The Demographic Yearbook 2022 is the seventy-third issue in a series published by the United Nations since 1948. It contains tables on a wide range of demographic statistics, including a world summary of selected demographic statistics, statistics on the size, distribution and trends in national populations, fertility,fetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce. Data are shown by urban/rural residence, as available. The volume provides Technical Notes, a synoptic table, a historical index and a listing of the issues of the Demographic Yearbook published to date. This issue of Demographic Yearbook contains data as available including reference year 2022.

The Demographic Yearbook 2024 is the seventy-fifth issue in a series published by the United Nations since 1948. It contains tables on a wide range of demographic statistics, including a world summary of selected demographic statistics, statistics on the size, distribution and trends in national populations, fertility, fetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce. Data are shown by urban/rural residence, as available. The volume provides Technical Notes, a synoptic table, a historical index and a listing of the issues of the Demographic Yearbook published to date. This issue of Demographic Yearbook contains data as available including reference year 2024.

To commemorate, in 2022, the fortieth anniversary of the adoption and opening for signature of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, this publication reflects on the Convention’s successful contribution to the promotion of the peaceful uses of the seas and oceans, the equitable and efficient utilization of their resources, the conservation of their living resources, and the study, protection and preservation of the marine environment. The publication focuses on the historical achievements of the Convention.

The following rules are not intended to describe in detail a model system of penal institutions. They seek only, on the basis of the general consensus of contemporary thought and the essential elements of the most adequate systems of today, to set out what is generally accepted as being good principles and practice in the treatment of prisoners and prison management.

Accounting for approximately 99% of all liquid freshwater on Earth, groundwater has the potential to provide societies with tremendous social, economic and environmental benefits and opportunities. However, this natural resource is often poorly understood, and consequently undervalued, mismanaged and even abused. In spite of its overall abundance, groundwater remains vulnerable to over-exploitation and pollution, both of which can have devastating effects on the resource and its availability. In the context of growing water scarcity across many parts of the world, the enormous potential of groundwater and the need to manage it sustainably can no longer be overlooked. The 2022 edition of The United Nations World Water Development Report describes the challenges and opportunities associated with the development, management and governance of groundwater across the world.

Water nurtures prosperity by meeting basic human needs, supporting health, livelihoods and economic development, underpinning food and energy security, and defending environmental integrity. Water influences the economy in many ways, and global trade dynamics and market adaptations can have direct repercussions on the water use of regional and local economies. The water-related impacts of conflict are multi-faceted and often indirect, such as those linked to forced migration and increased exposure to health threats. Climate change, geopolitical unrest, pandemics, mass migration, hyperinflation and other crises can exacerbate water access inequalities. In nearly all cases, the poorest and most vulnerable groups are those that suffer the greatest risks to their well-being. The 2024 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report (UN WWDR) calls attention to the complex and interlinked relationships between water, prosperity and peace, describing how progress in one dimension can have positive, often essential, repercussions on the others.

The publication is an analysis of the trade data and utilization rates of COMESA Member States on the QUAD countries’ (i.e., Canada, the European Union, Japan, and the United States) GSP preferences as well as the intra-COMESA trade data and their utilization of different REC schemes. The findings should guide the planning and implementation of the necessary reforms and actions to address underutilization; this is especially true when COMESA Member States engage in the AfCFTA.

This document is consolidated by OCHA on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team and partners. It provides a shared understanding of the impact of the war on the people of Ukraine, including the most pressing humanitarian needs, the estimated number of people who need assistance. It also outlines the strategy to ensure adequate and timely life-saving and life-sustaining response, and the financial request to make humanitarian operations possible.

This document is consolidated by OCHA on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team and partners. The Humanitarian Response Plan is a presentation of the coordinated, strategic response devised by humanitarian agencies in order to meet the acute needs of people affected by the crisis. It is based on, and responds to, evidence of needs described in the Humanitarian Needs Overview.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022, the political economy of Ukraine has been profoundly transformed. The aggression affected both licit and illicit trade routes, disrupted criminal organizations, and spawned new forms of informal and illicit exchange at the frontline and in the rear of the country. It has also led to the emergence of new challenges, such as the development of new skills and technologies that could be exploited by transnational organized crime. This report aims to address the following overarching questions: how has the ongoing war against Ukraine affected organized crime and illicit markets in Ukraine, and what are the possible implications for the country, the region and the international community? These questions are addressed through research into the following six areas: Organized crime structures and their evolution; Drug supply and demand, including production and trafficking; Online scams, and cyber and telephone fraud; Arms trafficking; Economic crime, including smuggling of cigarettes and custom fraud; Trafficking in persons; The facilitation of illegal exit and draft evasion. To address the overarching research question about the effects of the war on organized crime and illicit markets, the chapters compare data for the pre-war and post-invasion periods. The report covers the period of January 2021 to June 2024, with background data for 2019-2020 and preceding periods where available and relevant, used for contextualization. It is based on desk research and in-country fieldwork, with analysis of publicly available official statistics and secondary literature, court decisions and key informant interviews. Field data collection and analysis were conducted from December 2023 to June 2024 (see Annex A for more details). The overall purpose of this research is to provide an evidence base to the government of Ukraine and national agencies involved in responding to organized crime, the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations, and other UN Member States, for countering crime-related challenges emerging out of the war against Ukraine. This research focuses on government-controlled parts of Ukraine. Consideration of alleged war crimes is outside the scope of this research.

La crisis mundial de la pandemia de enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) es la peor que se ha registrado desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Ha tenido efectos económicos y sociales devastadores en todo el mundo, con mayor intensidad en los países en desarrollo, que probablemente se extenderán en el mediano y largo plazo. América Latina y el Caribe ha sido una de las regiones más afectadas del mundo en desarrollo y en 2020 sufrió la peor contracción económica de su historia (-6,8%), lo que ha provocado un aumento significativo de la tasa de desempleo (8,1% y 10,7% en 2019 y 2020, respectivamente, que afecta a 44 millones de personas) y de los niveles de pobreza (que pasó de 185,5 millones de personas en 2019 a 209 millones de personas en 2020). Además, la fuerte caída de la inversión (-20% en términos reales) limitará marcadamente la acumulación futura de capital, así como la capacidad de las economías de la región para generar crecimiento y empleo y recuperarse.

The report titled The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads, demonstrates the HIV response is at a crossroads: success or failure will be determined by which path leaders take. The report shows that the decisions leaders make this year will determine whether AIDS is ended as a public health threat by 2030. Taking the wrong path, by limiting resourcing or clamping down on human rights, would lead the pandemic to continue to grow, costing millions more lives and undermining global health security.

The Legislative Guide is designed to take the unique characteristics of micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) into account and to respond to the specific needs and circumstances of their financial distress. In particular, MSEs often have intermingled business and personal debts and a centralized governance model in which ownership, control and management overlap. Unlike larger enterprises, MSEs are often unsophisticated in financial, business management, legal and insolvency matters.In addition, they may have strong concerns over stigmatization arising from insolvency, and this might affect their behaviour in the period approaching insolvency. They may also face more obstacles in resolving financial difficulties, particularly if their creditors are disengaged and disinterested to assist, which is often the case because MSE creditors consider that the costs of their efforts may outweigh the benefits.

This Legislative Guide provides legislative recommendations and relevant commentary on the establishment and operation of simplified forms of limited liability enterprises, which are particularly suitable for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

The UNCITRAL Model Law on Automated Contracting is aimed at facilitating the use of automation in contracts, including through the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques and “smart contracts”, as well as in machine-to-machine transactions. The Model Law provides legislators with a set of internationally acceptable rules to overcome legal obstacles to automated contracting. This publication contains the text of the Model Law on Automated Contracting and its guide to enactment. The guide to enactment draws on preparatory work within UNCITRAL to provide detailed article-by-article remarks to assist those involved in studying or applying the model law.

The Model Legislative Provisions and the Legislative Guide on Public-Private Partnerships were prepared by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and adopted at its fifty-second session (Vienna, 8-19 July 2019). In addition to representatives of member States of the Commission, representatives of many other States and of several international organizations, both intergovernmental and non-governmental, participated actively in the preparatory work. The Model Legislative Provisions translate into legislative language the advice given in the recommendations contained in the Legislative Guide. The Model Legislative Provisions are intended to assist in the establishment of a legislative framework favourable to public-private partnerships (PPPs). The Model Legislative Provisions follow the corresponding notes in the Legislative Guide, which offer an analytical introduction with references to financial, regulatory, legal, policy and other issues raised in the subject area. The user is advised to read the Model Legislative Provisions together with the Legislative Guide, which provide background information to enhance understanding of the legislative recommendations. The Model Legislative Provisions deal with matters that it is important to address in legislation specifically concerned with PPPs. They do not deal with other areas of law that, as discussed in the Legislative Guide, also have an impact on PPPs. Moreover, the successful implementation of PPPs typically requires various measures beyond the establishment of an appropriate legislative framework, such as adequate administrative structures and practices, organizational capability, technical expertise, appropriate human and financial resources and economic stability.

El decimoquinto período de sesiones de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo se celebró en un formato híbrido (virtual y físico), en Bridgetown y Ginebra, del 3 al 7 de octubre de 2021. En su sesión plenaria de clausura, la Conferencia adoptó el Espíritu de Speightstown (TD/541/Add.1) y el Pacto de Bridgetown (TD/541/Add.2). El Pacto de Bridgetown forma la base para el trabajo de la UNCTAD hasta la próxima conferencia cuatrienal en 2024. Estos textos se reproducen allí para facilitar la referencia y como una herramienta de trabajo para todos aquellos involucrados en las actividades de la UNCTAD o en áreas de trabajo relacionadas con su mandatos.

The UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics was first launched in 1967. Over the past 50 years, the handbook has evolved to incorporate new statistics and ensure that readers have access to the best possible information available. The 2021 edition of the Handbook continues in this tradition of excellence and innovation. As in previous years, this edition showcases 'nowcasted' estimates for total merchandised trade, total services trade and GDP. This publication provides a wide range of statistics and indicators relevant to the analysis of international trade, investment, and development.

The UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics was first launched in 1967. Over the past 50 years, the handbook has evolved to incorporate new statistics and ensure that readers have access to the best possible information available. The 2024 edition of the Handbook continues in this tradition of excellence and innovation. As in previous years, this edition showcases 'nowcasted' estimates for total merchandised trade, total services trade and GDP. PDF version is only a snapshot of a comprehensive web version containing more data and themes.

UNCTAD’s extensive work on measuring and benchmarking productive capacities globally reveals significant gaps, not only between developed and developing economies, but also within the developing countries themselves. UNCTAD’s new Productive Capacities Index (PCI) clearly demonstrates that the difference in the levels of socioeconomic development across countries and regions is a consequence of the gaps in their levels of productive capacities.

Undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia amplify gender inequalities by lowering learning potential, wages and life opportunities for adolescent girls and women, weakening their immunity to infections, and increasing their risk of life-threatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth. In ‘Undernourished and Overlooked: A Global Nutrition Crisis in Adolescent Girls and Women’ UNICEF examines the current status, trends and inequities in the nutritional status of adolescent girls and women of reproductive age (15-49 years), and the barriers they face in accessing nutritious diets, utilizing essential nutrition services and benefiting from positive nutrition and care practices. The analysis focuses on undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia because these forms of malnutrition affect the most vulnerable adolescent girls and women in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the context of the ongoing global food and nutrition crisis.

The harmful practices of child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) threaten the well-being of millions of girls around the world. In many countries where both practices are common, girls most at risk tend to share certain characteristics, including a low level of education, a rural residence, and a poorer household. Yet distinct drivers are also found, and in many communities where one practice is common, the other is not. This publication thus seeks to identify the extent to which child marriage and FGM co-exist. It presents an overview for all countries in which both practices have been documented, followed by an in-depth analysis for nine countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Yemen). The intersection of these two practices – that is, the share of women who underwent FGM and were married in childhood – is reviewed over time to determine whether the likelihood of experiencing both has changed across generations. Characteristics that most frequently distinguish girls who experience one practice from those who experience both are also identified here.

The perishable nature of most fruits and vegetables means that loss and waste of products can be high. The problem of waste, in particular, has received much attention in recent years because of its impact on the environment. The Code of Good Practice It has been drawn up by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to provide guidance to the sector on how to reduce losses and waste. The Code sets out measures to be taken at the stages in the value chain before the fruit and vegetables reach the consumer, i.e. from harvest to retail. It contains actions and measures that public and private stakeholders are advised to take or put in place. It is aimed at strengthening the work already being done in this area by many food supply-chain actors. The Code consists of four distinct chapters which focus on the major segments of the fruit and vegetable supply chain – producers, traders, transporters and retailers. The chapters can be used individually. It is complemented by five annexes and a select list of reading matter that describes in detail the processes that regulate fruit and vegetables during growth, maturation, ripening and senescence and the best handling and storage practices.