United Nations Department Research Articles

Trends in Contemporary International Migration of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is found in the ‘Eastern Africa migration system’ known for turbulent population mobility due to a host of social, economic, and political factors. The migration problem of East Africa, in which, a substantial exploration of the complexity and intensity of the migration pattern of Ethiopia has become necessary in the context of social transformation and development processes. To this end, this study is designed to provide migratory change and developmental patterns of international migration of Ethiopia in regional and sub-regional perspectives based on long-term macro statistics. The data obtained from the Reports of the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs and World Bank’s Development Indicators have been used to describe, analyze and explain long-term patterns of international migration of Ethiopia within the regional contexts. Results show the trend that Ethiopia experienced a continuous increase in its international migrant stock in the last five decades, from less than 400,000 in 1960 to over 1 million in 2015. Refugees and transit migrants constituted the largest number of immigrants, mostly from the neighboring countries, driven by continuous conflicts and political instability. Ethiopia, once dominant in refugee flows in the Horn of Africa due to political conflict, famine, and persecution, experienced a sharp decline in the share of refugees in the Horn of Africa in the last three decades. Economic motives have recently become the prime factors in migration decisions among the Ethiopians as observed with the fact that the USA and the Middle East are the major destinations. The findings revealed that Ethiopian emigration is characterized by the inter-continental flows unlike the Sub-Saharan migration pattern known to have an intra-continental migratory link. Feminization of Ethiopian migration is also evident particularly in core destination countries of the Global North, which indicates the increasing role of females in migration decisions but also disproves the widely held perception about Ethiopians emigration to the Arab World as female-specific. In the final analysis, Ethiopia could be regarded rather as a destination, with over 1.2 million migrants, than as an origin, with just over 800,000 as of 2017, which now make the country a regional migration hub in the Horn of Africa.

Measuring E-Government Development: The Haves and the Have-nots

Since 2003, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) continued to measure the e-government development across the world using a range of indices. The UNDESA produces a biannual report that ranks UN member states according to their most recent e-government development indices. These reports are widely used by e-government officials to benchmark their country’s performance. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether there has been a significant change in the rankings of the 191 countries that participated in both the 2005 and 2016 surveys using quantitative research methods.

A roadmap for intergenerational leadership in planetary health

A roadmap for intergenerational leadership in planetary health

How did the Cultural Revolution affect your Culture?

While serving as International Expert at the Research Institute of Anthropology and Ethnology, Jishou University in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province, China, on United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (UNESCO-LINKS) Natural Science Sector, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) projects with the Kam people of China and ministries responsible for ethnic development, I asked my ethnic minority graduate students and colleagues of China this question, “How did the Cultural Revolution affect your culture?”, and they thoughtfully shared their perspectives and experiences.

10 Migrants caught in crises: Contexts, responses and innovation

10 Migrants caught in crises: Contexts, responses and innovation

Inequalities in life expectancy: An analysis of 201 countries, 1950-2015.

With global improvements in life expectancy, one important concern is to understand whether there is reduction in inequalities or greater cross-country convergence in expected length of life at various age thresholds. Insights on convergence patterns can help governments and other stakeholders decide upon health investments across age groups. This paper applies a novel econometric approach to test convergence and identify convergent clubs in life expectancy at various age groups for 201 countries/areas between 1950 and 2015. Life expectancy estimates for 201 countries/areas (1950 and 2015) from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) World Population Prospects (2015 Revision) are used for the analysis. We find global convergence in life expectancy at birth, but do not observe grand convergence for any other age groups. In the case of life expectancy at younger ages, most countries are moving in the same direction, but significant cross-country variations and convergence clubs are noted for older adults and elderly. Most of the better performing countries/areas are from Western Europe, Northern Europe and North America, the average performers are from South America, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, South Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Africa, Central Africa, and the Caribbean Islands whereas the poor-performing ones are mainly Western Africa, Southern African and Oceania. In addition, we observe increasing between-country variance in life expectancy for older adults and elderly. The analysis reveals increasing global heterogeneity in the survival experience of older adults and the elderly population which has remained a neglected aspect in the discussions on global life expectancy improvements. Data, research and policy focus on life-expectancy at older ages is therefore critical to accelerate survival gains among older adults and elderly, particularly from the developing world.

A Review on Women's Role in Economic Development in India

In preparation of the Survey on theRole of Indian Women in Development, collaboration was maintained with members of the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE), including, inter alia, the International Labour Organization; the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Population Division of the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs; the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; and the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime. IANWGE members provided substantive inputs, commented on several drafts, and guided the formulation of recommendations. The International Organization on Migration also contributed substantively. Looking at the above opportunities, India has also supported many women entrepreneurs by providing loans and advances, helping them to establish their business, making them self-sufficient by providing vocational skills, and creating many jobs for other women in the respective areas. These opportunities are need-based in India, and many factors are driving these forces.

World Population Variability and Heat Bias Prediction: An Approach to Global Heat Disaster Management

This study examined world population variability and heat bias prediction as an approach to global heat disaster management. Heat bias data were generated from population records of United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World Population Review and U.S. Census Bureau and International Database using population simulated mathematical model. The world has population of 7,794,798,739 and heat bias of 7.20C and continental mean of 5.40C. Asia had the highest heat bias of 70C, Africa 6.0C, North America 6.40C, Europe 5.70C, South America 5.50C Australia/Oceania 4.80C and the Antarctica had the least heat bias of 2.20C ranging 4.80C. All continents exceeded the recommended +0.5oC-2.5oC human comfort threshold. Countries within the humid tropics had increased heat load. Countries within the subtropics up to the middle latitude had relatively lower heat stress. Population density does not have significant association with heat bias. Heat bias is important in global environmental planning and management.

Energy-Efficient Buildings, a step towards Sustainability in Pakistan

With every passing year, energy consumption in the world is increasing drastically. Most of the energy comes from fossil fuels which are also depleting in a fast manner. Buildings consume a significant amount of energy all over the world and the demand for energy is also increasing unremittingly in buildings. Developed countries are taking profound measures in order to make buildings energy efficient and sustainable by achieving nearly zero energy stage. Pakistan is facing a serious energy crisis from the past few decades. The building sector in Pakistan deserves special attention in this regard since the energy consumption in buildings in Pakistan is feverishly high. Many types of research have been carried out in Pakistan by the United Nations and Energy Department of Pakistan in order to devise applicable methods that not only provide thermal comfort to the occupants but also make a building energy efficient. Renewable energy also plays an important role in compensating building energy demands. It is easy to achieve nearly zero energy state in a good energy efficient building if it is coupled with renewable energy sources then it will make it self-sufficient in energy demand. A survey is also carried out to determine the thermal comfort of the occupants in different types of areas. Also, solar energy analysis is also taken into account to highlight the solar power potential in Pakistan. Several recommendations have also been suggested to implement energy efficiency measures in Pakistan.

Energy-Efficient Buildings, a step towards Sustainability in Pakistan

With every passing year, energy consumption in the world is increasing drastically. Most of the energy comes from fossil fuels which are also depleting in a fast manner. Buildings consume a significant amount of energy all over the world and the demand for energy is also increasing unremittingly in buildings. Developed countries are taking profound measures in order to make buildings energy efficient and sustainable by achieving nearly zero energy stage. Pakistan is facing a serious energy crisis from the past few decades. The building sector in Pakistan deserves special attention in this regard since the energy consumption in buildings in Pakistan is feverishly high. Many types of research have been carried out in Pakistan by the United Nations and Energy Department of Pakistan in order to devise applicable methods that not only provide thermal comfort to the occupants but also make a building energy efficient. Renewable energy also plays an important role in compensating building energy demands. It is easy to achieve nearly zero energy state in a good energy efficient building if it is coupled with renewable energy sources then it will make it self-sufficient in energy demand. A survey is also carried out to determine the thermal comfort of the occupants in different types of areas. Also, solar energy analysis is also taken into account to highlight the solar power potential in Pakistan. Several recommendations have also been suggested to implement energy efficiency measures in Pakistan.

PROTOCOL: The effects of empowerment-based nutrition interventions on the nutritional status of adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries.

PROTOCOL: The effects of empowerment-based nutrition interventions on the nutritional status of adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries.

Battle Against Solid Waste: Contribution of University Belt Barangays Towards Clean and Disaster-Prepared City

Every day the world is getting more urbanized. The rate of urbanization is increasing at an alarming rate. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) reported that 34% of the world’s total population in 1960 was living in the urban centers. In 2014, this rate increased to 54% [1].

The rise and fall of green growth: Korea's energy sector experiment and its lessons for sustainable energy policy

The idea of “green growth” has received international attention for more than a decade as a promising solution to a distinctly modern problem: a century of unparalleled increases in wealth based on equally unparalleled innovations in energy technology accompanied by global environmental threats such as climate change and persistent socioeconomic inequality. The green growth premise is that this problem can be solved without surrendering continued economic growth by a redirection of human effort to invent green energy technology, green energy markets, and green energy choice. Proponents have argued that green‐energy based economic growth represents a paradigm shift bringing forth sustainable and equitable relations between environment, economy, and society. The paper reviews a decade of green energy growth strategies and practices. The Korean Green Growth Initiative (KGGI) is investigated as a case study of green energy growth operationalization. Korea’s experiment was widely hailed by international bodies such as The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) for its bold attempt at paradigm shift, with the hope that, if it succeeded, countries currently on the periphery of modern development would be able to overcome conditions of poverty, environmental degradation, and political dependency. But our analysis of the Korean case questions the idea and ideology of green energy growth, demonstrating instead that KGGI was quickly coopted by the paradigm it was supposed to supplant. In this respect, one contradiction in the strategy and practice of green energy growth has been its promise to change the trajectory of modern development without requiring serious changes in modern values and ideology.This article is categorized under: Energy and Climate > Economics and Policy Energy and Development > Climate and Environment Energy and Development > Economics and Policy

Modern trends of the international labor force migration

The modern trends of the international labor force migration and the main migration corridors are analyzed in the paper. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in 2017, the global stock of international migrants (including refugees) was an estimated 258 million. Inequality between supply and demand on the labor market is a main problem of modern international migration processes. It is possible to make a conclusion about the global increase of amounts of labor migration all over the world, in all the countries and regions. The main trends of remittance flows are also studied. The amount of remittances in 2018 was $689 billions. And $518 billions were sent to the developing countries. In relative terms, remittances in nine countries accounted for over a fifth of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018; in the case of Tonga, remittances represented 36 % of the country’s GDP. As a conclusion, it should be said that the amount of remittances is an important macro economical figure. Its inflow can ensure the increase of foreign currency’s supply in the country.

Entrepreneurship as Indicator of the Developing World

The United Nations General Assembly highlighted the value of entrepreneurship to sustainable development in its resolution 69/210 on the topic, which was passed on December 19, 2014. The impact is felt in the form of improved social circumstances, less environmental damage, and more employment opportunities. With assistance from the "United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development" (UNCTAD) examined the role of entrepreneurship within the context of a Sustainable Development Agenda for 2030, reviewed the progress made in entrepreneurship development, and recognized industry standards and metrics to intend to offer at the national, regional, and global level.. It addresses the need for all-inclusive and comparable data for tracking the establishment of indicators to measure the performance of entrepreneurship policies and tracking their implementation. This research explores the link between business and the goals of sustainable development and provides examples of the new landscape for promoting entrepreneurship created by the 2030 Agenda.

Същност, принципи и инструменти на електронната демокрация

This paper examines the theoretical approaches to electronic democracy, its significance and the possibilities in its broad and restricted realization during the process of e-government creation and the development of e-governance. The methodological basis of the investigation is an analysis of the theoretical foundations and the international practices applied in order to involve citizens in the decision-making process and data about the electronic participation of citizens gathered by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The practical significance of the present investigation is to define the correlation between the real state of the electronic participation of citizens and the proclaimed purposes of electronic democracy. The problems that make the circumstances around the formation of electronic democracy in Ukrainian more complicated have been defined and directions for the development and improvement of electronic interaction have been offered.

A medication self-management system with real-time health monitoring

India is the world's second largest country with lots of human resource. According to a survey of United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, with a tremendous medication and monitoring facilities in the health care, the rise in the elderly population will be from 7.5% in 2010 to 11.1% in 2025.However half of the elderly population are dependent and experience greater burden of ailments like the cardiovascular and circulatory illness, arthritis etc. With most of the youngsters working, the issue in taking care of the elderly people needs to be automated in all dimensions. The proposed work aims at designing a wearable device for health monitoring of elderly people who are not in a position to move swiftly. The device monitors the user’s ECG and pulse rate. The device is compact and user friendly. Besides, the proposed system also includes an automated pill box which issues the right pill on command that is loaded al-ready in it.The sensed data is intimated through an android application to the concerned person. On reception, the data is analyzed and the person sends an appropriate code using a telegram application. This code activates the pill box to open up the right compartment and delivers the pill to the ailing elderly patient. Further monitoring can be done after the medication to ensure the patient's condition. The set up can as well be fitted in a wheel chair for the timely delivery of the pills to a person moving in it.

Plant Microbiome Innovation: M-trophs.

Human population is increasing from 7.6 billion today to an estimated 9.5–10 billion by 2050.1 How can billions more people, with increasing demands for protein and other food sources, be adequately fed without destroying the environment? Utilizing more land for agricultural purposes is not a solution, given that much of the arable land on the planet is already being used for food, fiber, chemical, or fuel production.2 One answer to this complex challenge will lie in the ability to produce more food within the current footprint in sustainable and affordable ways. By one definition, “an agricultural biologicals system is an ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable agricultural production system that promotes safe products by minimizing environmental adverse consequences and reducing the use of non-renewable natural resources.”3 In this article, we discuss opportunities that capitalize on twenty-first century technological innovation and the central role played by the microbial life intimately associated with plants: the plant and soil microbiomes. We examine the potential of Ag biologicals within the agricultural ecosystem. We elucidate their functionality as a means of increasing plant health and crop yields while maintaining environmental sustainability. Finally we illustrate the role that NewLeaf Symbiotics (St. Louis, MO) plays in the introduction of a range of Ag biologicals based on methylobacteria, or M-trophs—bio-complementary products that infuse plants with microbes that are tailored to fit specific crop genetics and environmental conditions.4 Most major agricultural input suppliers and seed companies recognize that biologicals represent a largely untapped opportunity to meet demand for novel and sustainable complements to the existing roster of agricultural chemicals, fertilizers, and genetically modified (GM) traits. Recent government, industrial, and private investments support the belief that significant improvements in crop productivity and environmental sustainability are achievable using complementary biological inputs. Between 2012 and 2015, over $2 billion was invested by Ag multinationals in agreements, mergers, and the acquisition of small biologicals companies.5 These investments are driving the development of the next generation of Ag biologicals. The broad recognition of the agricultural significance of the plant and soil microbiome is supported in large part by the reduced cost, increased speed, and improved accuracy of genomic sequencing. Simultaneous increases in computing power and analytics are driving the rapid evolution of new molecular biology tools directed at solving previously intractable problems. The recognition of the phyto-microbiome as a second genome, with the potential to supplement and interact with the plant genome, offers significant opportunity to improve crop health and yield.6 The persistent evolution of pest resistance to chemical pesticides and traits, combined with consumer demand for sustainable farming and food traceability, have created a strong and growing interest in new Ag biologicals.7 In the US there are 350-plus registered biocontrol agents based on 50-plus species. The market is growing at an average compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) greater than 14%. Every major international and domestic supplier of agronomic inputs is investing in this area. Since most Ag biological products are based on naturally occurring microbes, consumer health and safety concerns about these products are reasonably mitigated. Growers are aware and ready to try new biologicals, in part because biological products like rhizobia and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been used and accepted for decades. There are, however, significant obstacles to the introduction of novel and efficacious Ag biologicals. Microbes are part of extremely complex soil and plant systems; discovery and delivery of effective products are no simple tasks. Historically, some Ag biological market offerings failed to deliver consistent efficacy equal to conventional inputs, causing the industry to regard Ag biologicals with some caution. Improved strains, advanced formulations, and recognition of the unique value Ag biologicals can provide has led to an increase in their global market share over the past decade from less than 1% to more than 5%. Two of the major strategic challenges to increased use of Ag biologicals are: ▪ Optimization of discovery, screening, and derivation of candidate microbes, and ▪ Alignment of product development with technical and economic drivers of contemporary production farming.

Chapter 10 – Migrants and cities: Stepping beyond world migration report 2015

Chapter 10 – Migrants and cities: Stepping beyond world migration report 2015

Chapter 9 – Migration, violent extremism and social exclusion

Chapter 9 – Migration, violent extremism and social exclusion