Reduced Inequalities

The international standards for teaching time in a year are 880 hours. In The Gambia, dedicated teaching time in a year is 734 hours. This reduced time is exacerbated by teacher absenteeism that varies across the different regions in the country from 12 to 30%, and is a barrier to achieving the required learning outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic is compounding an already compromised learning and teaching environment in The Gambia. This Time to Teach study looks at four dimensions of teacher attendance: being in school; being punctual (i.e., not arriving late/leaving early); being in the classroom (while in school); and spending sufficient time on task (while in the classroom). It also identifies factors associated with teacher absenteeism at five different levels of the education system: national, subnational, community, school, and teacher. This report provides recommendations that may help strengthen the ministry’s efforts to improve teachers’ time on task in The Gambia.

Transparency and predictability are essential elements for the cross-border movement of goods. Stakeholders need to know the conditions for the entry or exit of their goods well before the goods arrive at the border in order to prepare all regulatory requirements and commercial negotiations. A Trade Information Portal (TIP) is a facility that compiles these requirements and publishes the information on an internet portal accessible to all relevant traders. This recommendation provides guidance on the setup of such a portal, the information that should be shared, the governance, as well as some elements that have been identified as potential evolutions. It is accompanied by a repository of case studies of such facilities in order to help countries navigate through the best possible solutions for their requirements.

COVID-19 lockdowns have significantly disrupted the daily lives of children and adolescents, with increased time at home, online learning and limited physical social interaction. This report seeks to understand the immediate effects on their mental health. Covering more than 130,000 children and adolescents across 22 countries, the evidence shows increased stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as increased alcohol and substance use, and externalizing behavioural problems. Children and adolescents also reported positive coping strategies, resilience, social connectedness through digital media, more family time, and relief from academic stress. Factors such as demographics, relationships and pre-existing conditions are critical. To ensure children and adolescents are supported, the report recommends building the evidence on the longer-term impact of the pandemic on child and adolescent mental health in low- and middle-income countries, including vulnerable populations.

This report analyses the economic impacts of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) global pandemic and possible responses that could be both effective and inclusive. It examines different recovery scenarios and, in particular, highlights the danger of a lost decade, addressing immediate difficulties facing developing countries, as well as some of the underlying conditions that, if left unaddressed, will prevent a better recovery. It also discusses some of the institutional changes needed at the international level to bolster the recovery and the transition to a more socially-caring and environmentally-sustainable global economy – a transition that was needed before the pandemic and has become ever more pressing.

This report presents an analysis of the agriculture and tourism sectors in the Inle Lake area of Shan State in Myanmar from a gender perspective. It investigates how to improve women’s wellbeing through their participation in three selected agricultural value chains (tea, avocado and ginger) and in the tourism sector. The report provides policy recommendations for building linkages between the three agricultural value chains and the tourism sector to promote gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. The study is carried out within the framework of the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) – United Nations Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity, Myanmar Project entitled “Enhancing horticulture supply and sustainable tourism to develop business linkages.”

This publication presents statistics and analysis on the status of women and men in the world, highlighting the current situation and changes over time. The report is the sixth in the series which has been published every five years, as called for in the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. This edition emphasizes that progress towards the goal of gender equality has been made in the last two decades in most areas of concern, although uneven and at low pace. Through a life cycle approach, the publication reveals the challenges and opportunities faced by women during their different stages of life and based on where they reside. The different trajectories of women and men are highlighted in the statistical findings of the analysis undertaken in eight chapters of the report, each representing a broad area of concern: population and families, health, education, work, power and decision-making, violence against women, environment and poverty.

The report is prepared in response to General Assembly resolution A/74/301 requesting the Secretary-General to submit on an annual basis a comprehensive and action-oriented report on the implementation of the resolution, based on the provision of inputs from Governments, organizations of the United Nations system, and other stakeholders in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. The present report, which was prepared by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA), reviews progress in the implementation of four key NEPAD’s priorities that are fundamental to the realization of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the Africa Union Agenda 2063. These are regional integration; infrastructure development; industrialization; and health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In implementing its mandate, OSAA engages with a broad range of stakeholders, including Member States, the African Union Commission, African Union Development Agency (AUDA NEPAD), African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), civil society organizations, the private sector, academia, as well as women and youth groups.

This publication is for facilitators of training courses on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol who are already familiar with the international human rights system. The Convention challenges customs and behaviour based on stereotypes, prejudices, harmful practices and stigma relating to persons with disabilities, and promotes their full participation in all spheres of life. It is already applicable in 137 countries around the world. The Training Guide’s methodology is interactive and promotes a participatory approach. Its modules can be used to develop tailored training courses to meet the needs of specific audiences (government officials, health professionals, civil society, employers’ organizations, etc.). It is also helpful as a general information resource on the Convention and its Optional Protocol.

Like the first Arab Human Development Report, this fifth volume in the series undertakes a broad diagnostic of the state of development in Arab countries, this time through the lens of human security. Adopting a more differentiated approach to the particular contours of sub-regions, it shows that the concept of human security offers a relevant framework for refocusing the social contract in the Arab countries on neglected priorities. The Report analyzes interdependent threats and downturns that undermine the safety and development prospects of individuals and states alike, and indicates policy orientations that Arab governments, civil society, citizens and international actors could adopt in response.

Después de establecer los principios generales sobre el uso de la fuerza, la guía analiza las normas y estándares internacionales sobre el uso de armas menos letales de una manera específica de armas y basada en escenarios, con un enfoque particular en la vigilancia de las reuniones. Si un usuario en el campo está intentando determinar si la policía ha utilizado un arma menos letal de manera inapropiada mientras vigilaba una reunión, él o ella puede encontrar una descripción del arma y consultar varios escenarios para el uso legal, así como escenarios de uso ilícito. Fundamentalmente, él o ella también puede encontrar el umbral específico de conducta, que hace que el uso de esa arma sea permisible.

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.

The Asia-Pacific Countries with Special Needs Development Report is a recurrent ESCAP annual publication that discusses issues of interest for Asia-Pacific least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS), collectively referred to as countries with special needs (CSN). The 2021 edition of the report, with its theme of "Strengthening the Resilience of Least Developed Countries in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic", summarizes the progress made by Asia-Pacific least developed countries in implementing the Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2010-2020. It also examines the economic and social impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on these countries and offers some perspectives on how Asia-Pacific least developed countries can strengthen their resilience towards the LDC graduation and the Sustainable Development Goals.

MSMEs are an important engine of economic growth and development due to their large share in total employment and their participation in production value chains and trade. However, they are often disadvantaged due to their small operational size and lack of financial resources, skills/knowledge, and outreach. These disadvantages are associated with: poor access to markets; low bargaining power with customers and suppliers leading to low product prices, high costs and lower profits; weak organizational capacities and low-skilled human resources; inadequate institutional support and networking; and difficulty accessing finance. With regard to the last point, governments and related agencies have devised mechanisms in recent decades to facilitate improved flows of finance to MSMEs, but many challenges remain. As this publication addresses, MSMEs are particularly vulnerable to the socio-economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the policy responses enacted, and they require supportive policy measures from state agencies to cope. Indeed, the virus has helped expose those vulnerabilities, as MSMEs typically lack the additional resilience that comes from operating at scale, nor do they have diversified business models that make it easier to pivot. Yet the virus itself did not actually cause the unprecedented economic downturn; rather, governments strategically shut down their economies in order to battle the virus more effectively, rightly placing public health above economic well-being. The resulting economic crisis has thus been deliberately induced by policy-makers – a somewhat new phenomenon.

The publication describes concepts of exclusion or inclusion, equalities and well-being, and leaving no one behind, in the context of individual societies. It considers specific policy examples from across the world which have impetus for measurement of these concepts. It also provides different approaches and examples of a range of different measurement frameworks to social exclusion, social inclusion, multiple deprivations or multiple inequalities, and well-being.

This report examines how foreign direct investment (FDI) can support sustainable post-pandemic recovery, drawing lessons from the impact of past global crises on FDI and the response of multinational enterprises and international investors that are still relevant today. It further identifies priority areas for investment in sustainable recovery, focusing on boosting growth and development and on increasing economic, social and supply chain resilience. Finally, it discusses the potential impact of rescue and recovery packages that are being adopted around the world on global investment trends, and especially on international project finance in infrastructure, renewables and digital development.

El objetivo de los exámenes de políticas de ciencia, tecnología e innovación elaborados por la Conferencia de Naciones Unidas para el Comercio y el Desarrollo (UNCTAD) es contribuir al desarrollo de las capacidades nacionales en este ámbito, a fin de que los planes y programas nacionales de ciencia, tecnología e innovación (CTI) apoyen eficazmente la puesta en práctica de estrategias de desarrollo inclusivo y sostenible mediante la promoción del crecimiento y la diversificación productiva y la competitividad así como el abordaje de los problemas sociales y medioambientales prioritarios. De esta forma, las actuaciones en CTI promoverán una estrategia que contribuya no sólo al crecimiento económico y diversificación productiva, sino que también al desarrollo sostenible e inclusivo. En lo que respecta a Repùblica Dominicana, este examen muestra que tiene un sistema de ciencia, tecnología e innovación (CTI) incipiente. No hay datos sobre muchas variables importantes para medir el desempeño del país, pero todo indica que la inversión en investigación y desarrollo, la producción científica y la innovación empresarial están consistentemente por debajo de la de otros países de su entorno y su mismo nivel de desarrollo. Desde el año 2011, en el que UNCTAD hizo un examen similar, el principal progreso ha venido de la mano del Fondo Nacional de Innovación y Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDOCYT), gestionado por el Ministerio de Educación Superior, Ciencia y Tecnología (MESCYT). FONDOCYT ha asignado, a lo largo de los últimos diez años 2.755 millones de pesos (54 millones de dólares) para 400 proyectos ejecutados en universidades y centros de investigación. Junto con la Carrera Nacional de Investigadores, el FONDOCYT ha podido generar cierta capacidad investigadora, especialmente en ciencias básicas y de la salud y ha propiciado el inicio de un cambio de visión en las universidades, que hasta hace muy poco daban la espalda a la investigación. Entre 2008 y 2018 estuvo en vigor el Plan Estratégico de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (PECYT+I), que incluía metas muy ambiciosas. En la práctica, excepto en la actividad de FONDOCYT ya mencionada, el plan se quedó prácticamente sin ejecutar, ante la falta de un sistema con instituciones bien articuladas y de un compromiso de recursos significativo. Las limitaciones en las capacidades en CTI ya se habían detectado en el anterior Examen de Políticas de CTI, que se realizó durante el año 2011 (UNCTAD, 2012). Este examen permite la revisión al informe del 2011, y la identificación de nuevas oportunidades para mejorar el sistema de Ciencia y Tecnología para Republica Dominicana.

Atteindre l'égalité entre les femmes et les hommes et éliminer toutes les formes de discrimination à l'égard des femmes sont des droits humains fondamentaux et des valeurs des Nations Unies. Partout dans le monde, les femmes subissent néanmoins régulièrement des violations de leurs droits humains tout au long de leur vie, et la réalisation des droits humains des femmes n'a pas toujours été une priorité. La réalisation de l'égalité entre les femmes et les hommes nécessite une compréhension globale des manières dont les femmes subissent la discrimination et se voient refuser l'égalité afin de développer des stratégies appropriées pour éliminer une telle discrimination. Cette publication fournit une introduction aux droits humains des femmes, en commençant par les principales dispositions du droit international des droits humains et en expliquant des concepts particulièrement pertinents pour comprendre pleinement les droits humains des femmes.