Population and Demography
Fast Tracking SDG 11
The world is far off track in achieving nearly half of the targets of SDG 11 while lacking adequate data even to assess global progress toward most of the targets. Reversing this trend in fewer than seven years before 2030 requires urgent and large-scale policy interventions and investments in sustainable urbanization informed by the priorities outlined in SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda. However all hope is not lost. The progress observed in some areas points to a clear opportunity to turn the tide and rescue SDG 11 globally. Yet governments will need to prioritize the most effective interventions given the obvious limits to the scale and scope of their future actions amidst competing demands and resource constraints. Striking this balance is perhaps one of the central difficulties at hand for decision makers facing limited resources yet vast demands and needs arising from global urbanization one of the mega-trends of the 21st century. Nevertheless in an urban world the risk of not investing in sustainable urbanization is too high.
Rescuing SDG 11 for a Resilient Urban Planet
The current report shows that the world is off track in achieving SDG 11. Rescuing SDG 11 is urgent for the sake of present and future generations. The report points to the immense opportunities that exist and the innovations that are already underway. It was prepared by UN-Habitat as a lead coordinator with inputs from several UN custodian agencies other UN entities civil society academia United Cities and Local Governments and various other stakeholders and partners.
Uneven Progress Towards SDG 11
This chapter reviews the uneven progress that the global community has made towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 11 since 2018. At the midpoint stage of the 2030 Agenda a progress report is critical in order to determine which targets are lagging and identify key opportunities to accelerate success. Unfortunately a status assessment to date indicates there is a high possibility of SDG 11 not being achieved in the next seven years unless Member States and the global community significantly and urgently implement and scale up policies initiatives and investments that accelerate progress towards the 10 targets behind SDG 11. This push for progress during the second half of the 2030 Agenda’s timeline should be anchored in multi-level partnerships and reflect the principle of leaving no one and no place behind.
Foreword
The fate of cities and the fate of humanity are intertwined. In the year 2008 for the first time the world crossed into a new era of existence with half its population becoming urban. Today fifteen years later this transition continues in all regions of the world. Recognising this reality in 2015 world leaders adopted SDG 11 to make cities and human settlements inclusive safe resilient and sustainable. The goal defines priority actions needed to secure sustainable cities and communities where both people and planet will prosper in peace.
Return and Reintegration Key Highlights 2022
This report provides an overview of the return and reintegration trends and activities carried out by IOM in 2022. It includes a breakdown of summary statistics at regional and country levels. Furthermore the report showcases the effective practices implemented by IOM offices in assisting migrants who desire to return home with their reintegration process. The sustainable reintegration of returning migrants into their communities is essential for their well-being and the social and economic stability of their respective regions. However returning to one’s country of origin often presents a significant challenge to migrants as they may face difficulties in rebuilding their social and economic networks and reintegrating into their home communities. Through various programmes and initiatives IOM offers valuable assistance to returning migrants to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into their communities.
Introduction
The year 2022 witnessed a shift in the global return migration landscape which in turn affected the returns facilitated by International Organization for Migration (IOM). The gradual easing of travel restrictions globally led to the revival of pre-pandemic return migration trends.
Foreword
Throughout 2022 global return migration was influenced by various factors including economic instability conflicts natural disasters climate change and the long-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges the International Organization for Migration (IOM) remained committed to supporting individuals throughout their return and reintegration process. As a result returns facilitated by IOM returned to pre-pandemic levels. In 2022 IOM assisted 69282 migrants in their safe and dignified return and sustainable reintegration which represents a 39 per cent increase compared to the number of migrants assisted in 2021. Furthermore 2022 surpassed the pre-pandemic figures from 2019 by 6 per cent.
Acknowledgements
The authors – Yitna Getachew Rosilyne Borland Noëlle Darbellay Dina Afzali Bryan Ocaya Grace Gayao and Marina Cakic – would like to thank IOM colleagues Tim Howe Joselito Cabaña Sacha Chan Kam Nassima Clerin Laurence Hunzinger Nimo Ismail Rana Jaber Peppi Kiviniemi-Siddiq Alem Makonnen Agueda Marin Daniel Redondo Heather Komenda Aleksandra Izydorczyk Heba Abdel Laura Boucein Giamaica Scoppa Olta Ndoja and all the IOM colleagues in the field for their valuable contributions to this report.
Social Infrastructure for Health
This report follows the first report produced under the Development Account project on: “Strengthening consumer protection in the provision of health services (including e-health) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic” (2020) The report explores the scope for both operational and conceptual exchange examining the potential for applying consumer protection principles to emerging developments such as eHealth and the concomitant concerns such as financial risk digital exclusion privacy and inclusion within health and other social protection services. The COVID-19 pandemic provided the spur and the context for this report which looks towards the evolution of post-COVID social protection while seeking to improve it. Considering the scope of the technical cooperation project (Social Protection) in close cooperation with UN-ESCWA colleagues UNCTAD focused on the recommendations of the initial report most relevant to build a ‘Social Infrastructure for Health’ (related to comprehensive protection in health; financing & affordability issues; eHealth including identity & eligibility; and integration of informal sectors) therefore seeking a stronger connection to the core topic of the project.