Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2015
Estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population
Publication date: November 2015 :: 12 pages
WHO reference number: WHO /RHR/15.23
Full report pdf, 5 MB :: Executive summary pdf, 1 MB
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 Target 5A called for the reduction of maternal mortality ratio by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. It has been a challenge to assess the extent of progress due to the lack of reliable and accurate maternal mortality data – particularly in developing-country settings where maternal mortality is high. As part of ongoing efforts, the WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division updated estimates of maternal mortality for the years 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2015.

Joint news release
Maternal deaths fell 44% since 1990 – UN
Report from WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division highlights progress

12 NOVEMBER 2015 ¦ GENEVA ¦ NEW YORK – Maternal mortality has fallen by 44% since 1990, United Nations agencies and the World Bank Group reported today.
Maternal deaths around the world dropped from about 532 000 in 1990 to an estimated 303 000 this year, according to the report, the last in a series that has looked at progress under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This equates to an estimated global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 216 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births, down from 385 in 1990.

Maternal mortality is defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth or within 6 weeks after birth.

“The MDGs triggered unprecedented efforts to reduce maternal mortality,” said Dr Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General, Family, Women’s and Children’s Health. “Over the past 25 years, a woman’s risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes has nearly halved. That’s real progress, although it is not enough. We know that we can virtually end these deaths by 2030 and this is what we are committing to work towards.”

Achieving that goal will require much more effort, according to Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. “Many countries with high maternal death rates will make little progress, or will even fall behind, over the next 15 years if we don’t improve the current number of available midwives and other health workers with midwifery skills,” he said. “If we don’t make a big push now, in 2030 we’ll be faced, once again, with a missed target for reducing maternal deaths.”

The analyses contained in Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2015 – Estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division are being published simultaneously in the medical journal The Lancet.

Ensuring access to high-quality health services during pregnancy and child birth is helping to save lives. Essential health interventions include: practising good hygiene to reduce the risk of infection; injecting oxytocin immediately after childbirth to reduce the risk of severe bleeding; identifying and addressing potentially fatal conditions like pregnancy-induced hypertension; and ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health services and family planning for women.

Uneven gains
Despite global improvements, only 9 countries achieved the MDG 5 target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by at least 75% between 1990 and 2015. Those countries are Bhutan, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Maldives, Mongolia, Rwanda and Timor-Leste. Despite this important progress, the MMR in some of these countries remains higher than the global average.

“As we have seen with all of the health-related MDGs, health system strengthening needs to be supplemented with attention to other issues to reduce maternal deaths,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Geeta Rao Gupta. “The education of women and girls, in particular the most marginalized, is key to their survival and that of their children. Education provides them with the knowledge to challenge traditional practices that endanger them and their children.”

By the end of this year, about 99% of the world’s maternal deaths will have occurred in developing regions, with Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounting for 2 in 3 (66%) deaths. But that represents a major improvement: Sub-Saharan Africa saw nearly 45% decrease in MMR, from 987 to 546 per 100 000 live births between 1990 and 2015.
The greatest improvement of any region was recorded in Eastern Asia, where the maternal mortality ratio fell from approximately 95 to 27 per 100 000 live births (a reduction of 72%). In developed regions, maternal mortality fell 48% between 1990 and 2015, from 23 to 12 per 100 000 live births.

Working towards ending preventable maternal deaths
A new Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, launched by the UN Secretary General in September 2015, aims to help achieve the ambitious target of reducing maternal deaths to fewer than 70 per 100,000 live births globally, as included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Reaching that goal will require more than tripling the pace of progress – from the 2.3% annual improvement in MMR that was recorded between 1990 and 2015 to 7.5% per year beginning next year.

The Global Strategy highlights the need to reinforce country leadership by mobilizing domestic and international resources for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health. It will be important to strengthen health systems so they can provide good quality care in all settings, promote collaboration across sectors, and support individuals and communities to make informed decisions about their health and demand the quality care they need. The strategy emphasizes that special attention is imperative during humanitarian crises and in fragile settings, since maternal deaths tend to rise in these contexts.

“The SDG goal of ending maternal deaths by 2030 is ambitious and achievable provided we redouble our efforts,” said Dr Tim Evans, Senior Director of Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank Group. “The recently launched Global Financing Facility in Support of Every Woman Every Child, which focuses on smarter, scaled and sustainable financing, will help countries deliver essential health services to women and children.”

Need for better data
The 2015 maternal mortality estimates present the tremendous progress achieved towards the Millennium Development Goal 5 on maternal mortality reduction. They show a strong trend of reduction over the years. At the same time, we have seen more and better data coming from various countries, enhancing the accuracy of the absolute numbers reported.

Efforts to strengthen data and accountability especially over the past years have helped fuel this improvement. However, much more needs to be done to develop complete and accurate civil and vital registration systems that include births, deaths and causes of death.

Maternal death audits and reviews also need to be implemented to understand why, where and when women die and what can be done to prevent similar deaths. Since 2012, WHO, UNFPA and partners have developed Maternal Death Surveillance and Response for identification and timely notification of all maternal deaths, followed by review of their causes and the best methods of prevention. An increasing number of low- and middle-income countries are now implementing this approach.

NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS GAINS IN CHILD SURVIVAL, BUT THERE’S STILL WORK TO BE DONE TO ADDRESS LEADING KILLERS
International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health releases its 2015 Pneumonia and Diarrhea Progress Report: Sustainable Progress in the Post-2015 Era

Baltimore, MD, November 12, 2015: The 2015 Pneumonia and Diarrhea Progress Report: Sustainable Progress in the Post-2015 Era, released today on World Pneumonia Day by the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, documents the progress of the 15 countries experiencing the greatest burden of pneumonia and diarrhea.

Although global progress has been made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals and reducing child deaths, in 2015 a projected 5.9 million children around the world will die before reaching their fifth birthday. Of these 5.9 million deaths, pneumonia was responsible for 16% and diarrhea was responsible for 9%, making them two of the leading killers of children worldwide. This report highlights the need for sustained efforts to decrease the global burden of pneumonia and diarrhea, especially in the 15 highest burden countries.

Progress in countries is evaluated through “Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhea (GAPPD) intervention scores” a calculated average of coverage levels for the vital pneumonia and diarrhea interventions outlined in the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF’s integrated GAPPD for which data are available, including vaccination, exclusive breastfeeding, access to care, and use of antibiotics, oral rehydration solution, and zinc.

“This World Pneumonia Day, we celebrate the progress made in preventing pneumonia and reducing child deaths around the world. This year’s Pneumonia and Diarrhea Report highlights the need for sustainable progress as we move beyond 2015 toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This means increasing equitable access to vaccines, diagnostic tools, and medication to prevent unnecessary pneumonia and diarrhea deaths,” said Kate O’Brien, Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Executive Director of IVAC.

Vaccine introductions and scale ups, promotion of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life, increasing access to appropriate pneumonia treatment, and ensuring sustainability for the post-2015 agenda are all required to put an end to these preventable diseases.

Key Findings from this year’s report:
:: Overall GAPPD scores in 2015 varied widely from a low of 20% (Somalia) to a high of 72% (Tanzania), with all 15 focus countries falling below the 86% target for the overall GAPPD score.
:: Rates of exclusive breastfeeding during a child’s first six months of life remain low. Currently, 12 of the 15 countries with the most child pneumonia and diarrhea deaths have exclusive breastfeeding rates that still fall short of the 50% GAPPD target for this protective intervention.
:: Currently, 3 of the 15 countries (Sudan, Bangladesh, and Tanzania) have met or exceeded the 90% GAPPD coverage target for Hib vaccination and several countries are relatively close to reaching the target, including Pakistan (73%), DRC (80%), Angola, (80%), Ethiopia (77%), and Afghanistan (75%). Still, many countries continue to have extremely low coverage, such as India (20%), Indonesia (21%), Somalia (42%), and Chad (46%).
:: Fifteen years after PCV’s first introduction in 2000, five of the highest burden countries (India, Indonesia, Chad, China, and Somalia) are still not using the vaccine in their routine immunization programs.
:: Of the 10 GAPPD interventions evaluated in this report, pneumonia and diarrhea treatment tend to have the lowest coverage rates; some countries are not reporting any data at all, creating blind spots on progress and program performance.
:: To meet the Strategic Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths of neonates and under-five children by the year 2030 and achieving high coverage of GAPPD interventions in places where the most children are dying of preventable causes is undoubtedly needed.

Business and the United Nations: Working together towards the Sustainable Development Goals: A Framework for Action
Report: SDG Fund Private Advisory Group in collaboration with Harvard Kennedy School and Business Fights Poverty.
November 2015 ::: 48 pages
SDG Fund: http://www.sdgfund.org/

Overview
This report published in conjunction with Harvard’s Kennedy School and Business Fights Poverty, entitled, Business and the United Nations: Working together towards the Sustainable Development Goals: A Framework for Action outlines the business and development case for increased UN business engagement as well as recommendations on the ways that the UN can work more effectively on this shared imperative.

There is a renewed emphasis across the United Nations on partnering with responsible businesses to deliver sustainable development on the ground. This report offers fresh perspectives on a variety of topics including improving the climate for partnership design, co-creation, combining complementary skills, and developing solutions to harness the full potential of what business can bring to the development table.

This publication focuses on insight and best practices culled from interviews with business leaders which are designed to help both the private sector, the UN, and other practitioners learn from each other. These business leaders represent a selected group of companies from several regions of the world and a variety of industries that are part of the SDG Fund Private Sector Advisory Group.

The report is divided into three chapters:
:: Executive Summary and Imperative for Action
:: The Framework for Action
:: Agenda for Action

Raising the Bar – Advancing Environmental Disclosure in Sustainability Reporting
United Nations Environment Programme
November 2015 :: 70 pages
Pdf: http://apps.unep.org/publications/index.php?option=com_pub&task=download&file=011862_en
Overview
This global cross-sector report assesses the environmental dimension of sustainability reporting and provides recommendations to make environmental reporting important to all stakeholders. It analyses what the key and most common environmental disclosure items are and provides practical recommendations for companies and other reporting organizations on how these items should be measured and reported, supported with best practice examples. In addition, it explores emerging areas of research in this domains, as well as innovative reporting practices.

Press Release
Raising the Bar on Corporate Sustainability Reporting to Meet Ecological Challenges Globally
A new UNEP Report urges companies to align their sustainability performance and reporting to match expectations of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Paris, 12 November 2015 – Companies are failing to accurately reflect the scale and extent of their environmental impacts, a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has found.

In the case of greenhouse gas emissions, only 9 out of 108 (8 per cent) surveyed companies have established reduction targets in accordance with the science-based target of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius – the central goal of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, December 2015.

Launched today at the Reporting 3.0 Conference in Berlin, Germany, the report, Raising the Bar – Advancing Environmental Disclosure in Sustainability Reporting, calls on companies to do more to address the environmental and social impacts of their operations, as required in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UNEP’s analysis of 108 company sustainability reports found that they typically disclose data on four key areas:
:: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (reported by 95 per cent of surveyed companies);
:: Energy (83 per cent);
:: Water (81 per cent);
:: Materials/Waste (75 per cent).

However, the quality of these reports is insufficient to represent the full impacts of a company’s use of resources and materials on the environment and on communities. Such information would improve corporate decision-making and add value to businesses in the short and long terms…

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly  [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/
Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage

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13 November 2015
GA/L/3513
As Working Groups Present Reports, Legal Committee Chair Disappointed Delegations Still Unable to Conclude Draft Convention on International Terrorism
Prior to approving without a vote the request for Observer status in the General Assembly for the Union for the Mediterranean, the Sixth Committee (Legal) today heard oral reports of its three working groups, noting once again that delegations had been unable to conclude a draft comprehensive convention on measures to eliminate international terrorism, a situation the Chair lamented.

12 November 2015
GA/EF/3439
Second Committee Passes Resolutions Reaffirming Rights of Palestinian People over Natural Resources, Recognizes Right to Claim Restitution
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved three resolutions today, one of them reaffirming the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the population of occupied Syrian Golan over their land, water and energy resources.

12 November 2015
GA/11722
Examining Security Council’s Annual Report, Speakers in General Assembly Urge More Analysis, Criticize Response to Syrian Crisis, Terrorism as Inadequate
Sounding a united call for future reports of the Security Council to the General Assembly to be more analytical and less descriptive, a score of non-Council Member States today addressed specific conflict situations, as well as cross-cutting issues affecting cooperation between the Council and other organs of the United Nations.

12 November 2015
SC/12117
Condemning Increasing Violence in Burundi, Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution 2248 (2015), States Intention to Consider ‘Additional Measures’
The Security Council today strongly condemned increasing killings, torture and other human rights violations in Burundi, and stated its intention to consider “additional measures” against all actors whose actions and statements impeded the search for a peaceful solution to the crisis in the East African nation.

11 November 2015
SC/12115
Iraqi Government Efforts to Advance Reform, National Reconciliation Face Increased Security, Humanitarian Challenges, Special Representative Tells Security Council
The Government led by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi continued efforts to fulfil its reform agenda even as the scope and complexity of Iraq’s security, political, social, budgetary and humanitarian challenges increased, Ján Kubiš, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), told the Security Council this morning.

11 November 2015
DSG/SM/915-REF/1218
Failure of Refugee, Migration Governance Fatal, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Valletta Summit, Noting Death of Thousands on Journey to Better Life

10 November 2015
SC/12113
Security Council Renews Measures to Combat Piracy, Armed Robbery off Somali Coast, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2446 (2015)
The Security Council this morning renewed the measures granted to States and regional organizations cooperating with authorities in Somalia in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of that country for a further period of 12 months.

UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true
Selected Press Releases/Announcements

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UN experts welcome the Security Council call on Burundi and urge concrete actions
11/13/2015
:: Sp. Rapporteur on freedom of expression
:: Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
:: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
:: Sp. Rapporteur on torture
:: Sp. Rapporteur on summary executions
:: Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence
:: Representative of the S-G on internally displaced persons

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UN rights expert raises alarm on “the critical situation faced by indigenous peoples in Honduras”
11/12/2015
:: Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people

SRSG/SVC Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/media/press-releases/

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South Sudan: UN Special Representative welcomes SPLA-IO action plan to combat rape in war and undertakings by Commanders
(New York, 10 November 2015) The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, today commended senior officers from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Sudan People’s Liberation Army (In Opposition), for signing explicit undertakings to prevent conflict-related sexual violence…

UN OCHA [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.unocha.org/media-resources/press-releases
[We generally do not include OCHA Flash Updates on humanitarian crises in this digest]

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13 Nov 2015
Somalia: Somalia: Flash Update 3 Humanitarian Impact of Heavy Rains | 13 November 2015
Somalia Situation overview: While wet conditions persisted in some parts of northern Somalia and areas along the Juba and Shabelle river basins in Somalia and in the Ethiopian Highlands, most areas did not experience heavy rains and floods over the past week, according to the FAO-Managed Somalia Land and Water Information Network (SWALIM)…

12 Nov 2015
Ethiopia: UN Emergency Fund releases $17 million to help communities affected by worst drought to hit Ethiopia in decades
(New York, 12 November 2015) – United Nations humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien today released US$17 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support people affected by the worst drought in Ethiopia in decades. UN and partners are supporting the ongoing response led by the Government of Ethiopia. The El Niño global climactic event has wreaked havoc on Ethiopia’s summer rains…

10 Nov 2015
Mali: Women are playing a key role in Mali’s recovery
(New York, 10 November 2015): The Head of Operations at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, John Ging, today applauded the pivotal role played by women in Mali’s recovery from violent conflict. Mr. Ging has just returned from a three-day visit to Mali…

10 Nov 2015
Ethiopia: Ethiopia: Government and Humanitarian partners responding to an El Niño-caused drought emergency
Addis Ababa, 10 November 2015: The El Niño global climactic event has wreaked havoc on Ethiopia’s summer rains. This comes on the heels of failed spring rains, and has driven food insecurity, malnutrition and water shortages in affected areas of the country. Following a rapid assessment in early October, the Government and partners concluded that the number of people requiring emergency food assistance…

UNICEF [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_78364.html
Selected press releases

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UNICEF: Major spike in number of refugee and migrant children on the move in Europe
GENEVA, 13 November 2015 – With record numbers of child refugees and migrants – 700 a day seeking asylum in Europe – UNICEF has identified five groups of vulnerable children and is mobilizing tailored actions to meet their needs.

A digital necklace and a wearable soap win ‘Wearables for Good’ Design Challenge with UNICEF, ARM and frog
HELSINKI/NEW YORK/LONDON, 12 November 2015 – A necklace that stores electronic health data to track child immunization and a wearable soap that helps limit the spread of infectious viruses by encouraging hand washing, have won the Wearables for Good challenge run by UNICEF, ARM and frog.

Maternal deaths fell 44% since 1990 – UN
NEW YORK/GENEVA/WASHINGTON, 12 November 2015 – Maternal mortality has fallen by 44% since 1990, United Nations agencies and the World Bank Group reported today.
[See Week in Review above]

Children’s lives at stake as El Niño strengthens: UNICEF
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 10 November 2015 – An estimated 11 million children are at risk from hunger, disease and lack of water in eastern and southern Africa as a result of a strengthening El Niño, which is also causing droughts and floods in parts of Asia, the Pacific and Latin America, UNICEF warned on Tuesday.

Innovators determined to advance results for children
HELSINKI, Finland/NEW YORK, 9 November 2015 – Over 500 leading thinkers from the technological, academic, corporate, development and humanitarian world are convening in Helsinki today to unlock the way new technologies can drive change for the world’s most vulnerable children.

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=&comid=4a0950336&cid=49aea93a7d&scid=49aea93a40

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Three new winners claim UNHCR Award for Best Research on Statelessness in 2015
13 November 2015

High Commissioner welcomes nomination of successor
12 November 2015

UNHCR condemns attack on camp for internally displaced in Central African Republic town of Batangafo
11 November 2015

UNHCR hails Canada’s pledge to take another 25,000 Syria refugees
10 November 2015

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases
Selected Press Releases

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IOM Welcomes Intercontinental Agreement to Manage African Migration to Europe
11/13/15
Switzerland – A roadmap to manage African migration to Europe has been welcomed by IOM’s Director General William Lacy Swing.

IOM, UNHCR Build Capacity of Libyan Partners to Save Lives of Migrants at Sea
11/13/15
Libya – IOM Tripoli and UNHCR have organized a technical workshop and coordination meeting for Libyan partners on saving lives of migrants at sea.

Consortium Applies New Approach to Security and Stabilization in Eastern DRC
11/13/15
Democratic Republic of the Congo – IOM in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has signed an agreement with the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands to lead an ambitious Consortium that aims to work with local communities and governmental institutions towards the stabilization and peace of the country’s troubled eastern region.

IOM Begins Vaccination of US-Bound Refugees in Rwanda
11/13/15
Rwanda – IOM has begun the vaccination in Kigali, Rwanda of refugees due to be resettled in the United States. The vaccinations are part of a three-day IOM medical health assessment process for the United States Refugee Resettlement Program (USRAP).

USAID Extends Abyei Rehabilitation Initiative
11/13/15
South Sudan – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has extended funding for the IOM-USAID Abyei Rehabilitation Initiative through 2018. The programme is designed to mitigate the risk of conflict and promote recovery in Abyei Administrative Area, an oil-rich territory of more than 10,000 square kilometers contested by Sudan and South Sudan.

IOM Trucks Water to Conflict-Affected Communities in Taiz, Yemen
11/13/15
Yemen – Since November 5th IOM has been assisting the two districts of Taizz city most badly affected by the conflict – Al Qahira and Al Mudhaffar – with water trucking.

Regional Conference on Migration Convenes in Mexico City
11/13/15
Mexico – Government officials from the 11 countries of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) – Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the United States – participated in the Annual Vice-Ministerial of the group at the 20th RCM meeting held this week in Mexico City.

UN Women [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.unwomen.org/news/stories
Selected Press Releases

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UN Women and WFP unveil expansion of ‘Oases’ safe spaces in Za’atari refugee camp
Date: 11 November 2015
UN Women and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have joined forces to support refugee resilience in Za’atari refugee camp. Nearly 80,000 of the Syrians who have escaped the conflict in Syria have sought shelter at Jordan’s largest refugee camp, Za’atari, where UN Women and WFP are working together to provide economic empowerment programmes for women and girls.

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“Through sport we can teach some of life’s biggest lessons about equality” — Executive Director
Date: 11 November 2015
Address by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the International Olympic Committee Women in Sport Commission Annual Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on 10 November.

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UN Women Deputy Executive Director calls on G7 countries to step up their commitments to women’s economic empowerment
Date: 10 November 2015
Remarks by Deputy Executive Director of UN Women Lakshmi Puri at the International Conference “Economic Empowerment of Women – Unlock the Potential” in Berlin on 9 November.

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“Violence against women and men should not be inevitable” — Executive Director
Date: 09 November 2015
Speech by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the Colloquium on Violence, Intervention, and Agency at Yale University on 6 November

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html
Selected Press Releases

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UN Development Chief: Tackling Root Causes of Migration Critical to Ending Crisis
Nov 12, 2015
Ending the migration crisis in Europe will require a broad coalition of countries and international organizations to tackle the causes of the mass migration while creating more avenues for legal migration, said United Nations development chief Helen Clark.

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Helen Clark: Statement at the Valletta Summit on Migration
Nov 11, 2015 Valletta, Malta

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UN Development Chief: Resilience Critical to More Effective Syria Response
Nov 10, 2015
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, Helen Clark affirmed the critical importance of resilience-based development to the international response to the ongoing crisis in Syria, in her closing remarks to the Resilience Development Forum, which UNDP convened over two days, 8 and 9 November 2015, in the Dead Sea in Jordan, hosted by the Government of Jordan.

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1
Selected Press Releases

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Raising the Bar on Corporate Sustainability Reporting to Meet Ecological Challenges Globally
A new UNEP Report urges companies to align their sustainability performance and reporting to match expectations of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
12 November
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Green Climate Fund Starts the Flow of Climate Finance to Developing Countries by Approving First 8 Investments
Board gears up to larger scale projects in the near future
Livingstone, Zambia, 6 November 2015 – The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board approved US $168 million of funding for projects and programmes worth US$ 624 million, marking the end of its launch phase and kick-starting the flow of climate finance through the Fund to developing countries. The activities supported by the Board will generate up to US$ 1.3 billion in investments over the coming five years.

The Board, meeting in Zambia this week, has approved an initial batch of projects, covering mitigation and adaptation measures. The projects include three in Africa, three in Asia-Pacific, and two in Latin America. The partnering entities for the projects include national, regional, and international bodies accredited to the Fund, from both the public and private sectors….

UNISDR UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.unisdr.org/archive
Selected Press Releases

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Arab States to implement Sendai Framework
13 Nov 2015
A “road map” for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in the Arab Region in order to achieve a substantial reduction in disaster losses, was agreed this week in Cairo…

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Mayors call for protection of heritage sites from disasters
13 Nov 2015
Mayors from the 250-member strong Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) have called for member cities to include protection of cultural heritage in disaster risk management plans as set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction…

UN DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news.html
Selected Press Releases

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Disabilities and development: no-one left behind
13 November 2015, New York
The 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, adopted on 25 September 2015, is unprecedented in its efforts to be the most inclusive development framework the international community has ever produced.

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ECOSOC President urges stronger cooperation to thwart tax evasion and avoidance
11 November 2015, New York
Citing an enormous loss of $100 to $240 billion dollars in uncollected global corporate income tax revenues each year, Oh Joon, President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today stressed the need to curb tax evasion and avoidance and called for stronger international tax cooperation.

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Thousands gather for IGF to discuss potential of Internet for new agenda
9 November 2015, João Pessoa, Brazil
Approximately 5,000 people, including high-level government officials, civil society leaders and internet policy experts, will gather both – in-person and online – at the 10th Annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in João Pessoa, Brazil (10 to 13 November) to discuss the crucial role the internet must play in the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UNESCO [to 21 November 2015]
http://en.unesco.org/news
Selected Press Releases

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Promoting the status of artists and artistic freedom – experts debate at UNESCO
13 November 2015

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High-level participants from over 50 countries ready to join in the dialogue on gender equality in media
13 November 2015

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Research at the forefront of the global race for sustainable development, says UNESCO report
Paris, 10 November 2015 – Most countries, regardless of their level of income, now see research and innovation as key to fostering sustainable economic growth and furthering their development. This is one of the conclusions of the UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030, to be launched at UNESCO Headquarters on World Science Day, 10 November.
There are fewer grounds today than in the past to deplore a North–South divide in research and innovation. This is one of the key findings of the UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 launched on 10 November 2015.

Written by about 60 experts who are each covering the country or region from which they hail, the UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 provides more country-level information than ever before. The trends and developments in science, technology and innovation policy and governance between 2009 and mid-2015 described here provide essential baseline information on the concerns and priorities of countries that should orient the implementation and drive the assessment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the years to come.

:: UNESCO Science Report, Towards 2030
The UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 provides more country-level information than ever before. The trends and developments in science, technology and innovation policy and governance between 2009 and mid-2015 described here provide essential baseline information on the concerns and priorities of countries that should orient the implementation and drive the assessment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the years to come.
Download the full interactive PDF

UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme [to 21 November 2015]
http://unhabitat.org/media-centre/news/
[Selected Announcements]

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Nairobi hosts GLTN partners’ meeting
Nairobi 12 November 2015— The sixth Partners’ meeting of the Global Land Tool Network was successfully held in Nairobi in early November, in an event that saw the 70 Partners of the network as well as well as other stakeholders in the land sector across the world gather to deliberate on various issues affecting the network and the land sector general…
Posted November 12, 2015

The Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) is an alliance of global, regional, and national partners contributing to poverty alleviation through land reform, improved land management, and security of tenure, particularly through the development and dissemination of pro-poor and gender-sensitive land tools. Secure land tenure and property rights are fundamental to shelter and livelihoods, as well as to the realization of human rights, poverty reduction, economic prosperity, and sustainable development…Through GLTN, UN-Habitat continues to work towards this with partners, including international civil society organizations, international finance institutions, international research and training institutions, donors, and professional bodies.

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.fao.org/news/archive/news-by-date/2015/en/
[Selected Announcements]

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FAO warns that recent torrential rains and cyclones could favour locust surge
The locust situation in countries normally affected by Desert Locust remained mostly calm in October with only small-scale breeding activity detected, FAO experts said. They noted however, that this could change, in part due to the impact of El Nino in Africa and the tropical cyclones Chapala and Megh in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.
11-11-2015

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From butter beans to pigeon peas: UN launches International Year of Pulses
Pulses, including all kinds of dried beans and peas, are a cheap, delicious and highly nutritious source of protein and vital micronutrients that can greatly benefit people’s health and livelihoods, particularly in developing countries — that was the UN’s message at the launch of the International Year of Pulses 2016 today.
10-11-2015

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development [to 21 November 2015]
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/index.htm

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10 November: Experts gather to discuss how to evaluate second Sustainable Development Goal
Rome, 10 November 2015 – The evaluation offices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the CGIAR will hold a technical seminar to understand how the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG2), which proposes to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030, can be assessed and evaluated. And, more specifically, which actions will be needed to ensure evaluations take place through the United Nations system, other international organizations or national evaluation systems. Results from the workshop will contribute to a broader understanding of whether or not the implementation of the global goals, launched in September by the United Nations General Assembly, can be monitored and evaluated over the long term…