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Progress in the News Archive

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Data shows that the number of missing girls exceeds boys by over 100

Tests on people who slept less than six hours a night for a week revealed substantial changes in the activity of genes that govern the immune system, metabolism, sleep and wake cycles, and the body's response to stress, suggesting that poor sleep could have a broad impact on long-term wellbeing

Syrian women are increasingly becoming weapons of war in the battle between government forces and the opposition.




The World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty is focusing on how to tackle violence against women and girls in public spaces. This posted is by Michelle Bachelet for IPS.



Women-led private technology companies are more capital-efficient, achieve 35 percent higher return on investment, and, when venture-backed, bring in 12 percent higher revenue than male-owned tech companies.

Brené Brown's TED talks on wholehearted living have over one million views. As Brown says, "We are the most in-debt, obese, addicted and medicated adult cohort in U.S. history."

China, Russia, India and more than 100 developing countries oppose climate becoming a UN Security Council issue as it does not operate under the principles of Common But Differentiated Responsibility, which underpins UN climate talks



Idea to be put to spring conference as parties struggle to find ways to increase female representation in parliament

Consortium of charities to monitor food poverty in Britain with view to possibility of triggering formal UN investigation

The constitutional convention has narrowly rejected a proposal to amend the Constitution to ensure the State takes action to enhance women’s participation in politics and public life.


It is vital that people who benefit from social protection schemes such as cash transfers are involved in their implementation

1 in 3 women on the planet is raped or beaten in her lifetime. That is one billion women. On 14 February 2013 Eve Ensler's V-Day organization is inviting one billion women and those who love them to rise up, walk out, dance and demand an end to this violence.

What does a devalued currency in Venezuela and a supermarket price freeze in Argentina mean for the two nations?

After a first term marked by major policy pushes, the president's State of the Union suggests a pragmatic, small-ball approach going forward.

Condemnation of violence against women is widespread. But how do communities actually eliminate these attacks?

Jordan, in partnership with UN Women, is hosting a three-day conference (February 10-12) titled, “The Arab regional consultation on gender equality — freedom, tolerance and solidarity: a call from the women in the Arab region”.

Put yourself back in 1993. Could you have predicted the success of the web, tablets and smartphones, privatized space travel, the rise of terrorism, or the myriad of small changes that impact how you live today? To do that going forward and to predict our world in 2033, you need the voices of the smartest minds on the planet to spot trends in their areas of discipline and give us insight into where we are heading.

By shunning all but organic farming techniques, the Himalayan state will cement its status as a paradigm of sustainability

With the increasing hive of activity around the work of the UN High Level Panel on Post-2015 and the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals it’s getting tough to keep track of the growing number of proposals for future development goals.

Listen to the Radio programme

Over the next several days, the Indian Ministry of Health along with partners, USAID and UNICEF, is hosting its Child Survival Summit to discuss and prioritize lowering the child mortality rate.

Amartya praises gender equality

TOKYO has reclaimed its place as the world's most expensive city, according to the latest cost of living index from the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Adam Davidson has a piece for the magazine on happiness economics, surveying some of the recent findings. Hey, everyone’s talking about happiness right now.

Depending on when you’re reading this column, economists have a pretty good guess as to what kind of mood you’re in. If it’s Sunday, you’re almost certainly happier than if you’re catching it on a Monday.

Useful new study on political economy of indicators.

The recent eBook, Towards a European Growth Strategy, represents a clear exception to that rule, and offers a welcome opportunity to open fruitful debate on economic policy in Europe.

From space rocket analogies to citations from JFK, delegates express frustration at lack of progress

The lives of the world’s poorest people have improved more rapidly in the last 15 years than ever before, yet I am optimistic that we will do even better in the next 15 years. After all, human knowledge is increasing. We can see this concretely in the development and declining costs of new medicines like HIV drugs, and in the creation of new seeds that allow poor farmers to be more productive. Once such tools are invented, they are never un-invented – they just improve.



IN 2013 Nigeria’s GDP could increase by 40%, which would be impressive even by Africa’s recent bouncy growth standards.

Which is better for a country’s well-being: $10 million spent constructing a jail, or $10 million spent producing a line of smartphones? How about clear- cutting rain forests to produce $10 million in lumber? Or a storm that requires $10 million in repairs?

How GINI data on inequality is shaping the discourse - and the importance of interpretation of data, in terms of credibility, as well as applicability. One Chinese Sina-Weibo user commented that the GINI does not take corruption into account of personal wealth, so a drop in GINI can allay progress in tackling such a serious issue.

Recent FP contributors have said that Africa is and is not rising. They're both wrong because they don't have the numbers to back it up.

The brainstorming, deal making and schmoozing is over for another year. Davos Man and Woman have come down from their Swiss mountain high and headed home, including this correspondent. What were the main memories and insights they took away from this year's World Economic Forum?

Inequity such as that symbolised by Antilla, the world's richest home, thwarts poverty reduction – and policymakers must act.

With the current rates of population growth and poverty alleviation, the strain on the Earth's resources will grow, with water and food needing to grow 30 and 50% respectively. To tackle these challenges, resources must be considered in unison - Nexus thinking.

Over 100 charities in the UK are joining to tackle world hunger ahead of G8 meeting in the UK. Archbishop Tutu says "World hunger is man-made and only we can end it."

How usual economic statistics can mask huge underlying social problems, as Estonia's 'success story' shows. Measurement and distribution of well-being statistics can do so much good.

At the beginning of this year, China and India expressed their mutual desire to deepen bilateral cooperation, achieve common development, and create a better future. This reflects two countries' appreciation on the importance of developing interrelations.

Paul Krugman argues in his blog post that while many of those factors played a role in causing financial crisis, they’ve been less of a cause of slowing growth in its aftermath.

The weak wording of the Rio+20 summit agreement and delays in setting up the UN working groups on sustainable development have left progress on some of the post Rio+20 agenda in limbo, according to a science officer at the International Council for Science (ICSU), which represented the scientific community at the summit.

Honest political discourse requires a warts and all picture of the underlying complexity of these figures – the ONS could help

Deforestation, farming and poor irrigation infrastructure lead to worryingly long dry spells in Tanzania's Great Ruaha river basin

The political talks towards new global goals are on. The Rio+20 congregation came up with the idea to agree on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that would set the stage for action under the post-2015 development agenda and supposedly define “The future we want” as stipulated in the Rio+20 outcome document.

The new ‘Global Trends 2030’ report from the US National Intelligence Council shares the usual flaws on its scenarios, and is understandably US-centric (the NIC is a US government body), but its description of trends feels spot on, albeit a bit cursory on climate change.

Every year begins with fresh promises and new challenges. It also makes us aware of our achievements and yet to achieve goals. The release of a recent government report in Times of India has brought to fore India’s status on achievement of UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by 2015.

Happy peopleHow happy is urban India with The Big Three: health, money and sex life? The findings of the comprehensive, path-breaking 16-city HT-MaRS Happiness Survey are likely to take you by surprise

How four HSPH alumni are helping Bhutan—the Himalayan home of “Gross National Happiness”—achieve its lofty goals

Last month Professor Jeffrey Sachs, renowned economist and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, stopped by GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs to discuss the future research agenda for sustainable development.

Despite congressional failure to pass essential legislation to reduce carbon pollution and establish a renewable electricity standard, during its first term the Obama administration successfully adopted policies to protect public health from air pollution, lower oil consumption, and create jobs.

At an extraordinary summit of the security wing of the Southern African Development Community, the leaders of South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania will discuss political and security developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar, as well as Zimbabwe's elections.

At year end we all assess the past and guess the future. We compare what we expected and what happened. We develop new expectations for the new year. In economic affairs this is particularly important, as expectations on growth are crucial for firms’ investment decisions, for government policies and for people’s chances to work.

Save the Children outlines its proposals for the development agenda after the millennium development goals expire in 2015 At year end we all assess the past and guess the future. We compare what we expected and what happened. We develop new expectations for the new year. In economic affairs this is particularly important, as expectations on growth are crucial for firms’ investment decisions, for government policies and for people’s chances to work.

From tracking World Bank projects to Twitter conversations with Rwanda's health minister, technology is driving innovation

Charles Landow draws highlights from a range of democracy and development indexes for this year-end edition of Missing Pieces

For most of my professional life, I owned and operated a number of businesses in Nigeria. My partners and I would find a failing company, buy it out, and rebuild it as an efficient, well-run enterprise that turned a profit. We paid our taxes, refused to participate in bribery or corruption, and created jobs.


The second in our series of guest posts on the outlook for 2013 is by Mohamed El-Erian of Pimco

Fiscal cliff negotiations tested everyone’s patience, but even young children who don’t understand national budgets may show signs of strain during such economic insecurity

From the internet of things to the realities of climate change hitting home, Aron Cramer makes his predictions for 2013

Jobs, growth, hunger, the G8, aid and much more are on the agenda for our panel. Read the transcript of the recording

The growing evidence linking green spaces to human wellbeing could help strengthen the case for conservation, a conference has been told.

Submissions for the second edition of the Data Journalism Awards are open, with entries welcomed for a fourth category: data journalism website or section

Concrete action to reverse or mitigate environmental damage done to the world’s oceans must be initiated immediately before it is too late, a United Nations ocean expert has warned.

Mapping different data sets from a country – with bright colours and click-through functions – may be a visual delight for developers and the tech-savvy, but what do these maps offer those crafting public policies?

"Humanity will not enjoy security without development, it will not enjoy development without security, and it will not enjoy either without respect for human rights." Human rights and human development are one and the same.

In 2010 Ghana announced a 60% increase in GDP estimates and Nigeria may soon follow suit. But how can the economies of these African countries seemingly grow overnight?

Despite all its problems, no street dog ever commits suicide.

The lone handpump sticking out of the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Odisha near Paradip serves as mute witness to the five kilometers stretch of the coastline that has now been submerged.

Sub-Saharan Africans are the least satisfied in the world with the quality of water in their communities, with a median of 50% satisfied across 38 African countries in 2011 and 2012.

Bhutan measured prosperity by estimating happiness levels of its citizens’ not the Gross Domestic Product and that idea attracted a lot of attention at the UN climate change conference in Doha, the daily Guardian reported.

This is an exciting time to be in the data business. There have never been more groups, from such different backgrounds, with a passion for producing and using data for the public good.

Which country is most corrupt?

OECD says not curbing greenhouse gases will have disastrous impact on quality of life, particularly for people in poor countries.
The first global terrorism index finds that incidents of extreme violence are on the decline worldwide.
Climate economist says developing countries must face the 'brutal arithmetic' of their responsibility for emissions
The recent independent report on Kabul Bank scandal points out to the urgency to transform the country’s laws and institutions, from the financial sector to the justice system.
For people living in both rich and poor countries, the average person's happiness is based on a combination of individual wealth, possessions and optimism, according to an analysis of new worldwide survey findings published by the American Psychological Association.
More than one study has tried to determine the financial price of happiness. Some look at wealth. Others look at income.
Zardari says world day for disabled calls for integrating people with special needs in mainstream of society
Bhutan measures prosperity by gauging its citizens' happiness levels, not the GDP. Now its ideas are attracting interest at the UN climate change conference in Doha
The World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean, Hasan Tuluy, is in Mexico for the inauguration of the new government.
Recently, a €10 billion shortfall in this year’s European Union budget came to light.
The General Assembly today voted to grant Palestine non-member observer State status at the United Nations, while expressing the urgent need for the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians leading to a permanent two-State solution.
At the U.N. climate summit in Doha, environmental activists are urging participating countries to think big about how to control deforestation in the developing world, which accounts for 16 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Video also.

Powerful nations need to do more to reform the governance of the global institutions they dominate, says Owen Barder
The Consul-General of South Korea in Lagos, Pilcheen Pak and the Chief Resident Representative, Korea International Cooperation Agency, Nigerian Office, Abuja, Mr. Jung Sang-Hoon, have pledged their country’s commitment to the Federal Government in the areas of contributing to alleviation of poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Clean tech jobs to power green growth is considered a no-brainer by progressive policy makers, NGOs and businesses, and the idea forms the core of the UN’s Year of Sustainable Energy For All.
Reducing your carbon footprint by eating less red meat rarely gets attention. This strategy has been recommended by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, epidemiologists writing in The Lancet and a host of other highly-regarded researchers and organisations.
Media coverage of the developing world tends to focus on the problems, but this competition highlights some of the positive stories brought about by the efforts of NGOs and communities to change lives.
As the share of the global population living in cities soars beyond 50%, answering this question is central for sustainable development.

The UAE economy, on a phenomenal growth trajectory driven by vibrant oil and non-oil sectors for more than four decades in a row, is ranked as one of the best in the world in terms of the efficiency and ease of doing business.
The UAE economy, on a phenomenal growth trajectory driven by vibrant oil and non-oil sectors for more than four decades in a row, is ranked as one of the best in the world in terms of the efficiency and ease of doing business.
The time has come for the transition of powers from countries like US and European Union (EU) to developing nations like China and India

In the 1990s, a set of ideas arrived that might best be called human development. This is a tradition of thought that is unashamed to call itself universalist when it comes to the basics – that we all need to live a "good life". And it is unwilling to give up on the belief that we are all equally entitled to enjoy such things. Accordingly, this point of view takes human flourishing, and not its absence, as its entry point to the problem of poverty and global inequality.
Money doesn’t make you happy – but it helps.
The perverse consequences of personal insecurity on development are visible to anyone who lives in a setting characterized by violent crime or political violence.
The period of economic turmoil since the financial crisis has actually coincided with an increase in people's wellbeing, an official study has found.
An Oxfam report out today, ‘bearing witness’ has used focus groups and interviews to collect the views of over 1,300 people in 32 conflict-affected communities.

TALK about a crap day - today is World Toilet Day and UNICEF wants us to think about the 1.1 billion people who have to poo out in the open.
WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - All nations will suffer the effects of a warmer world, but it is the world's poorest countries that will be hit hardest by food shortages, rising sea levels, cyclones and drought, the World Bank said in a report on climate change.

China is enjoying a golden age for construction and design in the world's largest building market.

...indices have been around for some time...Newer kids on the block include the Centre for Global Development's Commitment to Development Index (since 2003); the Gross National Happiness Index of Bhutan (2009)...

to prevent a raid on health care programs in upcoming budget talks, a think tank close to the White House on Wednesday released a plan for significant savings, mostly from Medicare.

Chinese people's rights and obligations are determined by their social connections, not their class.

The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Hu Jintao's address to the 18th CPC.

Three hundred and fifty million people worldwide live with diabetes, 80 per cent of them in the developing World.

One of the topics that kept coming up during my recent trip with Oxfam India was the role of the rising middle classes.

Global challenges such as pandemics, refugees flows, transnational crime, and climate change demand updated global institutions fit for the 21st Century, UN Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark said Tuesday.

This social progress is the result of a rare combination of faster economic growth, low unemployment and falling income-inequality. Income per person in Latin America grew at an annual average rate of 2.2% between 2000 and 2010, a step up from the previous two decades. And income inequality fell in the same period in 12 of the 15 countries for which data are available (though Latin America continues to rival southern Africa as the world’s most unequal region). Re-distribution, through conditional cash-transfer schemes and other social programmes, has helped to reduce poverty.

Three years out from the 2015 deadline for the MDGs, and debate about ‘what next’ is already reaching fever pitch. Proposals for a post-2015 version of the MDGs are coming from an increasingly crowded field that includes individual experts and academics, think tanks and research institutes, NGOs and civil society groups.

Would unrestricted funding improve the success of development projects and transform the relationship between donors and NGOs?

Having sex and partying are two of life's most enjoyable activities, according to a University of Canterbury research project.

But study after study reflects that even though a nation's GDP might keep going up, the happiness of its citizens does not increase...

Helping developing countries build their citizens' access to the Internet is akin to giving them a tool that boosts their chances of achieving sustainable economic growth

Dr Brian Brink explains why healthcare systems should be understood as a core part of a country's GDP

China is arguably the most vibrant economy in the world today, providing very useful lessons for Africa and, indeed, most third world countries, especially with regard to its political, social and economic reforms.

NEW DELHI: Increasing urban development and labour flexibility are key to creating jobs, sustaining growth and reducing poverty, World Bank said in a report.

THE world’s leading economies must revitalise both global trade and investment in developing countries to counter a new slowdown in economic growth, three key international organisations said on Wednesday.

The concept of development, through which governments view social policy in environments where capitalism is the mode of social organisation, may be up for a major rethink, globally.

Treating pneumonia in casual manner could affect a child severely in shape of disability to an extent of death, therefore, parents must get their children vaccinated at any EPI centers across the country with vaccine that is available free of cost, said Director National Institute of Child Health.

A common assumption among employers is that job-hoppers and the long-term unemployed make bad employees.


This quarterly release demonstrates the danger of looking to aggregate macroeconomic statistics as a guide for how an economy performs.
Even though the outcome of the presidential race hangs significantly on the state of the economy and the unemployment rate, research has shown emotions often matter more to people than money.

Trust in the UK parliament and government is down but belief in Britain's democratic system is still high according to the latest findings to measure national well-being

Pakistan is set to host a key summit of developing countries later this month – the first high-profile gathering in recent years that seeks to dispel security concerns of international visitors.

UK prime minister outlines agenda for post-2015 development targets as high-level panel appointed by UN convenes

The world has a lot riding on America’s election. Unfortunately, most people who will be affected by it – almost the entire world – will have no influence on the outcome.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday underscored the role that businesses play in promoting sustainable development, warning against the social perils of rising inequality and unemployment worldwide.

Africa's census shows the nation is fifth in African population, with 51.7 million people. President Jacob Zuma said the census shows progress in the African economic powerhouse.

A new panel will consider what could replace the Millenium Development Goals after 2015 and it's time to push business into the spotlight

As overarching objectives of sustainable development, EU Environment Ministers welcomed the recognition of poverty eradication, the promotion of sustainable patterns of consumption and production, and a better management of natural resources and social development.

As the Millennium Development Goals limp towards their target date of 2015, the United Nations is shifting its focus to another long-term action plan: a new set of Sustainable Development Goals.

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament that he had met a cross-section of people from the Prime Minister to the chief monk to ordinary folks.

Oxfam’s emphasis on quality evaluations is a step in the right direction. Implementing agencies rarely make an impassioned plea for evidence and rigor in their evidence collection, and worse, they hardly ever publish negative evaluations.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has launched a global online forum where audiences can ask questions of Government officials from around the world on the steps needed to address challenges on sustainable development ...

Developed as an alternative to gross domestic product for measuring prosperity, this new performance metric allows politicians and bureaucrats to take account of more subjective costs and benefits in calculating “genuine” progress. As its advocates put ...

The resident co-ordinator of the United Nations System in Angola, Maria Valle Ribeiro, last Tuesday in Luanda said that there was progress in Angola, in the last ten years, in terms of the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

Data shows long-lasting decline in living standards as Bank of England chief hints that UK is emerging from recession

World leaders on Monday urged developed states to promote renewable energy to ensure sustainable development and reduce dependence on traditional energy sources that greatly harm the environment.

World Bank & IFC report finds local entrepreneurs in developing countries are finding it easier to do business than at any time in the last 10 years, highlighting the significant progress...

UNDP presented the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Acceleration Framework, an innovative approach designed to help countries identify and resolve barriers to eradicating extreme poverty, and achieving sustainable development.

It's a global online platform that promises 'civil society' participation towards formulating the post-2015 global development agenda. But the World We Want web platform, an initiative of the United Nations and civil society leaves much scepticism about whose voices are actually represented at such global forums.

Economic Outlook - Individuals have a lower tendency to report themselves as happy as inequality rises

To my great pleasant surprise, I recently attended a one-day workshop on Millennium Development Goals in the capital of our land.

CGD’s Todd Moss responds to Hannah Ryder’s critique of his ‘let them burn fossil fuels’ line on energy poverty

Jeffrey Sachs, director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, and also special adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on the Millennium Development Goals , says India needs to raise its tax revenues substantially, for public spending. In New Delhi to take part in the OECD World Forum, he tells Indivjal Dhasmana the political system in the US and India needs big change and why he favours nuclear energy.

But even in the richest of countries, a rise in GDP still improves perceptions of happiness and life satisfaction. This also holds over time.

It is a necessary tool that can empower individuals and communities to achieve the objectives set by the Millennium Development Goals.

President Joyce Banda isn’t going home empty-handed. On the last day of the European Development Days, the European Union signed two agreements that will provide support to farmers and poor, orphaned households in Malawi.

At the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012, the State of Qatar renewed its commitment to sustainable development and to “ensuring the promotion of an economically, socially and ...

The king of Bhutan wants to make us all happier. Governments, he says, should aim to maximize their people’s Gross National Happiness rather than their Gross National Product. Does this new emphasis on happiness represent a shift or just a passing fad?

Q&A with TCA Anant, secretary and chief statistician, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implemenation

The 4th OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Power begins tomorrow in New Delhi, India and will bring together roughly 1,000 participants to talk about alternative metrics beyond GDP.

The OECD forum is discussing how to make the aspirations of the common man relevant to policymaking

A call to measure economic progress as well as objective and subjective well-being, sustainable growth, environment, education, health and safety was given at the 4th Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development World Forum which opened Tuesday in New Delhi, state news agency Press Information Bureau said.

“Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world” is the formal wording of the 2012 theme. It has been chosen to highlight the role of cooperatives in improving food security and contributing to the eradication of hunger. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2012 report has named Rwanda among the top six developing countries in the world that are the most dynamic performers in ICT development. ISLAMABAD: About 80 percent of illnesses in developing countries are due to unsafe water, resulting in an estimated 2.5 billion illnesses and 5 million deaths each year.
After years of criticism, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has announced it is exploring new ways to measure “hunger”, “undernourishment” and “food insecurity” - terms used interchangeably - which will dramatically alter the number of people believed to be going hungry.
The Abu Dhabi Department of Economy and the United Nations Development Programme on Tuesday unveiled the first Human Development Report of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi 2011/2012 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
German women boast best exercise habits, but men lag in healthy eating
The World Bank is projecting that Ghana’s economy will be the fifth fastest growing economy in sub-Saharan Africa in 2012.
Leaders now resolute about good spirits as a measure of society’s well-being
The United Nations Development Program has proposed three main tasks to be implemented with Myanmar under a three-year plan from 2013 to 2015, official media reported Tuesday.
China’s growth to slow to 7.7% in 2012 but recover to 8.1% next year
Teachers are the keys to reaching the Education for All goals.
Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and the United Nations Development Programme are preparing for the launch of the first Abu Dhabi Human Development Report on Tuesday at the Intercontinental Hotel.
The former UN food envoy explains his claim that we are all accomplices in creating a world where children starve to death – in a confrontational interview with Swiss media
The finance industry is to blame for the growing divide between the rich and poor in the United States, says Nobel Prize-winning economics professor Joseph Stiglitz.
The head of the World Bank said on Thursday he is preparing broad reforms at the development lender to make it more effective in ending global poverty and will discuss the changes with member countries at meetings in Tokyo next week.
Welcome to the Counterparties email. The sign-up page is here, it’s just a matter of checking a box if you’re already registered on the Reuters website.
By 2025, the developing world, as we understand it now, will be home to 29 megacities. We explore the latest UN estimates and forecasts on the growth of these 'cities on steroids', and take a look at the challenges and opportunities megacities present for the tens of millions living in Lagos, Mexico City and Dhaka.
United States Ambassador to Liberia Mrs. Deborah Malac has been outlining progress being made by the United States Government to end hunger."Last week, during the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, global leaders reported to the world on the progress of the Millennium Development Goals including efforts to end chronic hunger and malnutrition," Ambassador Malac said.
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, famed for seeking "happiness" for its citizens, is aiming to become the first nation in the world to turn its home-grown food and farmers 100 percent organic.
Today’s post is from Roopa Chauhan, in collaboration with the OECD Development Centre
Chile has been a role model for Latin America for the past 20 years. Since the 1990 transition to democracy after Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, the country has stood out for its rapid economic growth, social progress and political stability. Lately, however, Chile’s shining image has taken a battering.
Major emerging economies' obligations to cut emissions under a climate change agreement should not be the same as those of rich countries, Brazil's chief negotiator said, signaling a retreat to an old position that has hamstrung years of U.N. negotiations.
Jeffrey Sachs discusses a new approach to solving sustainable-development problems.
In many of history's most successful economic reforms, clever countries have learnt from the policy successes of others, adapting them to local conditions.
Pakistan’s major development partners D-10 including World Bank here on Monday expressed their serious concerns over decline in social sector expenditure and feared that country may not be able to achieve its millennium development goals even by 2025.
At a time when countries across the world are striving to accelerate the pace of growth in gross domestic product, the fourth round of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development World Forum will centre around measuring well-being in an economy by looking beyond this measure. Governments around the world must work out how to cope with ageing, a UN report said on Monday, warning that developing nations with lots of young workers may one day find their elderly populations a burden.
Inequality within societies does matter for happiness, however. Studies show that, in any society, the rich are happier than the poor, and that at the same average income levels, more equal societies record greater levels of happiness.
The International Monetary Fund cautioned emerging market countries on Thursday that their impressive growth could be at risk if advanced economies should slow, urging policymakers to ensure their economies were ready to respond.
DARA publish a comprehensive new report urging global leaders to aggressively tackle climate change.
Confronted with evidence that the Brazilian economic growth this year will not be much more then then 2%, President Dilma Rousseff downplayed GDP, noting that it is not the most appropriate indicator for international comparisons. "A great nation should be measured by what you do for your children and for your teenagers. In many of history's most successful economic reforms, clever countries have learned from the policy successes of others, adapting them to local conditions
In many of history’s most successful economic reforms, clever countries have learned from the policy successes of others, adapting them to local conditions. In the long history of economic development, eighteenth-century Britain learned from Holland; early nineteenth-century Prussia learned from Britain and France; mid-nineteenth-century Meiji Japan learned from Germany; post-World War II Europe learned from the United States; and Deng Xiaoping’s China learned from Japan.
The Millennium Development Goals may not be perfect but they are simple and straightforward - qualities diplomats and others fear could be lost in the process of crafting new targets to replace the MDGs, which expire in 2015.
The UN panel starting work on a post-2015 development vision faces huge pressure to cover issues left out of the original goals, to decide who to consult and how to set measurable targets
The input and participation of the world’s citizens will be key to charting the global development agenda beyond 2015, the target date for the achievement of the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals, top United Nations officials stressed today, adding that the most vulnerable populations need to part of this process.
Environmental "green" growth will not necessarily result in slow growth for the Chinese economy, said Pamela Cox, regional vice-president for World Bank East Asia and Pacific.
Children in Syria are subjected to "appalling" torture, imprisonment and abduction according to Save the Children. New report from UN's telecommunications agency breaks down international internet usage statistics.
Energy Secretary Ed Davey has urged sceptics to embrace green energy reforms, which he suggests could "unlock billions in private investment for energy produced here in the UK".
Nestled between the high Tibetan plateau and the northeast plains of India, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is thought by many to be somewhere between Shangri-La and Brigadoon.
A just released MDG Gap task force report 2012 shows that global financial aid which had peaked in 2010 fell by almost 3% the following year due to "fiscal restraints in donor countries." Donor countries have traditionally pledged upto 0.7% of their national income as global aid, but many fail to live up to existing promises.
Moving low-income families out of poor neighborhoods doesn't help the families escape poverty, according to a new study, but it does make them healthier and happier. In a paper published this week in the journal Science, researchers from the University of Chicago, Harvard and other institutions, studied the effects of Moving to Opportunity, an experimental federal housing program in the 1990s that offered housing vouchers to more than 2,000 low-income families so they could move from impoverished areas into mixed-income neighborhoods.
The U.N.-led process for determining the next round of global development goals is officially underway.
The world will not be rid of poverty, war or terrorism until almost everyone on Earth is in the middle class.
As the dust settles on Rio+20, agreements and other joint outcomes suggest that food security, nutrition and agriculture will have an important role in any future global action on sustainable development.
One year on, how widespread is the Occupy movement?
Umer Akhlaq Malik, a senior research fellow at the MHHDC, told The Express Tribune said the report, the 15th to be released by the centre, focuses on gauging the ability of governance to improve the well being of people.
Where are the world's Facebook friends? This visualisation, designed by Stamen and Stanford graduate in International Relations Mia Newman, measures the connections between countries around the world.
Sustainable economic growth in South Asian countries will only be ensured if the system of governance is pro-people as well as people-centered.
We've heard over and over that the Right wants to decrease the size of big government, to encourage America's work ethic by decreasing welfare programs, and to bolster the military to protect national interests.
The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index has found that people who sleep for less than six hours a night had lower wellbeing levels compared to those who got seven to nine hours sleep.
People and their wellbeing need to be at the centre of development, with less emphasis on economic growth, according to a new report, but this requires philanthropic and development organisations to challenge current thinking. "Development is political," said the final report of the Bellagio Initiative. Under-five deaths down 40 percent in two decades. But 6.9 million children a year still die before fifth birthday. Experts call for more sanitation, clean water, vaccines
There's plenty wrong with gross domestic product as a measure of national wellbeing. As Bobby Kennedy said, it measures everything in life except what's most important.
National happiness campaigns such as that adopted by the Government at a cost of millions of pounds are likely to make people unhappier, according to new research.
In 2000, 189 countries collectively adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration, which evolved into a set of concrete targets called the Millennium Development Goals.
Opening the General Assembly’s dialogue on meeting international development goals Monday, a top UN official called for a “far-reaching vision” that aimed not only to overcome the recent global financial crisis, but also to create jobs and protect the environment.
It's not just GDP that matters in measuring a country's progress now. There's GNH as well. Gross National Happiness, that is.
This is the first ever report prepared by a UN agency and contains progress against various MDGs in the province.
A high level meeting of the NA special committee on the MDGs pressed on the need for the promotion of watershed management, rainwater harvesting and building up more water reservoirs of different sizes to meet the mounting needs of water of all sectors, particularly agriculture and industry.
To put nature at the heart of economic decisions, government, the private sector & the conservation community must reach across the aisle.
Results from its £160m well-being programme revealed today.
Cities should be seen as drivers of economic growth and human development, says report published at World Urban Forum
Over 22 million boys, girls and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean are not in school or are at serious risk of dropping out, according to a new United Nations report, which calls for a joint effort across sectors to ensure that all children can complete their education.
As the telecom industry continues on its growth path, a Greenpeace report cautions it to manage its carbon emissions.
A network of universities, research centres and technical institutions to provide practical sustainable development solutions has been launched by the UN.
A gathering of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum kicked off Sunday in the port city of Vladivostok, Russia, to chart pathways for closer economic ties and promote "green growth" within the region.
A special report prepared in conjunction with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission on Asia and the Pacific on Mongolia’s progress toward UN Millennium Development Goal Three: gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Wales has been warned that it is not harnessing the full potential of its natural environment.
One of the interesting things about having come back to the international development field after some years away is the greatly increased emphasis on results, across all areas of activity, including not only projects and programmes, but also policy making, research, and advocacy.
For some, that simple question is answered by the number of luxury cars lining the city streets, or by the size of wallets bulging out of back pockets.
After criticism of projects elsewhere, a new site in northern Ghana will be independently assessed as the organisers attempt to prove the low cost of lifting people out of poverty
Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Thinley said on Friday that the world should reform the GDP- based development mode, calling for redefining the goals of sustainable development.
The successors to the Millennium Development Goals must take advantage of the power of NGOs, companies, and technologically enabled citizens.
Cutting child mortality around the world is a key millennium development goal. Mortality rates are falling but not fast enough to meet the aim of reducing the rate by two-thirds by 2015, the MDG deadline.
Across the world, both the number of disasters and their human and economic impact have been on the rise.
Training article that will need real text describing it added... Sadly a whole host of recent research reports have shown that children in the UK are some of the most pressurised and unhappy in the world.
Building on green belt land "is not the path to lasting economic prosperity", countryside campaigners have warned the government.
Great social change occurs in several ways.
If the US shared its record weapons revenue, every person on the planet would get about $9.50.
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is located at 2,400m above sea-level, amid the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains. No larger than Switzerland with a population of about 700,000, Bhutan is a place of peace and natural beauty.
There are very real and serious risks for children in the early years of life .
India can learn from Brazil’s Bolsa Familia and China’s Gansu Programme to make refinements to its MGNREGA scheme.
As a young girl, Khitam Sameeh dreamed of finishing high school in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and staking out a career path. Instead, an early arranged marriage at 15 left her raising five children, with few options for easing a daily economic struggle.
Our previous blog on post-2015 discussed the absence of global ageing from the Millennium Development Goals.
North Dakota has lowest percentage of residents unable to afford food.
Is GDP the best measure of success?
Fiji looks set to achieving satisfactory levels for five of the eight Millennium Development Goals
The days ahead for Greater Cochin Development Authority is not going to be hassle-free considering the number of projects it has to undertake.
Global development suffers from poor data on women, say Clinton, World Bank
The humanitarian crisis generated by the ongoing Syrian conflict is rapidly growing as refugees from the Middle Eastern country continue to flee the ongoing violence and spill over into neighbouring areas, the United Nations refugee agency said today.
How Tweet it is - Metro Manilans rise above the floods with Information and Communication Technology (World Bank Blog 18.08.2012) After reading a World Bank publication about leveraging ICT for development, I wondered how Manilenos used their social networks to remain resilient to the devastating floods of the past weeks.
The measure of happiness of a people or nations has always been a matter of debate.
Over the last 100 years, living standards in the West have improved enormously, but it appears that people have not become much happier.
As the world advances it is facing more and more pressing problems such as overpopulation, climate change, energy scarcity, poverty and so on. To help find solutions to the world’s most critical environmental, social economic problems, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has announced the launch of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Economics has long been called “the dismal science” by those who don’t diss it for not being a science at all. Recently, however, economists are studying and writing about the need to re-think the metrics used to measure economies. And there’s a growing consensus that happiness — as much as GDP – ought to be a factor in determining a country’s wealth.
Understanding the link between rising income inequality and increasing economic crises is crucial to build new policies.
It's been pointed out that of the United States' medals won at the London Olympics, the majority were earned by women. Of the 104 total medals won by the U.S., women earned 58 of them. They won 29 of the 46 golds.
Look on the bright side of the olympics, it will make you happier. An excerpt from a recent, terrific New York Times piece by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, discussing the $75,000
Local happiness Entrepreneur Ken Carey’s new company aims to make fund-raising a local affair. To find out more, also visit his site, localhappiness.net
“It is plausible that key transitions in human evolutionary history have been driven in large part by climate change,” write Eugene A. Rosa and Thomas Dietz in “Human Drivers of National Greenhouse-Gas Emissions,” a literature review published by Nature Climate Change.
As the newly appointed UN undersecretary general for economic and social affairs, Wu Hongbo says he will pay great attention to sustainable development.
Bertha Zapeta from the indigenous Guatemalan organization Makatitlan is presenting the socio-economic situation in her country. She starts by projecting a linguistic map of Guatemala, indicating where in the country the different indigenous groups live.
Our economy is growing, yet many Americans are still struggling. Fed chief Ben Bernanke says we need a better way to measure our well-being.
As economic data points have gone recently, last week's unemployment report was good news: 163,000 net new jobs created in July, exceeding analysts' expectations.
We need to understand the links between rising income inequality and frequent economic crises.
The stars of the global development galaxy infrequently align to provide the education sector with an opportunity to advance progress for girls and boys around the world.
New innovative partnerships with the private sector are key to meeting the UN's millennium development goals
Just over six decades from Independence, Pakistan must reconcile itself to the fact that it has not yet made good on the intention of its founders to guarantee basic education to each of this country’s citizens – a guarantee now enshrined in Article 25A of the Constitution, and presumed a universal right by the Millennium Development Goals.
New discoveries of natural resources in several African countries – including Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique – raise an important question: Will these windfalls be a blessing that brings prosperity and hope, or a political and economic curse, as has been the case in so many countries?
The UN is preparing for a post-2015 Development Agenda to replace the Millennium Development Goals, with an advisory panel announced last week and a possible development summit in 2015.
Which makes you happier -- a pay raise or job security? Another TV or a friend next door? A bigger house or more free time?
Addressing these issues collectively rather than pitting them against one another is key for creating a better future
The failure of so many people to empathise with the reality of life for poor people is a major barrier to poverty reduction
Let's start with the big, big picture. All societies have an idea about progress, and that idea becomes very important in shaping people's views about whether a society is doing well or badly, and what should be our national goals and our values, to some extent.
Mike Salvaris says there are more factors than economic progress that must be taken into account when measuring a society's wellbeing.
Secretary general asks members to 'prepare a bold yet practical' vision to follow the millennium development goals
These discussions around the post 2015 development agenda are titled ‘The future we want’. It would be nice if it actually was the future that people currently suffering from hunger and other forms of deprivation want. Here are five points to consider to ensure that it is.
First and foremost, I am grateful to the staff of The Korea Times for their hard work in publishing the feature series “Earth in danger” over the past six months. My thanks should also go to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and all other contributors from various sectors.
The United States, home to the smiley face and the Happy Meal, is attempting to do just that, responding to a movement that has been hailed as revolutionary and derided as “silly” or worse.
It is evident to most Jakartans — especially those who consider themselves members of the upper class — that the disparity of wealth in the city is extreme.
Over the past two years, I have occasionally referred to the notion of sufficiency economy - a term translated from Thai after His Majesty the King first uttered it publicly on Dec 4, 1997.
A new guide aims to help charities measure how their services improve their beneficiaries’ lives.
A sobering World Bank report has found that poor South African kids are unlikely to escape poverty due to persistent social and economic inequalities.
Participants at the workshop were exposed to the development indices model imperatives and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
The government has recently published the Index of Wellbeing, or rather the 'happiness index'. It was an attempt to measure the general
Output is meaningless as an index of individual well-being. The Executive needs a better yardstick to measure happiness, says Robin Wilson
The government's Index of Wellbeing, which measures how happy we are, revealed last week that being 65, married and a homeowner are the secrets to joy. Here, three people from different generations tell us what makes them content.
Reporting on Trialog, the expanded EU NGOs forum discussing civil society organisations, which met in Prague in April, 2012.
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