UN Report Research Articles

To Transition to a Green Economy: Understanding World CO2 Greenhouse Gas Solutions to Climate Change

The importance of shifting to a green economy is clearly established within the UN Social Development Goal (SDG) 13. SDG 13 focuses on combating climate change and its impacts; the UN reports that over 197 parties have signed the UN document. However, the green economy definition is so broad that it encompasses all 17 SDGs. A feasible approach in this paper is to limit our discussion to CO2, which accounts for almost 75% of greenhouse gases. Methane, nitrous oxide (NOx), and fluorinated gases account for 14%, 8%, and 1% respectively. Thus, we use world data from the World Development Indicators to examine the main sources of CO2 from 1960 to 2014. We find the persistence of CO2 over the years, which indicates that most countries have failed to limit the output of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The conclusions drawn are stronger within an econometric model relating CO2 to GDP by employing an Environmental Kuznets (EKC) model for each region of the world. NOx emissions are also discussed later in the paper as another application of the EKC model.

Knowledge gaps amongst students entering higher education in the non-regime North of Syria: Causes and possible solutions

The Syrian education sector has faced many challenges since the outbreak of the conflict in 2011, due to displacement, the destruction of educational institutions, and the emigration of school and university staff. This is reflected in the quality of education from primary school to university, as highlighted in several UN reports published between 2015 and 2019. Consequently, gaps in foundational knowledge hinder students’ progression through their degree courses.This research explores two questions, what knowledge gaps exist in students entering university in mathematics and the sciences and their causes, and solutions to bridge these gaps. .This study was conducted at two universities established in 2015 in the non-regime-controlled northwest of Syria. Twenty-five university teachers from across the two universities were interviewed, and 165 undergraduates were surveyed.Our results show that significant discipline-specific-knowledge gaps exist amongst most students entering university. The reasons for which, in addition to a pre-university education disrupted by the war and displacement, include social, psychological and economic factors. We propose that an integrated institutional approach, encompassing psychological, social and economic dimension, as well as educational dimensions, is required to address identified knowledge gaps, supported by relevant organizations.The study makes an original contribution to the understanding of gaps in knowledge that exist amongst students in northern Syria. It draws attention to the realities of Syrian students and the education sector at the secondary and university levels and identifies ways that academics, institutions and decision makers could address those realities to promote positive outcomes amongst university students.

Some aspects of sustainable urban planning using environmental solutions

The ecological aspect of urbanization is reflected in the fact that cities are increasingly concentrating all types of environmental pollution, which become serious problems of the deteriorating of people living conditions. In the Future megalopolises more than 70% of the population will live in the next few decades according to the UN report. It is necessary to make all conditions for the ideas implementation of comfortable and safe cities. Research and innovation of ecological solutions for eco-cities includes four directions. The article discusses one of them, it is the Enhancing the sustainable urbanization, its classification, which include the sustainable Urban Planning with the Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) approach. The article provides functions and advantages of SuDS systems. Particular attention is paid to the zones of forgotten urban spaces. These zones can improve business and residential areas, as multi-functional design with nature can create new dynamic spaces that increase property values, thereby attracting investors, improving citizens’ well-being. The article provides some examples of draft designs for the improvement of the coastal zones of the Yeltsovka-2 River, located in the area of Zaeltsovsky Park.

Advancing Economic and Social Rights, Including Education, in the Context of European Minorities – International Developments in 2021

In 2021, national minorities continued to face challenges in realising their right to socioeconomic participation, as demonstrated by various UN reports and by monitoring carried out under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The Covid-19 pandemic brought additional challenges in this respect, demonstrating the extreme socioeconomic vulnerability of the Roma minority and having a disproportionate impact on their access to education. On a more positive note, reflections started to emerge concerning post-pandemic recovery plans and how these can best address the needs of national minorities.

6 - Decentralisation in Uganda: Prospects for Improved Service Delivery

Since the 1980s, many Sub-Saharan African countries have been undergoing structural reforms with a view to promoting efficient service delivery. Decentrali- sation, defined as the transfer of authority from central to local governments to perform certain duties, is seen as one of the public sector reform strategies to increase service delivery. Decentralisation in Uganda began in 1986 with the coming into power of the National Resistance Movement, which aimed at pro- moting democracy and enhancing local participation. In Uganda, political de- centralisation developed along with financial decentralisation. The goal of po- litical decentralisation was to promote people’s participation in the democratic process of Uganda. This took the form of Administrative Units – Resistance Councils (RC)1 running from the village to district levels. Financial decentralisa- tion, on the other hand, attempted to assign responsibilities and taxes between the centre and local governments, to enable the transfer of grants and other resources to different parts of the country, and to improve service delivery. This paper will review different government, public and academic documents as well as findings of other researches such as UN reports about decentralisation and service delivery in Uganda. Based on these sources the paper will answer the following questions: to what extent does decentralisation increase service de- livery? To what extent does decentralisation increase efficiency, participation, accountability and effectiveness? What are the challenges of implementing de- centralisation in Uganda?

Sustainable Development as a Determinant of Poland's Economic, Social and Environmental Security

Purpose: The aim of the study was to provide a concise description of the objectives, targets and degree of implementation of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development adopted in 2015, whose implementation contributes to improving national security. The specific objectives included the quantitative and qualitative analysis of selected sustainable development indicators assigned to individual goals of Agenda 2030, as well as the examination of the degree of their implementation in Poland in the 2010-2020 period. Design/Methodology/Approach: To achieve the set objectives, the research process used the 2019 UN Report, Poland on the way to SDGs. Report 2020 as well as data obtained from official statistics in the form of indicators for national priorities. Findings: As a result of the conducted research, it was proved that the assumptions of the sustainable development concept influence the state and level of national security. Practical Implications: Government entities as well as the industry sector are recommended to continuously and widely educate the public on the necessity of implementing the principles of sustainable development. National priorities also need to be supplemented with additional indicators to provide a complete picture of the implementation of certain objectives. Originality/Value: Security in every dimension should be the primary concern of the state, businesses and consumers. An effective way to achieve this is through the implementation of the concept of sustainable development, of which Agenda 2030 is the current indicator.

Grand challenges in developing countries: Context, relationships, and logics

Grand challenges in developing countries: Context, relationships, and logics

Implementing Sustainable Development Goals in India: Progress So Far

As the world inches towards 2030, there is barely a precious decade left towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Given the socio-economic fragility of the economies proven during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it becomes imperative to strive maximum in order to achieve a harmony between economic, environmental and social progress in these economies. With 17.7% of share in the total world population, India has a very high degree of responsibility towards achievement of world SDGs. The spill over score for India is 98.8 which implies that India is in a strong position to create very positive spillover effects to other countries. With a federal structure comprising of 28 states and 8 UTs, the progress made by the Indian economy will depend on the progress made by these states and UTs.
 In this context the current article is an attempt to understand the extent of progress made in India towards achieving the various sustainable development goals. The analysis of the progress made on the various SDG goals is done at two levels: Global Level and State level. At a global level, a comparison is done on the progress of SDGs made in India with other developed and developing economies respectively. To do the comparison the economies have been ranked on the basis of their progress in SDG goal achievement based on UN reports and their per capita incomes. This comparison is done to understand whether wealthier nations are faring better in the achievement of SDGs. An important finding from this table is that the countries with highest per capita income do not necessarily have the highest rankings. This finding could have very meaningful implications on policy making and resource mobilization for the various goals in under developed and developing economies, including India. Further the analysis progress on various SDGs is done at a state level for India. This analysis is done to understand which states are doing good in terms of goal achievement and which states are lagging behind. The state level analysis can also point out to the best practices that are in practice and which can be adapted by other lagging states. The analysis is done based on the Global Sustainable Development Report as well as the Sustainable Development Report prepared by NITI Ayog, Government of India. As the Central government as well as the State governments along with various stakeholders make efforts towards achieving these goals, a macro level analysis of the progress made on these goals can help in course correction at the correct time and thus optimize precious time and resources.

RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT? THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY’S FAILURE TO PROTECT THE ROHINGYA

ABSTRACT The United Nations embraced the doctrine of “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) in 2005, which states that it is a shared responsibility of the international community to protect peoples from the atrocities of war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. Regarding Myanmar, the UN Human Rights Council claimed there were gross violations of human rights and international law in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Also, the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission found evidence of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, and accordingly requested that the international community employ R2P to protect the Rohingya people. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights acknowledged the clearance operation that occurred on 25 August 2017 at the hands of the Myanmar military regime was a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”. In spite of this, the international community has taken no effective measures to protect the Rohingya community from what was an “entirely predictable” act of genocide. This paper is a qualitative investigation, a review of possible strategic reasons for why the international community has failed to protect the Rohingya. The paper relies on secondary scholarly literature, policy records, UN, government, and NGO reports, grey literature sources, and online materials. ASEAN's non-interference strategy, the OIC's dependency on diplomacy, the EU's priority for the hybrid democratic transition of Myanmar, the UN's political dialogue strategy, and the UN Security Council's structural weaknesses are obstacles to the international community preventing genocide in Myanmar. This study contributes to understanding the strategies of ASEAN, OIC, EU, UN, ICC, and the ICJ in relation to the Rohingya issue. It examines the chances of these organisations championing R2P, and also considers whether the Rohingya crisis is too intractable or difficult to resolve under current arrangements.

Women in the Kitchen: The Performativity of Modern Living

It may be presumed that today's ‘modern’ woman is no longer tethered to the domestic realm. However, at the end of 2020, a UN report stated that as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, women were spending an increased amount of time within the home, setting back gender-equality progress by ‘at least 25 years’ (Lungumbu & Butterly, 2020) (UN Women, 2020). This paper will identify and examine the complexities surrounding the ‘modern’ woman’s relationship with her kitchen and the roles of women in today’s modern homes. Does the ‘modern’, open-plan kitchen design construct domestic roles within the house – are they as labour-saving as we may think? The paper will analyse promotional imagery from the 20th and 21st centuries as well as elements of popular culture. This analysis will occur alongside the main research source of the paper, which is a focus group detailing the experiences of five women examining their relationships with their kitchens. Open to all identifying genders, sexualities, and age groups, that the 5 participants who responded to the call are cis women in heterosexual relationships perhaps corroborates the traditionally gendered aspect of domestic labour. This paper will also cover the performativity of managing a work/life balance, how the advent of open-plan living spaces has affected the management of domestic duty, the performative elements of modern living and finally, the power of female dominance in the kitchen and the cultural capital it holds. The aim of the paper is to identify key themes within the subject of ‘Women in the Kitchen’ and to extract potential directions for further study. Regarding future research, it would be beneficial to gain insight from different types of households – single parent and households including members of the wider LGBTQIA+ community. The benefit of this would be to further examine the felt and the perceived nature of women in the kitchen from different viewpoints.

THE RATIONALE FOR ADOPTION OF THE CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE SYSTEM TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION IN ANBAR GOVERNORATE IN IRAQ

Iraq faces major environmental challenges because of its geographical location in the arid and semi aired areas that of desertification sensitivity and the global climate changes, especially in its central and southern parts as in the Al Anbar governorate. According to the UN reports, %92 of Iraq's area is in one way or another exposed to desertification as represented by dust storms, dune movement, deterioration of natural vegetationو droughts, and waterlogging and salinization of the soil. The desertification areas in Al Anbar estimates by %77 of the total area of 137,808 km2 of the governorate. Global attention in combating desertification has involved the implementation of preventive measures to halt and reduce desertification. The most effective way to combat desertification has been found through the introduction of agricultural systems that ensure the conservation of agricultural, natural resources (soil and water) and goes in line with the emerging environmental changes. This article presents the justifications for proposing a conservative agriculture system as an ideal solution to combat desertification in the Al Anbar governorate. The results of the research on the applications of conservation agriculture indicate that the conservation agriculture application leads to reduce soil erosion, mitigate droughts and scarcity of water resources, increase water usage efficiency, and increase productivity and economic return. These findings urge investing in the advantages of the conservation agriculture system to combat the desertification phenomena in the Al Anbar governorate. What should be emphasized in this context, however, is the need to double efforts and provide official support from the relevant authorities.

Work from/for Home: Recommendations to Ease Post-Pandemic Multiple Burden on Women

According to a 2019 UN report on women’s progress, women generally spend an average of 4.1 hours/day on unpaid household and care work compared to 1.7 hours/day for men. Such pre-pandemic statistics saw an exponential rise as COVID-19 swept the globe starting in early 2020. The situation is no different in the Philippines where the pandemic magnified not only the unpaid household and care work experienced by women but also exacerbated gender-based violence. This paper discusses how working women in the Philippines are burdened not only by the so-called second shift (Hochschild, 1989) but also by a more nuanced third shift (Kramarae, 2001) as they juggle the demands of work-from-home arrangements with their family responsibilities while navigating online education for themselves and their children in the midst of the pandemic.

Unlocking the potential for achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 - 'Zero Hunger' - in Africa: targets, strategies, synergies and challenges.

BackgroundThe UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 (‘Zero Hunger’) aims to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Thus, a range of different strategies are needed to facilitate the achievement of SDG 2 to overcome challenges and enable synergies between various SDG targets.ObjectiveThe aim of this review is to highlight Africa’s progress toward SDG 2, including targets, strategies, synergies and challenges.MethodsWe scrutinized published research articles in peer-reviewed journals, UN reports and in-country Africa reports (between 2015 and 2020) that were relevant to the current topic.ResultsSeveral hunger indicators are showing slow progress or even deterioration in Africa. The prevalence of undernourishment in the general population was 19.1% in 2019 and is expected to increase to 25.7% by 2030. Improvements in child stunting in several regions in Africa are slow, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where about 34% of under-fives were stunted in 2012 and 31% in 2019. In Eastern Africa, stunting prevalence decreased from 38% in 2012 to 34% in 2019. Major drivers of hunger are poor governance and state fragility, war and conflicts, increasing inequality, weak economic development, climate change, biodegradation – and now lately the Covid 19 pandemic – factors that all increase food insecurity.ConclusionAfrica is off track to reach SDG – ‘Zero Hunger’ – by 2030. Current efforts and progress are insufficient. Africa must champion the SDG agenda on a national, regional and global level to facilitate synergies to unlock the potential for reaching ‘Zero Hunger’ throughout the continent.

FOOD INSECURITY: UN Report

Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical SeriesVolume 58, Issue 3 p. 23364A-23365A Policy and Practice FOOD INSECURITY: UN Report First published: 03 May 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6346.2021.09969.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume58, Issue3May 2021Pages 23364A-23365A RelatedInformation

Which Pathways Should Indonesia Follow to Achieve Its Energy Development Goals into the Future?

Indonesia has developed a plan for its energy sector far into the future, however, the plan might be challenged by several international agreements that the country ratifies. The UN Report suggests several pathways for Indonesia to achieve the SDGs’ goal number 7 (affordable and clean energy). It challenges the current plan for expanding city gas networks, instead, it offers extensive uses of the electric cooking stove. It recommends that Indonesia accelerates its energy conservation efforts and reduce its energy sector’s greenhouse gasses emission by a figure which is higher than the original target. Besides, Indonesia should develop no more new coal-fired power plants and should continue to remove fossil fuel subsidies and encourage the issuance of green financing. This paper supports but also challenges the report by several arguments based on the country’s energy-economy-environment problems.

New Opportunities and Threats: Reimagining Africa’s International Relations in the Midst of COVID-19

ABSTRACT Both developing and developed countries have felt the impact of COVID-19 on global politics and trade. The African continent faces new threats in addition to already existing challenges like poor infrastructure, underdevelopment and weak institutions. Through an analysis of official speeches and UN reports on the emerging developments around COVID-19, this paper explores the impact of the pandemic on Africa and answers the critical question of the potential and place for Africa’s international relations in a post-COVID world. While many argue that COVID-19 has further deepened the gap between Africa and the developed world, this paper argues that it has also created opportunities for innovation and a re-emergence of Africa as a more vital continent in global politics and far removed from its colonial legacy. This study finds that Africa’s vast resources and wealth of experts; its innovative local industries and rapid response potential; its active community and grassroots; its committed private sector; the work of the African Union; the continent’s geopolitical and economic position, and its many lessons position it to be a strong player in a post-COVID world.

Experimental and Numerical Study for the Effect of Horizontal Openings on the External Plume and Potential Fire Spread in Informal Settlements

According to recent UN reports, it is estimated that more than one billion people live in informal settlements globally, exposing them to a large potential fire risk. In previous research, it was found that the main fire spread mechanism between dwellings is the external flaming (plume) and radiative heat fluxes from the vertical openings at the dwelling of origin to the surroundings. In this paper, an experimental and numerical study was conducted to quantify the effect of adding horizontal roof openings to the design of informal settlement dwellings to reduce the fire spread risk by decreasing the length of flames and radiation from the external plumes at the vertical openings. In total, 19 quarter scale ISO-9705 compartment fire experiments were conducted using an identical fuel load (80 MJ/m2) of polypropylene and were used to validate a physical computational fluid dynamics model for future studies. Five different total horizontal openings areas (0.0025, 0.01, 0.04, 0.09, and 0.16 m2) were investigated using two horizontal openings designs: (1) four square openings at the four corners of the compartment and (2) one slot cut at the middle of the compartment. It was found that adding horizontal openings decreased the average heat flux measured at the door by up to 65% and 69% for corner and slot cases, respectively. Heat flux reductions were achieved at opening areas as low as 0.01 m2 for slot cases, whereas reductions were only achieved at areas of at least 0.09 m2 for corner cases. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was validated using the experimental results. It successfully captured the main fire dynamics within the compartment in addition to the values of the external radiative heat flux. Further, a new empirical ventilation factor was generated to describe the flow field through both openings configurations which showed strong coupling with the inlet mass of fresh air to the compartment.

China at the UN: Choking Civil Society

The Chinese government’s crackdown on freedom of expression, independent thought, and civil society now extends beyond its borders. In the United Nations, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) misuses its seat on the United Nations Economic and Social Council’s Committee on Non-governmental Organizations (NGO Committee) to block applications from civil society organizations seeking UN consultative status. Consultative status enables NGOs to participate in UN activities, including hosting side events, gaining access to sessions, speaking at UN events and delivering statements. While the NGO Committee was originally created to facilitate civil society’s participation within the UN, China (along with other authoritarian countries) have instead used it to restrict NGO access to the UN. Chinese diplomats not only block applications from NGOs working on human rights issues (including those focused on North Korea) but also enforce the one-China policy by asking applicants to explicitly recognize Tibet and Taiwan as integral parts of Chinese territory and resisting groups engaged in advocacy on Uyghur issues. In UN reports on the NGO Committee’s deliberations and interviews with diplomats, UN officials and NGO representatives provide compelling evidence that Beijing seeks to contain NGOs and has worked with the Like-Minded Group (LMG), a coalition of authoritarian countries, to cap the role of civil society in the UN and bar many organizations from participation in this global body.

The essence of sustainable development and its turbolity in the world and Ukraine

In conditions of turbulence and unpredictability, rapid population growth, excessive consumption of resources, environmental pollution, global warming, humanity is on the brink of environmental and socio-humanitarian catastrophe. In view of these threats, the 1987 UN report set out the basic wording of sustainable development – as development in which the needs of present generations are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This article is devoted to the study of the essence of "sustainable development", its features, threats that necessitated the introduction of such a concept, as well as ways to implement it. The importance of ensuring the possibility of achieving the seventeen goals of sustainable development is also substantiated. Separately in the article the peculiarities of Ukraine's policy in ensuring sustainable development are considered, the place of our state in the world in this direction is determined. The level of achievement of seventeen goals is analyzed. It was emphasized that Ukraine is an active participant in the movement for sustainable development.The article states that in order to achieve sustainable development, it is necessary for the governments of the world to realize the need to save the planet and preserve it for future generations, by avoiding depletion, in order to make a profit. World political and non-political organizations, state institutions, business giants must realize that only by adhering to the principle of preservation, not seizure; development, not growth, can achieve sustainable development. It is established that the main way to save and build a society of sustainable development is the awareness of responsibility for the future, not the thirst for earnings today. The main conclusion is that the achievement of these goals is possible only if the business, government institutions realize that the basis of future operation, or even the existence of the world – is not profits, but development, which is to create an environment for harmful technological processes with new high-tech and environmental technologies as global aggression policies are transformed into care policies.

Congress and the Trump Administration Spar Over U.S. Arms Sales to the Saudi-Led Coalition in Yemen

Longstanding tensions between Congress and the executive over U.S. support to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen have spurred conflict between the branches over arms sales. In May 2019, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo declared an emergency under the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) to bypass congressional “freezes” on arms sales and complete $8.1 billion in sales to members of the Saudi-led coalition. In response, Congress requested that the State Department inspector general (IG) investigate the matter. In a report released in August 2020, the IG determined that the emergency declaration comported with the AECA's procedural requirements but that the State Department's risk assessments and civilian casualty mitigation measures did not fully address legal concerns about the sales. The Trump administration has continued to move forward with arms sales, including by unilaterally reinterpreting a nonbinding multilateral export control regime to eliminate prohibitions on the export of certain unmanned aerial systems (UAS). A bipartisan group of legislators has introduced a bill to prevent such sales to all countries except select U.S. allies. In September, a UN report criticized U.S. and other countries’ arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition and recommended referral of the situation in Yemen to the International Criminal Court (ICC).