ALL SDG Goals

Over the decades, the universe of special economic zones (SEZs) has become considerably more complex with the multiplication of “zones” with new and modified objectives. This research note has two objectives. First, it provides a more complete clarification of terminologies in use. This is intended to facilitate the identification of the different types of SEZs - a term that UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2019 (WIR 2019) utilizes as generic concept - and to highlight the key differences between SEZs and free zones, the term in popular use prior to WIR 2019. Second, this research note describes the key differences between SEZs and free zones by major geographical regions and countries.

Launched in 2013, the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) was intended to serve as a platform for testing China’s new policy to facilitate more open trade and further open up its services sectors, such as finance, through easing restrictions on foreign and domestic companies. By 2018, it had attracted over 50,000 member companies. This paper provides an overview of global free economic zones (FEZs), or special economic zones (SEZs), and a detailed study of the Shanghai Pilot FTZ and its success factors and challenges. It draws out lessons that may be applicable to other developing countries.

The UNCTAD-Eora Global Value Chain (GVC) database offers global coverage (189 countries and a “Rest of World” region) and a timeseries from 1990 to 2018, reporting on key GVC indicators. This paper explains the methodology for compiling the UNCTAD-Eora GVC database, including nowcasting employed in the estimation of recent years; second, it provides a comparison of the results against other value-added trade databases, with a focus on the OECD Trade in Value Added (TiVA) dataset; and lastly discusses the relevance of GVC data for the analysis of globalisation patterns, particularly at the intersection between trade, investment and development.

Special economic zones (SEZs) have been used as an important national development instrument around the world for the past several decades. While SEZs have continued to grow, they vary considerably across developing countries in form, function and effectiveness. This wide variation challenges development scholars and policymakers to probe factors that render some SEZs more successful than others and at certain stages of development than at others, and, second, allow some SEZs to sustain their success while triggering others to fail or become obsolete. China stands out not only in having created the largest number and variety of SEZs but also in building some SEZs in other developing countries. With this exceptional combination of inside and outside experience with SEZs, China presents a timely opportunity for reassessing the new global landscape of SEZs. This paper traces the evolution of SEZ development in China and draws out policy lessons.

Volume 26 number 2 of the Transnational Corporations journal is a special issue dedicated to special economic zones (SEZs) and their potential as vehicles for development. The issue grew out of research and background papers that fed into UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2019, the thematic focus of which was SEZs. In compiling this issue, we sought to contextualize the emergence of SEZs, their evolution, and the associated policy trajectories that underpin them. This introductory paper amalgamates observations from the broader academic literature, as well as the findings of the World Investment Report 2019 and its associated background papers. A common theme is that a well-designed zone will evolve with the changing comparative advantages and development level of the underlying economy, in what is described as the “SEZ development ladder”. As the locational advantages change, the emphasis and the objectives of the SEZ must also change. Reliance on “generic” locational advantages must necessarily diminish, and greater emphasis needs to be placed on developing “specialized” locational advantages. Another key finding is that the benefits of an SEZ must intentionally “leak” beyond the perimeter of the zone. The pervasiveness of the direct, indirect, and induced extra-SEZ effects beyond the geographically bounded space of the SEZ determines its success or failure. Scope remains for future research on SEZs, focusing on their sustainability, the impact of the digital economy and industry 4.0, and the involvement of new financing partners for SEZ development.

Innovation is a key competitive advantage for companies in the 21st century. R&D and other innovative work was traditionally carried out by MNEs in their home countries, although it spread to some affiliates in other developed countries in the late 20th century, and to some emerging markets more recently. This paper analyzes the assignment of innovative activity, particularly R&D, by MNEs to their affiliates in emerging markets. Using both aggregate data produced by government organizations and company-specific interviews and published commentaries, we find that MNEs assign more responsibility for R&D and innovation to affiliates in emerging markets that have larger markets, lower human resource costs, greater overall R&D activity and to some extent greater activity of the company in question. China and India are huge exceptions to the rule that MNEs tend to assign only development work to emerging market affiliates: they are increasingly assigning core R&D to these two large countries. Corporate strategy can be adjusted to take advantage of low-cost R&D capabilities, particularly in these large markets, and to pull innovations from those affiliates throughout the rest of the firm. Public policy to attract R&D by MNEs should look at offering companies better access to sizable markets, offering incentives for R&D activity and building up R&D activity in the local economy, by companies and government alike.

The Index to Proceedings of the Economic and Social Council is a bibliographic guide to the proceedings and documentation of the Economic and Social Council. This issue covers the 2018 session of the Council including the organizational and substantive session. The Index is divided in two parts comprising the Subject Index and Index to Speeches. The Index is prepared by the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library.

In 2005, the international community gathered in Tunis for the second and final session of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). That gathering concluded a process, begun in 1998, to build global understanding of the growing importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in many aspects of economy and society. WSIS established a vision for the international multistakeholder community of ‘a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge’ to promote sustainable development in their communities and improve their quality of life. Enormous change has taken place since then. ICTs will play a substantial role in delivering the SDGs. This report summarises developments and suggests priorities for the assessment to be made in five years’ time.

Prepared by the Board, this annual report presents an analysis of the information at its disposal and, in appropriate cases, an account of the explanations, if any, given by or required of Parties, together with any observations and recommendations which the Board desires to make. This report is submitted to the Economic and Social Council through the Commission, which may make such comments as it sees fit.

The setbacks caused by COVID-19 (coronavirus) need not be permanent, and it is possible to regain the momentum and move ahead towards the SDGs. It is even possible to convert the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity for recovering better, by directing much of the resources earmarked for recovery toward investment in promoting the SDGs. While the impact of COVID-19 for many prosperity-related SDGs was negative, its impact for many planet-related SDGs has been positive: greenhouse gas emissions declined; air and water quality improved; and nature’s regeneration was witnessed in many areas. These opposite impacts revealed that current ways of achieving prosperity conflict with the health of the planet.

This report analyzes how five megatrends (climate change, emerging and frontier technologies, demographic trends, inequalities, and urbanization) and their drivers, individually and in combination, transform societies and affect the ability of countries to achieve the SDGs. However, the Agenda is already offtrack. The devastating impacts of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis have further diminished prospects for achieving the SDGs, with the greatest adverse impacts falling on countries and people least able to protect themselves, and already at greatest risk of being left behind. Consideration is given to the interlinkages among trends and how these trends can be fundamentally shaped by policy so that their individual and collective impacts support sustainable development in its various dimensions. The report concludes by identifying a range of policies and interventions that could be effective in shifting the evolution of the megatrends, and establishing the principles that should guide the choice of policies in countries.

La Convention des Nations Unies contre le trafic illicite de stupéfiants et de substances psychotropes de 1988 dispose que l’Organe international de contrôle des stupéfiants présente chaque année à la Commission des stupéfiants un rapport sur l’application de l’article 12 de la Convention et que la Commission examine périodiquement si les Tableaux I et II sont adéquats et pertinents.

The annual report on evaluation for 2015 assesses the progress made by the Independent Evaluation Office of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), programme and policy units at UNDP headquarters, UNDP country offices and the evaluation units of the associated funds and programmes in fulfilling the evaluation function outlined in the UNDP evaluation policy. The report also presents key findings and lessons learned from independent evaluations conducted by the Independent Evaluation Office in 2015. It also sets out the programmes of work for 2016-2017 for the Independent Evaluation Office of UNDP.

There has been some significant progress made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since their adoption in 2015. Notwithstanding this progress, gathering storms of weakening global economic growth, rising income inequality, unabated global warming and climate change, and escalating conflict are posing serious threats to SDG implementation. On the other hand, rapid technological advances, especially renewable energy technologies, offer some hope for accelerating SDG progress. Sustainable Development Outlook 2019: Gathering Storms and Silver Linings identifies some of these key challenges and underscores the imperative of bold and urgent policy actions for addressing them. It identifies the interlinkages among these challenges, highlighting the need for addressing them with an integrated approach instead of tackling them as stand-alone challenges to be resolved sequentially and in isolation. The challenges highlighted here, of course, not only undermine SDG progress; they also risk changing the overall context of sustainable development, and, because they cut across all the SDGs and affect all countries, they can potentially undermine the overall implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Prepared by the Board, this annual report presents an analysis of the information at its disposal and, in appropriate cases, an account of the explanations, if any, given by or required of Parties, together with any observations and recommendations which the Board desires to make. This report is submitted to the Economic and Social Council through the Commission, which may make such comments as it sees fit.

This publication contains two volumes and presents case studies on practical implementation of core indicators for sustainable development reporting with a view to facilitate the sharing of good practices among Member States. Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, member States of the United Nations have focused on establishing priorities and plans towards its implementation while also monitoring progress. To support this process, a global indicator framework was created, establishing 169 targets and 232 indicators for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Relevant data on companies’ contribution to SDGs is important to reaching targets and indicators, but achieving such an objective requires further efforts towards the harmonization and comparability of enterprise data to make them useful in assessing progress. Responding to this challenge, UNCTAD has identified the need for baseline SDG indicators for companies, which would allow for the effective measurement of the private sector's contribution to sustainable development. Volumes I and II offer a compendium of case studies.

This report reflects upon the challenges and opportunities the United Nations has faced over the past year. It presents an account of the progress made and the impact of the work of the Organization across its priorities of maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development and upholding international law. It offers a frank, realistic analysis of current global issues and emphasizes the importance of multilateral action to maintain and improve the current world situation.

El Informe del Secretario General sobre el Trabajo de la Organización (A/75/1) destaca cómo la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas traduce los recursos en impacto. El Informe abarca nueve secciones: (i) promoción del crecimiento económico sostenido y el desarrollo sostenible; (ii) mantenimiento de la paz y la seguridad internacionales; (iii) desarrollo en África; (iv) promoción de los derechos humanos; (v) coordinación eficaz de la asistencia humanitaria; (vi) promoción de la justicia y el derecho internacional; (vii) desarmamiento; (viii) control de drogas, prevención del delito y combate al terrorismo internacional; y (ix) funcionamiento eficaz de la Organización. A la luz de los desarrollos en 2019/2020, el Informe Anual también incluirá información sobre la respuesta de la ONU al COVID-19 (coronavirus). El libro electrónico de esta publicación se ha convertido en un formato accesible para personas con discapacidad visual y personas con dificultades para leer en papel. Es totalmente compatible con las principales tecnologías de lectores de pantalla, como JAWS y NVDA.

La memoria anual del Secretario General de 2019 refleja los desafíos y oportunidades que el último año ha presentado a las Naciones Unidas. En ella se describen los progresos conseguidos por la Organización y el impacto de la labor que ha llevado a cabo para cumplir sus prioridades de mantener la paz y la seguridad internacionales, proteger los derechos humanos, prestar asistencia humanitaria, promover el desarrollo sostenible y defender el derecho internacional. En la memoria se hace un análisis sincero y realista de los problemas del mundo actual y se pone de relieve la importancia de emprender acciones multilaterales para mantener y mejorar la situación en todo el planeta.

This report reflects upon the challenges and opportunities the United Nations has faced over the past year. It presents an account of the progress made and the impact of the work of the Organization across its priorities of maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development and upholding international law. It offers a frank, realistic analysis of current global issues and emphasizes the importance of multilateral action to maintain and improve the current world situation.

This report summarizes the actions taken by Governments and by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) on precursors to prevent chemical diversion and to implement the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988. The Report contains an account of the activities carried out during the reporting period; provides an overview of the major trends and developments in licit trade and trafficking in and illicit use of individual chemicals; contains a summary of seizures, cases of suspicious and stopped shipments, and diversions or attempted diversions; and details activities associated with illicit drug manufacture.

Throughout UNESCO’s 75 years of existence, never before has the Courier, UNESCO’s flagship magazine, published an anthology, in book form, with such scope and scale. These two volumes bring together some of the great thinkers and pioneering minds of recent times who have led important discussions on society’s pressing challenges. UNESCO Courier: Transforming Ideas will lead you through an exciting, magical and thought-provoking adventure into UNESCO’s past, present and future.

The Statistical Yearbook provides a comprehensive compilation of internationally available statistics on social and economic conditions and activities, at world, regional and national levels, for an appropriate historical period. Most of the statistics presented in the Yearbook are extracted from more detailed, specialized databases prepared by the Statistics Division and by many other international statistical services. Thus, while the specialized databases concentrate on monitoring topics and trends in particular social and economic fields, the Statistical Yearbook tables aim to provide data for a more comprehensive, overall description of social and economic structures, conditions, changes and activities. The objective has been to collect, systematize, coordinate and present in a consistent way the most essential components of comparable statistical information which can give a broad picture of social and economic processes.

The Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization (A/75/1) highlights how the UN Secretariat translates resources into impact. The Report covers nine sections: (i) promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development; (ii) maintenance of international peace and security; (iii) development in Africa; (iv) promotion of human rights; (v) effective coordination of humanitarian assistance; (vi) promotion of international justice and law; (vii) disarmament; (viii) drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism; and (ix) effective functioning of the Organization. In light of developments in 2019/2020, the Annual Report will also include information on the UN response to COVID-19 (coronavirus). The e-book for this publication has been converted into an accessible format for the visually impaired and people with print reading disabilities. It is fully compatible with leading screen-reader technologies such as JAWS and NVDA.

Le rapport du Secrétaire général sur l'activité de l'Organisation met en évidence la manière dont le Secrétariat de l'ONU transforme les ressources en impacts. Le rapport comprend neuf sections: (i) promotion d'une croissance économique soutenue et d'un développement durable; (ii) maintien de la paix et de la sécurité internationales; (iii) développement en Afrique; (iv) promotion des droits de l'homme; (v) coordination efficace de l'aide humanitaire; (vi) promotion de la justice et du droit internationaux; (vii) désarmement; (viii) contrôle des drogues, prévention du crime et lutte contre le terrorisme international; et (ix) fonctionnement efficace de l'Organisation. A la lumière des développements en 2019/2020, ce rapport annuel contient des informations sur la réponse de l'ONU au COVID-19 (coronavirus). Le livre électronique de cette publication a été converti en un format accessible aux malvoyants et aux personnes ayant des difficultés de lecture des imprimés. Il est entièrement compatible avec les principales technologies de lecture d'écran telles que JAWS et NVDA.