United Nations Agencies Research Articles

Strengthening health systems and peacebuilding through women’s leadership: a qualitative study

BackgroundActive and protracted conflict settings demonstrate the need to prioritise the peace through health agenda. This can be achieved by reorienting attention toward gender diverse leadership and more effective governance within health systems. This approach may enable women to have a greater voice in the decision-making of health and social interventions, thereby enabling the community led and context specific knowledge required to address the root causes of persistent inequalities and inequities in systems and societies.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study, which included semi-structured interviews with 25 key informants, two focus group discussions and one workshop with humanitarian workers in local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations (UN) agencies, health practitioners, and academics, from Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Latin America. Findings were then applied to the peacebuilding pyramid designed by John Paul Lederach which provides a practical framework for mediation and conflict resolution in several conflict-affected settings. The purpose of the framework was to propose an adapted conceptualisation of leadership to include women’s leadership in the health system and be more applicable in protracted conflict settings.ResultsFive interrelated themes emerged. First, perceptions of terms such as gender equality, equity, mainstreaming, and leadership varied across participants and contexts. Second, armed conflict is both a barrier and an enabler for advancing women’s leadership in health systems. Third, health systems themselves are critical in advancing the nexus between women’s leadership, health systems and peacebuilding. Fourth, across all contexts we found strong evidence of an instrumental relationship between women’s leadership in health systems in conflict-affected settings and peacebuilding. Lastly, the role of donors emerged as a critical obstacle to advance women’s leadership.ConclusionContinuing to empower women against social, cultural, and institutional barriers is crucial, as the emerging correlation between women’s leadership, health systems, and peacebuilding is essential for long-term stability, the right to health, and health system responsiveness.

Total meat (flesh) supply may be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases worldwide.

Consumption of red meat instead of white meat has typically been associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Reflecting actual diet patterns, this study explored the role of total meat (red + white) in predicting CVD incidence. Data from 217 countries were extracted from United Nations agencies for the analyses in five steps. Bivariate correlations were applied to examine the relationship between total meat and CVD incidence globally and regionally. Partial correlation was applied to identify that total meat was an independent predictor of CVD incidence while socioeconomic status, obesity, and urbanization were statistically constant. Stepwise linear regression was conducted for selecting the significant predictor of CVD incidence. SPSS 28 and Microsoft Excel were used for correlation analyses. Globally, total meat correlated to CVD incidence strongly and significantly in bivariate correlation models. This relationship remained significant in partial correlation when socioeconomic status, obesity, and urbanization were statistically kept constant. Stepwise multiple regression identified that, second to socioeconomic status, total meat was a significant predictor of CVD incidence. Total meat correlated to CVD incidence in different country groupings. However, the correlations between total meat and CVD incidence were significantly stronger in developing countries than in developed countries. Worldwide, total meat (flesh) consumption correlated to CVD incidence independently, but significantly stronger in developing countries than in developed countries. This correlation is worth exploring further in longitudinal cohort studies.

Integrating traditional ecological knowledge into US public land management: Knowledge gaps and research priorities

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is an understanding of natural systems acquired through long-term human interactions with particular landscapes. Traditional knowledge systems complement western scientific disciplines by providing a holistic assessment of ecosystem dynamics and extending the time horizon of ecological observations. Integration of TEK into land management is a key priority of numerous groups, including the United Nations and US public land management agencies; however, TEK principles have rarely been enshrined in national-level US policy or planning. We review over 20 years of TEK literature to describe key applications of TEK to ecological understanding, conservation, restoration and land management generally. By identifying knowledge gaps, we highlight research avenues to support the integration of TEK into US public land management, in order to enhance conservation approaches and participation of historically underrepresented groups, particularly American Indian Tribes, in the stewardship of ancestral lands critical to the practice of living cultural traditions.

Music, social cohesion, and intercultural understanding: A conceptual framework for intercultural music engagement

Regional conflict, growing technological developments, and climate change have seen high migration rates, which are likely to rise. Discrimination and violence at the hands of host societies continue to threaten the well-being of immigrant communities, as well as wider social cohesion in migration destinations. The urgency of the situation has been highlighted in several international policy documents released since 2020 by the United Nations (UN) and related agencies. In response, we have seen a global movement of intercultural music ensembles intended to break down cultural barriers and explore sites of cultural intersection, yet the real-world benefits of such initiatives remain unclear. There is a need to further explore and understand how and when music can be used as an instrument or site for fostering inclusion, understanding, and cohesion between migrants and their host communities. On appraising the evidence, we propose a conceptual framework for explaining how different cultures can interact with each other through musical participation.

The plight of the fishers and the management of IUU fishing

It is now four decades since the conclusion of the Law of the Sea Convention, which came into force in 1994, and an appropriate point to review the human dimension of the development of global fisheries during this period, with special reference to the widespread exploitation especially of migrant fishers. The scale of global fisheries activity is reviewed with reference to statistics on the catch of wild fisheries, followed by a focus on the small-scale fisheries characteristic of the developing world on the one hand, and the industrial distant water fisheries operated largely by regions within the developed world on the other. The plight of the fishers is then considered in terms of both their living and working conditions and the management system which applies to their circumstances. The legal basis provided by the Law of the Sea Convention and related legal enactments are noted, including the several agreements concluded under the aegis of United Nations agencies. Finally, the world of enforcement in the context of emerging polycentric management is discussed, underlining the long-term nature of the extreme difficulties which must be faced to mitigate the plight of the fishers.

On Multiple Objects and Ontic Fixes: Human Rights and the ‘Forgotten’ Politics of the United Nations’ Human Rights-Based Approach

At the United Nations (UN), the early years of the post-Cold War era were marked by a historically novel sense of urgency to render governing practices in development cooperation and humanitarian affairs more ‘human’, ‘people-’ and ‘rights’-centred. Since then, the UN ‘Human Rights-Based Approach’ (HRBA) has become widely accepted as an authoritative methodology for grasping the practical implications of rights language. This paper examines the politics of the HRBA by exploring how it ‘fixes’ the multifaceted, normatively charged and elusive object of ‘human rights’ and renders it actionable for UN agencies. It contributes to recent theorizing on knowledge in IR and ties in with critical human rights scholarship by developing a post-foundational reading of human rights and the HRBA that frontloads constitutive power and politicizes ontology. Through an in-depth reconstruction of UN knowledge production on the HRBA, I find that it excludes concerns with international power relations and depoliticizes inequality through a narrow focus on lacking subject capacities. Moreover, I illustrate that the HRBA operates according to dichotomous spatial metaphors and implicit hierarchies that locate UN agencies ‘above’ the subjects and settings they interact with, both normatively and epistemically. The paper contributes to the critical study of human rights by excavating the ambiguous power effects at work in rights-based UN methodologies. Objets multiples et solutions ontiques : les droits de l’homme et les politiques « oubliées » de l’approche fondée sur les droits de l’homme des Nation unies

Функциональная грамотность учащихся как ориентир современного образования

The article is devoted to the analysis of modern understanding of the concept of «functional literacy» of students in the conditions of the global information boom. The latter gave rise to a contradiction between the huge amount of accumulated knowledge and the subsequent loss of their significance in favor of the increasing role of skills and abilities to search for the necessary information and operate it to solve the tasks. The study traces the vector of the historical development of the concept of functional literacy, the prerequisites for its appearance, as well as its relevance and significance in different historical periods of time. A parallel is drawn between the concept of literacy in the context of the generally accepted concept of acquired human skills, such as reading, writing, arithmetic, as well as from the point of view of successful functioning of society as a whole and the individual's personal achievements by increasing the level of knowledge and potential in particular. It is based on the research of the Federal Institute for Educational Quality Assessment (Fioko), which is the federal organizer of the PISA Assessment study, the international organization UNESCO (a United Nations agency), the National Agency for the Elimination of Adult Illiteracy (NALA). The concept of «functional literacy» is also reflected in the norms of Federal State Educational Standards. It is defined as an integral component of the foundation of the educational process in Russia, which, in turn, is expressed in the totality of acquired knowledge and skills aimed at the successful realization of a Russian citizen in various aspects of life, whether personal or professional. An educated society guarantees the successful functioning of the state, and the educational process of forming functional literacy ensures it.

Maternal Health Outcomes in a Somalia Post-war Context: a PhD thesis analyzing trends towards universal health coverage

Abstract Somalia has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world and an inequitable distribution of maternal health outcomes and service utilisation. Like other developing countries, Somalia has adopted the global policy goal of attaining universal health coverage of health services and improved health outcomes across all populations. Although United Nations agencies track the progress towards achieving universal health coverage as part of health targets for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, empirical case studies are rarely documented, especially in developing countries and even more so in post-war contexts such as Somalia. Literature shows the overall progress towards globally agreed-upon targets for maternal health lagging in war-affected countries, with persistent socioeconomic gradients in health outcomes. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which the social determinants of health impact on the distribution of maternal health outcomes. The aim of this study is to examine the mechanisms through which social determinants contribute to inequities in maternal health outcomes in Somalia. Specifically, the study will analyse the policy context and progress towards achieving universal health coverage of maternal health services in Somalia; analyse trends in maternal health outcomes and inequities in Somalia; and examine the mechanisms through which social determinants contribute to inequities in maternal health outcomes. A mixed-methods case study design will be adopted, employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis. The findings of this PhD research will contribute to the evidence base on pathways for achieving universal health coverage of maternal health outcomes in post-war countries like Somalia. This will facilitate development of effective health care policies and those addressing the social determinants, which if implemented will improve maternal health outcomes in Somalia and mark progress towards achieving the goal of universal maternal health coverage.

SHIPBREAKING IN PAKISTAN – THE NEED FOR ALIGNING WITH GLOBAL INSTRUMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Pakistan has been the largest shipbreaking country during the 1980s and is presently among three of the largest shipbreaking countries in the world; however, shipbreaking through the beaching method has so far not been properly regulated and is evident from several incidents from time to time taken place as a result of sheer lack of consideration for health & safety of the workers and the coastal environment. Toxins in the ship’s structure are harmful residue and are extremely dangerous to natural resources and employee wellness. Notwithstanding, it is volatile in terms of adding its share to the economic growth by providing opportunities to employ and supply solid iron steel to the rolling mills to meet the demand of the country’s construction sector. Environmentalists have shown their concerns, especially over countries to the global south where the beaching method is popular for breaking down obsolete vessels. Several global instruments have been introduced to curtail bad practices bringing about environmental and health issues. It will be assessed whether existing local instruments in Pakistan are responding to these issues effectively or whether there is a need for introducing more regulations, especially sector-specific, to align the viable sector according to global regulations to be able to get the share by competing with regional competitors like India and Bangladesh.
 Although in one form or another, there have been efforts on a global level to address the environmental, health, and safety issues, as several such conventions about it have taken place since 1907. The “United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea” (UNCLOS), the London Dumping Convention and Protocol and the World Charter for Nature. A Preservation of the Ozone Layer at the Vienna Convention on, Transboundary transfer of hazardous wastes, in particular from industrialised nations to poor or less developed countries, was prohibited under the Montreal Protocol until the Basel Convention under the United Nations Environment Program (to which Pakistan is a member) went into force in 1992. In 2002, technical rules were adopted for the ecologically responsible handling of ships’ complete and partial disassembly. In 2009, the International Maritime Organization established the Hong Kong Convention to address environmental dangers and worker safety and health., while decommissioning the ship, but so far, these global instruments in Pakistan have not been inducted in the procedures through local regulations; therefore, this study investigates industry viability on efficient administration and adherence to international law instruments being introduced by European Union Regulations and Hong Kong Convention, in an attempt to overcome the shortfall of earlier regulations under United Nations agencies. The effective implementation of existing local laws and making of sector-specific rules and regulations is highly desirable to respond to the earliest compliance gaps on the safe and environmentally sound dismantling of uneconomical ships. An analysis of the consistency of State legislation to respond to international legal instruments is recommended for the sustainable development of the ship-breaking industry in Pakistan.

Understanding Poverty through the Eyes of Lowsalaried Government Employees: A Case Study of the NED University of Engineering and Technology

The last few decades have witnessed a significant shift in the concept of development. Research focusing on development has shifted its focus from macroeconomic to more microeconomic development. More recently, poverty has become an important interest area for researchers, governments, United Nations agencies, NGOs and some specialised international development agencies. The United Nations has designated the period 1997-2006 as the decade for poverty eradication [World Summit for Social Development (1995)]. The millennium meeting at the United Nations headquarters and its follow-up meeting at Brussels set up on ambitious target for reducing poverty by half by the year 2015. [Altaf (2004)]. Since the overall objective is “human development,” people are presumed to play a major role in assuming the initiative, management of, and control over resources, as well as the setting of priorities for poverty reduction. The translation of this idea into reality necessitates the investigation of people’s understanding and experiences of poverty and adjustment to, or coping with, chaotic socio-economic situations and catastrophes (both human and natural), be they food insecurity, hunger, famine outbreaks, or poverty. Some of these crises, in many cases, are not occasional occurrences; rather they are the consequences of long term processes, especially poverty, which is caused by a combination of interacting factors related to social, economic, political, and natural dimensions [Abdel (1996)].

Although in shortage, nursing workforce is still a significant contributor to life expectancy at birth.

Previous studies have not fully reported the strength and independency of the correlation of nursing workforce to life expectancy. This study advances that nursing workforce is a major independent contributor to life expectancy at birth (LEB) globally and regionally. A cross-sectional study was conducted at population level. Ecological data were extracted from the United Nations agencies for 215 populations. Each population is considered a research subject. The correlation between nursing workforce and LEB was analyzed with scatter plots, bivariate correlation, partial correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses, Analysis of Variance post hoc and independent T-test. Economic affluence, urban lifestyle and obesity were included as the potential confounders in this study. Not applicable RESULTS: Nursing workforce correlated to LEB and this relationship remained regardless of the competition of economic affluence, urbanization, and obesity. Second to economic affluence, nursing workforce showed the greatest influence on LEB. In total, 64.50% of LEB was explained in this study. Nursing workforce was a determinant of regional variations of LEB. Nursing workforce may be a significant contributor to LEB globally and regionally. This contribution was independent of the potential confounding effects of economic affluence, urbanization, and obesity.

Unravelling Humanitarian Narratives

International humanitarian actors, such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and United Nations agencies, often focus on gender norm change when conducting gender analysis among refugees and internally displaced persons. Dominant humanitarian narratives about gender in research reports, assessments and technical guidance reveal an underlying belief that displacement is causative – an external, intervening force. In such analysis, colonial and neoliberal ideologies may influence how refugees’ lives are represented, resulting in depictions of lack of modernity, tradition and culture as overarching (yet ill-defined) forces, and women and girls as vulnerable by default. Such analysis is frequently ahistorical, presented without analysis of the pre-displacement situation. This paper explores and challenges humanitarian narratives about gender norm change during displacement. It is based on feminist ethnographic research in Jordan with Syrian women and men as well as interviews with humanitarian workers. The paper demonstrates that assumptions about lack of empowerment of Syrian women and men may be misguided, identifying both subtle and more overt forms of Syrian women’s and men’s resistance’ to expected norms. It urges humanitarian actors to use ‘resistance’ as an alternative to analysing ‘change’, recognise heterogeneity within populations, resist ‘rapid’ data collection, challenge paternalistic and colonial stereotypes, and reflect complexity in analysis.

Access to medicine among asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants across the migratory cycle: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionMigration creates new health vulnerabilities and exacerbates pre-existing medical conditions. Migrants often face legal, system-related, administrative, language and financial barriers to healthcare, but little is known about factors that specifically...

The human right to safely give birth: data from 193 countries show that gender equality does affect maternal mortality

BackgroundWhile a reduction in the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has slowed, newer strategies are needed to achieve an ongoing and sustainable reduction of the MMR. Previous studies have investigated the association between health system-related factors such as wealth inequalities, healthcare access and use on maternal mortality. However, a women’s rights-based approach to address MMR has not been studied, excluding the health system-related factors. This study aimed to analyse the association between gender equality and MMR globally.MethodsUsing structural equation modelling (SEM), secondary and open access data from the United Nations and other international agencies from 193 countries were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). Gender-sensitive variables that represented the theoretical, conceptual framework of the study were selected. The association between latent variable gender equality and the outcome, MMR, was examined in the SEM. A second SEM model (n = 158) was designed to include two variables related to gender-based violence.FindingsThe latent variable, gender equality, was negatively associated with MMR (p < 0‧001, Z = –6‧96, 95% CI: − 6508.98 to − 3141.89 for Model 1 and p < 0‧001, Z = –7‧23, 95% CI: − 6045.356 to − 3467.515 for Model 2).InterpretationGender equality was significantly associated with maternal mortality. Investing in higher education for women, improving their paid employment opportunities, increasing participation in leadership roles and politics, reducing intimate partner violence (IPV) and ending child marriage can significantly reduce maternal mortality.

Understanding the impacts of floods on learning quality, school facilities, and educational recovery in Indonesia.

This research is among the first pieces of work to use the comprehensive school safety (CSS) framework to assess the impacts of floods on quality learning and education infrastructure. The CSS framework is employed here to identify the level of disruption to education services following floods in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2013. The paper poses three key questions, concerning: (i) disruption to children's access to quality education during the flood emergency in 2013 and the early recovery phase; (ii) the impact of the floods on a school's physical infrastructure; and (iii) the effectiveness and level of success of the 2013 flood responses by relevant stakeholders. Combining quantitative and qualitative strategies, the paper examines the experiences of 100 schools in Jakarta. The findings suggest that the CSS framework offers a more nuanced approach to assessing post-disaster education needs. Moreover, it is also relevant for examining the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and relative losses in the education sector.

INTERNATIONAL LEGAL STANDARDS FOR THE EQUITABLE PROVISION OF TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE

In a situation of transition from conflict or authoritarian rule, which has led to gross human rights violations or serious violations of international humanitarian law, the United Nations pays special attention to the measures taken by the relevant authorities to ensure truth, justice and reparation. International instruments define transitional justice as follows: «a set of processes and mechanisms related to society’s attempts to overcome the grave consequences of large-scale violations of the law in the past in order to ensure accountability, justice and reconciliation». The international community has a duty to take immediate steps to protect human rights and security in a situation where the internal system of law enforcement is destroyed or ceases to function as a result of the conflict. In the long run, no special, temporary or external measures can replace justice. Therefore, for decades, a number of United Nations agencies have been helping countries strengthen their national justice systems in line with international standards. Transitional justice is a set of measures related to systematic or mass human rights violations that compensates victims of violations, as well as enabling or facilitating the transformation of political systems, conflicts and other conditions that may be at the root of abuse. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is increasingly recognizing the need to intensify its support for the United Nations system’s efforts to take swift and effective action in post-conflict settlement missions to restore the rule of law and restore justice. Countries emerging from conflicts and crises are often characterized by insufficient or no rule of law, inadequate capacity to administer and administer justice, and an increase in human rights violations. This situation is often exacerbated by a lack of public confidence in public authorities and a lack of resources. Key words: human rights, rule of law, transitional justice, international standards, conflict and post-conflict periods.

‘Bright, shiny, inconsequential’? The rise and fall of innovation labs in the aid sector

Within the humanitarian and development sectors over the last 15 years, innovation ‘labs’, ‘units’, ‘spaces’ and ‘exchanges’ have become immensely popular. Yet while hundreds of labs have been formed by non-government organisations, United Nations agencies and bilateral and multilateral agencies, many have now been dissolved. Why did leaders in the humanitarian and development sectors so strongly advocate for creation of labs, and then so quickly abandon them? There has been a surprising lack of scholarship, and particularly empirical studies, on the phenomenon of innovation labs in the aid sector. This article draws on the wider public sector innovation lab literature and a case study of the Innovation Space, a lab within a wider aid agency. It argues that the context of bureaucratic culture and political patronage, and innovation as a ‘magic concept’, contributed to both the appeal and vulnerability of the Innovation Space, an initiative that was ultimately dissolved. In dismissing innovation labs in the aid sector as simply ‘bright, shiny, and inconsequential’ experiments, however, scholars and practitioners risk overlooking the deeper ideologies within innovation thinking in the aid sector that the rise and fall of labs reveals.

Political contestation and the evolution of National Social Protection Policy Framework (NSPPF) in Zimbabwe

The rise of social protection in Africa is a complex global phenomenon shaped by a wide range of actors interacting at different levels and whose access to policy space and degree of influence are determined by the power and interests that each actor holds. Similarly, in Zimbabwe, the development of the National Social Protection Policy Framework (NSPPF) was a political contestation between the government and different external agencies (international financial institutions, international non-governmental organisations, and United Nations agencies); within the government itself; and within the external agencies themselves. This article looks at the process of developing the NSPPF and concludes that the rise of social protection in Africa needs to be understood as a political contestation, not as a mere technical process. Each player was driven by a different ideological position that it would “push” to prevail over other players’ interests. While external agencies’ push for the policy prevailed, the “success” came at the cost of little national ownership that made its implementation uncertain.

Development of an index to measure the strength of child protection Systems in Refugee Settings: Conceptual and practical considerations

BackgroundThe United Nations Refugee Agency [UNHCR] implements a Framework for Child Protection for refugee children, based on a child protection systems-strengthening approach. Measurement of child protection system strength in humanitarian contexts is nascent, and existing methodologies do not capture the multiple components of the Framework. ObjectiveTo develop, pilot and refine a measure of child protection system strength in humanitarian contexts. Participants and settingThe Child Protection Index [CPI] was implemented in two humanitarian contexts – Kiziba Camp, Rwanda and Kiryandongo and Adjumani refugee camps, Uganda, at two time points [Time 1 = T1; Time 2 = T2]. Data collection in Kiziba camp was conducted in December 2013 and October/November 2015, and in Kiryandongo and Adjumani in December 2014/February 2015 and June–August 2016. Participants were staff members of international non-governmental organizations (T1: n = 17, T2: n = 29), local non-governmental organizations (T1: n = 3, T2: n = 2), Government bodies (T1: n = 3, T2: n = 3) and United Nations agencies (T1: n = 14, T2: n = 9) who were purposively selected to respond to the items included in the CPI. Selection was made on the basis of identifying individuals with the most knowledge and expertise to address the questions in the CPI. MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study, conducting key informant interviews based on an interview guide developed to address the items in the CPI, and tailored to the expertise of each key informant. The CPI included scoring, to translate key informants' responses to numerical scores of child protection system strength. ResultsThe pilot test conducted in Kiziba Camp indicated moderate child protection system strength, with a score of 61/100. At T2, results indicated a change in CPI score of +18.5 to 79.5. At T1, Kiryandongo refugee settlement received a total of 46/100 on the CPI, and at T2, the score improved by 13.5 points. At T1, Adjumani refugee settlement scored a total of 60/100, and at T2, received a total score change of +4.5. ConclusionsFindings from implementation, adaptation, and evaluation of the CPI offer valuable insights about practicality, validity and potential breadth of measurement of child protection system strengthening in humanitarian settings.

Is #SDG13 Trending Online? Insights from Climate Change Discussions on Twitter.

Anthropogenic activities over the past few decades have led to increased vulnerability of environmental and ecological stability on this planet. Accelerated climate change is one such subset of the environmental problems that threatens the very existence of humankind in twenty first century. Governments, United Nations (UN) and other humanitarian agencies across the globe have developed and devised strategies for climate action that requires grater public awareness and actions. Social media has played a vital role in information dissemination and raising public awareness of climate change in the digital era. To this aid, an upsurge has been documented in recent times regarding discussions over climate change with #SDG13 (Sustainable Development Goals) at its epicenter. Following the principles of Actor Network Theory (ANT) we analyzed a large volume of Twitter data to understand general citizens’ perception and attitude towards climate change. Our findings unveil people’s opinion on causes and concerns related to barriers of adopting a more sustainable consumption and lifestyle practice. There is also a growing apathy towards sluggish government actions that makes little difference. People were also found to exchange innovative concepts and measures towards mitigating the effects of climate change.