nitrogen cycle through human activity; Maladaptation to climate change – the unintended increases in climate-related damages or diminished welfare of sustainable adaptation efforts.
Global Resources Outlook 2019: Natural Resources for the Future We Want
Report in English, Summary for Policymakers in English, French & Spanish: http://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/global-resources-outlook
Rapid growth in extraction of materials is the chief culprit in climate change and biodiversity loss – a challenge that will only worsen unless the world urgently undertakes a systemic reform of resource use, according to a report released at the UN Environment Assembly on 12 March 2019. Prepared by the International Resource Panel, the report examines the trends in natural resources and their corresponding consumption patterns since the 1970s to support policymakers in strategic decision-making and transitioning to a sustainable economy.
Health, rights and drugs: harm reduction, decriminalization and zero discrimination for people who use drugs (UNAIDS)
http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/JC2954_UNAIDS_drugs_report_2019_en.pdf
A report released on 13 March 2019 by UNAIDS shows that despite a decline in new HIV infections globally, HIV incidence is not declining among people who inject drugs (1.4% worldwide in 2017). The report also shows that 99% of people who inject drugs live in countries that do not provide adequate harm reduction service coverage. The new UNAIDS report shows that of the 10.4 million people who inject drugs in 2016, more than half were living with hepatitis C and one in eight were living with HIV. It outlines that ensuring that comprehensive harm reduction services are available—including needle–syringe programmes, drug dependence treatment and HIV testing and treatment—will kick-start progress on stopping new HIV infections among people who use drugs.
INCB Annual Report 2018
English, French & Spanish: https://bit.ly/2uomal2
The International Narcotics Control Board Annual Report for 2018 warns that poorly regulated medical cannabis programmes could lead to increased diversion of cannabis and cannabinoids and to increased “recreational” use of the drug. The report looks in detail at the risks and benefits of medical and scientific use of cannabis and cannabinoids and the impact of “recreational” use. It finds that poorly regulated medical cannabis programmes, that are not run in accordance with the drug control conventions, can result in diversion to non-medical use and adversely affect public health.
Infrastructure: Underpinning Sustainable Development (UNOPS)
https://bit.ly/2U0Qbpq
A report published in October 2018 by the University of Oxford-led Infrastructure Transition Research Consortium (ITRC) and UNOPS, has found that efficient infrastructure policy and disciplined investment decisions are vital for attaining the SDGs. The report is the result of extensive research into the influence that both ‘networked infrastructure’ (water, waste, energy, digital communications and transport infrastructure) and ‘non-networked infrastructure’ (buildings and facilities) have on all 17 SDGs. It highlights the need to understand infrastructure as an integrated system of systems – the interdependencies across sectors requires us to break down the ‘silo mentality’ in infrastructure development.
Measuring progress towards achieving environmental dimension of the SDGs (UN Environment)
https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/27627/MeaProg2019.pdf
Did you know that only 22% of the environment-related SDG indicators are on track to meet the target if current trends continue? For 68%, there is not enough data to assess progress and for 16% there is not progress toward achieving the target. Specifically, progress has been made on all 11 environment-related SDGs indicators related to policy, financial and institutional processes with available data; there has been mixed progress in improving access to environmental resources and reducing the impacts of environmental degradation on human health and food security; and there is either no data or no progress towards all 12 of the SDGs targets related to the state of the environment order to achieve the environmental dimension of sustainable development, there is a need to scale up environmental action and also to improve environmental monitoring and analysis.
New Frontiers in Environmental Constitutionalism (UN Environment)
https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/report/new-frontiers-environmental-constitutionalism
The book examines new frontiers in the implementation of constitutional, international, and regional rights-based approaches to promote environmental protection. The contributions collected here represent the research of scholars from across the globe who were invited to participate in a Symposium on New Frontiers held at North-West University in South Africa in April 2016.
A Quantum Leap for Gender Equality: For a better future of work for all (ILO)
Report & Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/2H7NQDl
French Summary: https://bit.ly/2EKesqe
Spanish Summary: https://bit.ly/2TDwVhQ
A future of work in which women will no longer lag behind men is within reach, but it will take a quantum leap, not just hesitant incremental steps, to get there, according to a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report published for International Women’s Day on 8 March. The report is the culmination of five years of work under the ILO’s Women at Work Centenary Initiative.
South-South Cooperation in a Digital World: 2018 Annual Report in South-South Cooperation
https://www.unsouthsouth.org/2019/03/18/south-south-cooperation-an-a-digital-world-2018-annual-report-in-south-south-cooperation/
The UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) launched on 19 March 2019 its new report “South-South Cooperation in a Digital World”, which further explores and analyzes development prospects and trends affecting and impacting digital industries in the Global South, and puts forward proposals for digital industrial cooperation among Southern countries.
Universal Social Protection for Human Dignity, Social Justice and Sustainable Development (ILO)
English: https://bit.ly/2FzsXPa
French: https://bit.ly/2YlApoB
Spanish: https://bit.ly/2OoGzzL
More than half of the world’s population lacks access to essential health care and just 29 per cent have comprehensive social security coverage, according to a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report on the implementation of social protection in more than 100 countries. Globally, only 68 per cent of persons of retirement age receive some form of pension, and in many low-income countries this drops to just 20 per cent. Fewer than 60 per cent of countries reported that they had schemes or benefits to ensure income security for children.
World Water Development Report 2019: Leaving No One Behind
Report in English, French, Spanish & Italian; Executive Summary in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian & Portuguese; Facts and Figures in English, French, Spanish, Italian & Portuguese: https://en.unesco.org/water-security/wwap/wwdr/2019
The 2019 edition of the World Water Development Report (WWDR 2019) entitled ‘Leaving No One Behind’ seeks to inform policy and decision-makers, inside and outside the water community, how improvements in water resources management and access to water supply and sanitation services are essential to overcoming poverty and addressing various other social and economic inequities. It was launched at the Human Rights Council, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva (Switzerland) on 19 March 2019.
International Peace and Security
Concept note for the Security Council high-level debate on the theme “Silencing the Guns in Africa: cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations”
English, French & Spanish: https://undocs.org/S/2019/169
The Security Council held an open debate on 27 February 2019 on the topic “Silencing the guns in Africa: cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations”. In order to guide the debate, Equatorial Guinea, the Security Council President for March, has prepared this concept note.
Concept note for the Security Council open debate on preventing and combating the financing of terrorism
English, French & Spanish: https://undocs.org/S/2019/239
As President of the Security Council in March, France will convene an open debate on 28 March 2019, on preventing and combating the financing of terrorism and has prepared this concept note.
Recent articles from DPPA Politically Speaking, the Online magazine of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
- The UN’s Evolving “Peace and Security” Architecture: Is the World Body Becoming More Effective in this Core Mission? (18 March 2019)
https://dppa-ps.atavist.com/the-uns-evolving-peace-and-security-architecture
“Sustaining Peace”. “Peace and conflict continuum”. The “hinge”. These are some of the terms that pepper discussions of the ongoing reform of the United Nations’ work on conflict prevention and resolution and peacebuilding. In this interview of Oscar Fernández-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, we discuss the meaning of these terms and whether the reform is making a difference. - Can Climate Change Lead to Armed Conflict? A Direct Link is Not Obvious, But Risks are Clear (15 March 2019)
https://dppa-ps.atavist.com/can-climate-change-lead-to-armed-conflict- - Silencing the Guns in Africa (5 March 2019)
https://dppa-ps.atavist.com/silencing-the-guns-in-africa
Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse: Report of the Secretary-General (A/73/744, 14 February 2019)
English: http://undocs.org/A/73/744
French: http://undocs.org/fr/A/73/744
Spanish: http://undocs.org/sp/A/73/744
Annex (only available in English): https://bit.ly/2W6xcHy
Introduction: “Combating sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by personnel serving under the United Nations flag, whether in peacekeeping or special political missions, other United Nations entities or non-United Nations international forces authorized by a Security Council mandate, is a priority collective effort for the United Nations. The present report contains updates to the information provided in my previous report (A/72/751 and A/72/751/Corr.1), including on prioritizing the rights and dignity of victims, ending impunity, engaging with Member States, civil society and external partners and improving strategic communication for education and transparency. My strategy, which builds on the policy of zero tolerance of sexual exploitation and abuse, is driving a cultural transformation across our complex system comprised of more than 90,000 staff members, in more than 30 entities, and more than 100,000 uniformed personnel. Combating and reporting sexual exploitation and abuse are now seen as the personal responsibility of all and are acknowledged to be rooted in unequal power relations, abuse of power and gender bias, factors which also underlie sexual harassment. Collaboration and coordination among United Nations entities has been strengthened, reflecting an increased understanding that those concerns are shared system-wide. Partnership with the humanitarian sector has been enhanced through engagement with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, the inter-agency mechanism for the coordination of humanitarian assistance, bringing together United Nations and non-United Nations humanitarian partners.”
Human Rights
International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy
https://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/HIV-AIDS/HRDP%20Guidelines%202019_FINAL.PDF
A coalition of United Nations Member States, United Nations entities and leading human rights experts meeting at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, Austria, launched on 15 March 2019 a landmark set of international legal standards to transform and reshape global responses to the world drug problem. The International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy introduce a comprehensive catalogue of human rights standards. Grounded in decades of evidence, they are a guide for governments to develop human rights compliant drug policies, covering the spectrum from cultivation to consumption. Harnessing the universal nature of human rights, the document covers a range of policy areas, from development to criminal justice to public health.
Report of the independent international commission of inquiry on the protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (A/HRC/40/74, 25 February 2019 – Advance unedited version)
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIOPT/Pages/Report2018OPT.aspx
The United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry on the protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory presented its findings on 28 February 2019. The report focuses on the demonstrations in the Gaza Strip, referred to as the “Great March of Return and the Breaking of the Siege”.
Humanitarian Affairs
Fifth Regional Survey on Syrian Refugees’ Perceptions and Intentions on Return to Syria (RPIS): Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan – March 2019 (UNHCR)
https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/68443
This report presents an overview of the key findings of the fifth round of UNHCR’s Return Perceptions and Intention Surveys (RPIS) conducted between November 2018 and February 2019. For this round, surveys were conducted by UNHCR in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Due to the operational context, Turkey did not take part in this RPIS exercise. The findings of this report represent an aggregation of country survey findings. Individual countries may have specific variations, and these can be examined through the individual country intention survey reports.
Syrian Cities Damage Atlas – Eight Year Anniversary of the Syrian Civil War: Thematic assessment of satellite identified damage (UNOSAT, REACH Initiative)
https://bit.ly/2ujHMyW
This damage atlas provides an overview of infrastructure damage in 16 towns and cities across Syria, as well as the Eastern Ghouta region (Duma, Arbin, Harasta, Misraba), providing some of the context needed to understand post-conflict conditions. It also provides a brief overview of current conditions within settlements, the conflicts that led to the damage and destruction of buildings, as well as the impact that this has had on residents’ lives. This damage atlas uses satellite-detected damage analysis to identify buildings that are either destroyed, or severely, or moderately damaged. This analysis was carried out by UNITAR-UNOSAT (United Nations Institute for Training and Research – Operational Satellite Applications Programme), in a framework with REACH, and has been visualised and developed further to provide an overview of the extent of damage and its impact on the community.
Nuclear, Chemical and Conventional Weapons Disarmament
Hypersonic Weapons: A Challenge and Opportunity for Strategic Arms Control; A Study Prepared on the Recommendation of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters
https://bit.ly/2ITIEEV
The pursuit by several nuclear-armed States of novel long-range strike options has received little attention in multilateral disarmament discussions despite their potentially negative implications for security, arms control and disarmament. This study aims to raise awareness of these implications and to consider possible ways to address them in a multilateral context. It includes overviews of: the current state of technology; possible implications for international peace and security; possible implications for existing and future arms control and disarmament efforts; and different approaches States may pursue to address these challenges.