The analysis in this report is based on both quantitative and qualitative sources. The quantitative data come from the ongoing data collection system in West Africa of the Mixed Migration Centre, which provides primary data on migration flows by surveying refugees and migrants, as well as smugglers and facilitators, along frequently used migration routes and in major hubs for migration. The migrant smuggling business is multifaceted, even at the individual level. The vast majority of smugglers surveyed reported having multiple responsibilities in the smuggling process, with an overall average of four responsibilities each. Many of them also work in multiple countries: almost half of the smugglers surveyed operate in more than one country and one in five do so in four or more countries. Some refugees and migrants are subjected to exploitation and abuse during their migration journey through the Central Sahel, whether or not that journey is undertaken with smugglers. However, smugglers are less frequently cited as being perpetrators of exploitation and abuse than border officials, security forces, armed groups and criminal gangs.

The report reviews the situation of Palestinian women and girls in the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2024, focusing on their political, social, economic and human rights. The security and political context are assessed, which deteriorated at an alarming rate during the reporting period, with devastating consequences for women’s rights to life, security and protection. The report describes the unprecedented Israeli war on Gaza since 7 October 2023, which has resulted in an escalation of humanitarian and protection crises, with further ramifications for the West Bank, including far-reaching impacts on women and girls. The analysis also focuses on life under occupation in the West Bank, emphasizing the severe consequences for women and girls of movement restrictions, increased arrests and raids. Positive achievements in the advancement of the rights of Palestinian women and girls during the reporting period are also highlighted. Lastly, recommendations are proposed for decision makers, encompassing a broad range of gender-sensitive legal and institutional reforms along with economic and social policy reforms targeting Palestinian women and girls. The report calls for urgent action for a permanent ceasefire and an end to the occupation in line with international law.

Five years after the popular uprisings that swept the Arab region, this report analyses the consequences of the Arab Spring, by focusing on three cases studies, namely Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. It sheds light on the constitutional and political processes in these countries and examines the different new laws and legislations that have been enacted, as well as the socio - economic programmes that have been initiated to support the achievement of social justice. Findings reveal positive developments in terms of adopting a participatory approach in the drafting of the Constitutions and in integrating provisions in the new Constitutions on the promotion of social justice.

Unprecedented social progress has been recorded around the world in the past few decades, with significant drops in poverty levels. However, this progress has been uneven as social and economic inequalities persist, or are increasing, in many countries. Marginalized groups still face numerous obstacles that prevent their full and real participation in economic, social, cultural and political life. To assess the situation on the ground in the Arab region, the present report provides three case studies from Egypt (residents of cemeteries in Cairo), Tunisia (residents of Kasserine, Kairouan and Sidi Bouzid in the Midwest region) and Lebanon (residents of the Bab al-Tabbaneh in Tripoli). These areas have endured chronic marginalization, and their inhabitants suffer from extreme exclusion, with Government and local authorities ignoring their development needs. The report is based on the principle of “leaving no one behind”, which underpins the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The international community pledged to achieve prosperity for all, especially the poorest and most marginalized groups. The report also builds on the framework proposed by the United Nations Development Programme to help achieve the 2030 Agenda, entitled “What does it mean to leave no one behind?”. The report also makes policy recommendations to address the exclusion of marginalized social groups, calls for a holistic approach to social policymaking and institutional reform to eradicate discrimination and exclusion, and presents targeted measures to address the fundamental obstacles that prevent the advancement of disadvantaged, marginalized or excluded social groups.

This Social Development Report, the fifth in this series, provides deep analysis of the status of marginalized and excluded population groups facing severe vulnerabilities in the Arab region. This report examines the region’s ability to meet its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development promise of leaving no one behind. Using the Sustainable Development Goal framework, the report reveals startling realities, with approximately 187 million individuals in the region being left behind across critical dimensions including social protection and access to health, education and housing services. Through intersectional analysis, the report examines the root causes of inequality and showcases pioneering initiatives addressing these challenges. The report presents actionable policy recommendations to empower marginalized groups and ensure more inclusion and equity towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The report also highlights the urgency of integrating the leave no one behind framework into national strategies and calls for the reinvigoration of data collection and monitoring.

The Social Outlook is a flagship ESCAP publication produced every two years with a dedicated focus on social development issues in Asia and the Pacific. In 2024, the Social Outlook focuses on future proofing social protection in Asia and the Pacific in the presence of three global megatrends, namely climate change, demographic shifts including population ageing and the emergence of digital technologies. the analysis contained in the report aims to strengthen the evidence base and build capacity of policy makers on how to future proof and finance their respective social protection systems. The Report is structured around 5 chapters. Chapter 1 reviews poverty and inequality amidst complex crises in Asia and the Pacific. Chapter 2 assesses the status of social protection system while Chapter 3 explores how social protection systems need to adapt to global megatrends. Chapter 4 adopts a forward-looking methodology and develops four alternative future scenarios for social protection systems by 2040. Using strategic foresight tools, it provides policy recommendations at national and reginal levels to meet the preferred future consistent with inclusive and sustainable development. Chapter 5 estimates the cost of inaction and action and elaborates on sources of financing for long-term investments in social protection systems.

This publication examines the social impact of an unprecedented crisis. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have spread to all areas of human life, altering the way we interact, crippling economies and bringing about profound changes in societies. The pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated the major structural gaps in the region, and it is clear that the costs of inequality have become unsustainable and that it is necessary to rebuild with equality and sustainability, aiming for the creation of a true welfare state, long overdue in the region.

This publication presents the relevant macroeconomic background in terms of the evolution of per capita GDP, employment, household income distribution and the consumer price index, and looks at how income inequality and poverty have changed over the past two decades. It discusses changes that occurred in social stratification during the COVID-19 pandemic and addresses the worrying silent crisis of education as another of the pandemic’s major consequences including access to quality alternatives for continuing education and the availability of resources for remote learning. The publication delves upon access to education and the unequal labour impacts of the pandemic on men and women. It also analyses the social institutional framework and the evolution of social spending in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This edition of the Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2024 addresses the challenges of non-contributory social protection to advance towards inclusive social development in the region. Addressing the development crisis, the gaps in inclusive social development and the reconfiguring risk structure requires progress towards universal, comprehensive, sustainable and resilient social protection systems. Non-contributory social protection policies are essential in achieving the objectives and functions of social protection systems: income protection, access to social services and labour inclusion. One in three households in the lowest income quintile lacks access to social protection and programme amounts are often insufficient to overcome poverty. The region faces persistent gender inequality and a care crisis that will be exacerbated by accelerated ageing. Progress in poverty eradication requires comprehensive policies, as well as progress in establishing a standard of social investment in non-contributory social protection.