YPP Social Affairs

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.

The public sector plays a very significant role in modern economies. As in the business sector, innovation can be a major source of productivity growth, cost savings and improvements in service quality in the public sector, benefits which then also positively affect businesses and citizens who rely on an efficient and effective public sector. The ability of the public sector to innovate is therefore increasingly seen as a critical element of economy-wide innovation performance. This publication covers a wide range of issues related to the promotion of innovation in the public sectors as well as policy lessons learned in this area drawing on the experiences of different countries.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, digital technologies have allowed for continued connectivity and delivery of services online. Policy makers have mobilized public-private partnerships to design new services and apps as part of the crisis response, some going beyond information-sharing to deliver essential services to those most in need. This Compendium captures emerging trends in digital responses of UN Member States to the COVID-19 pandemic and provides a preliminary analysis of the main features of such responses. It demonstrates how governments have sought to ensure e-participation, facilitate E-health and E-business, support working and learning from home, and initiate contact tracing. As policy makers respond to increased expectations of e-services in the post-pandemic era, this Compendium may offer inspiration for innovative digital technologies that can help achieve development objectives. The inclusion of any technology or platform in this publication does not represent an endorsement from the United Nations. Cases shared are intended for the exchange of information so that Member States can learn from each other and possibly create new partnerships.

In order to better support Member States in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) identified four areas where its programmes and expertise converge. These “nexus” areas are sustainable use of natural resources; sustainable and smart cities for all ages; sustainable mobility and smart connectivity; and measuring and monitoring progress towards the SDGs. This publication supports efforts within the fourth nexus area, measuring and monitoring progress towards the SDGs. The focus is on the challenges faced by countries in the UNECE region.

Drawing on the 2019 revision of World Population Prospects, the World Population Ageing 2019 (Highlights) documents global and regional trends in population ageing, including consideration of the implications of these trends for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The report also presents various concepts and indicators related to population ageing and discusses related fiscal and economic implications.

This rapid review seeks to inform the initial and long-term public policy responses to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, by assessing evidence on past economic policy and social protection responses to health and economic crises and their effects on children and families. The review focuses on virus outbreaks/emergencies, economic crises and natural disasters, which, like the COVID-19 pandemic, were 'rapid' in onset, had wide-ranging geographical reach, and resulted in disruption of social services and economic sectors, without affecting governance systems. Evidence is also drawn from the HIV/AIDS pandemic, due to its impacts on adult mortality rates and surviving children. The available evidence on the effects of economic policy and social protection responses is uneven across outcomes, regions, and type of policy response as a large body of literature focused on social assistance programmes. Future research on the COVID-19 pandemic can prioritize the voices of children and the marginalized, assess the effects of expansionary and austerity measures, examine the role of design and implementation, social care services, pre-existing macro-level health, demographic and health conditions and the diverse regional health and economic impacts of the pandemic. The paper also provides key lessons for public policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.