United Nations Development Programme Research Articles

Investigation of Life Studies and Social Studies Curriculum in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

In this research, life studies and social studies course curricula were analyzed according to the sustainability goals of the United Nations Development Program (2016). The research was carried out with the qualitative research method. The research group is the 2018 life studies curriculum and primary school social studies curriculum. The data were accessed using the "document review" technique. Descriptive analysis was used in the analysis of the data. According to the findings of the research, it is the principle of “gapped health and wellbeing, responsible production and consumption” of the sustainability goals that the outcomes of the life studies and social studies course curriculum are the most. It has been determined that the number of outcomes related to goals such as "quality education, gender inequality" in both curriculums is low. The life studies and social studies course aims “to develop the individual’s life skills and to support him/her to be a good and responsible citizen. In this context, the results of the research showed that both courses were partially compatible and indirectly related to the UNSO (2016) objectives.

Analysis of the Effect of Human Capital, Institutionality and Globalization on Economic Complexity: Comparison between Latin America and Countries with Greater Economic Diversification

The Latin American export in the manufacturing sector is 18% lower than the world average. Although between the 1980s and 1990s, the sophistication of exportable products increased by 13%, it is evident to see the low progress of the Latin American region to consolidate the change in its productivity and its dependence on oil extraction activities, minerals, and other raw materials. This article evaluates and quantifies the impact of human capital, globalization, and the role of the efficiency of institutions in the sophistication of production in Latin America compared to economies with greater complexity. This is conducted using panel data methodology with cointegration techniques, using data from 17 countries that belong to the continental part of Latin America and 10 countries with the greatest economic complexity according to the Atlas of Economic Complexity Index. These countries are classified by their income level, data compiled by the United Nations Development Program Indicators, the Harvard Growth Lab Atlas of Economic Complexity, the Swiss Economic Institute database, and the Heritage Foundation. The results indicate that there is a significant relationship between the explanatory variables and economic complexity. However, the nature of the relationships differs between the different income levels, finding the same trend in the cointegration analyses. It requires the adoption of public policies in the curricular and evaluative field of knowledge and skills as well as the fight against corruption in public and private sectors, motivating the improvement of bilateral relations with other countries in an economic, political, and social way.

World experience of effective management of human capital development

In the context of global digitalization, the main resource for ensuring the competitiveness of states is a person. Today, the prevailing opinion in the scientific and public environment is that intellectual capital has a higher price than property capital. The experience of foreign countries in the management of human capital development aroused scientific interest when writing this article. The relevance of the study is due to the need to increase the main criteria for the development of state development strategies at the global level, in particular, the level of innovative and social development, improving the competitiveness of the country’s economy. The purpose of the research work is to identify the relationship between intellectualization, digitalization, economic development and the development of human capital by countries, as well as to determine the role of human capital as a tool for implementing government strategies. The research paper analyzes the world practice of managing the development of human capital on the basis of data presented in current publications of international organizations, in particular the United Nations Development Program for Human Development, the International Monetary Fund, the Imperative of Social Progress, the World Economic Forum, etc., as well as in studies of indexed rating journals.

Effect of Disaggregated Government Expenditures on Human Development in Nigeria

This study empirically investigated the effect of government expenditure on human development in Nigeria from 1981 to 2019. Government expenditure is proxied with government capital and recurrent expenditure on health, government capital and recurrent expenditure on education and government capital and recurrent expenditure on other social and community services while human development is proxied with human development index. The study employed ex-post facto research design and secondary data were utilized. The Secondary data were obtained from Central Bank Statistical bulletin and United Nations development programme report of various years. The study tested for stationarity, and it was found that the variables are stationary at mixed order. Based on this, the study adopted Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model as the estimation technique. The study found that government capital and recurrent expenditure on health has weak and insignificant effect on human development. The study also revealed that government capital and recurrent expenditure on education has significant positive effect on human development in Nigeria. The study likewise revealed that government capital and recurrent expenditure on other social and community services has significant positive effect on human development in Nigeria. The study concluded that government expenditure through investment in education and other social and community services influence human capital development in Nigeria positively. Thus, the study recommended amongst others that the Nigeria government should increase funding of the education sector to meet education, scientific and cultural organization minimum requirement. Government should invest more on other social and community services.

Child neurodevelopmental disorders in armed conflict country, case of DR Congo: long-term trauma impact on brain development in childhood: review

Child neurodevelopmental disorders in armed conflict country, case of DR Congo: long-term trauma impact on brain development in childhood: review

ROLE OF SOCIAL WORK IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: TOWARDS ECO-SOCIAL PRACTICE

A social work is a profession in which works and tasks are performed by utilising available resources from social environment namely social networks and support system that enhances humans to thrive and excel their lives. However, in the current trends there are some drawbacks in the manner of work such as very limited engagement of social organisation that focuses on environmental aspects and sustainable ecology. As a consequence, social work has to develop theoretical framework to incorporate ecological environment because man and environment are crucial and mutual dependence components. In the existing ecological hardship, climate change is a matter of concern as it regulates the land fertility and biodiversity to achieve sustainable food productions, cycle of energy and water resources. The ill effects of climate change are unbearable by all, for instances people of Flanders in Belgium with enormous wealth had to face challenges in shrinking free land spaces, environment pollutions and many health issues. And as mentioned by the United Nations Development Programme these crises are mostly affected by the poor people which sets a wide gap between the rich and the poor in both the ecological and economic crises. All of these present major challenges to the social work despite of keeping social justice as central core of frame work.

Civic Life in the Digital Space of Pre-Service Teachers

This research investigates the profile and perceptions of respondents towards widely accessible social media platforms to identify key considerations in transforming online engagement into actual civic action. Quantitative in design, the survey of the descriptive method of research is used adopting the developed questions for the study of the United Nations Development Programme on young activists in 2021 to assess the digital engagement of 118 pre-service teachers randomly selected through the multistage sampling method. Utilizing descriptive statistics, social media platforms providing greater opportunities for self-expression such as Facebook and Tiktok are found frequently used for creating and sharing content related to education, and health. Respondents concurred on widespread disinformation online and the complementary nature of civic engagement. Despite the manifested lack of trust and reservations due to the risk of data surveillance and breach, the respondents consider social media platforms as enabling venues for civic engagement. Corresponding policies and programs that institute gender-inclusive, safe, and participatory venues in both digital and traditional forms are necessary means for supporting the youth as key players in nation-building.

Topics model of overwork-related deaths in Korea and the implications of SDGs’ decent work perspective

ObjectiveThrough a text network analysis, this study examined major issues related to death from overwork reported in Korean media over the past ten years, focusing on essential workers, and examined the implications for Korean society from the perspective of decent work as described by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). MethodsWe retrieved 1,340 news articles from 52 media companies by searching for “death from overwork” as a keyword using the Big Kinds database operated by the Korea Press Foundation. A total of 4,627 nouns were extracted from news articles, and four topics were found by performing topic modeling using the NetMiner 4 program. We also examined the trend of topic ratios by year. ResultsBetween 2012 and 2015, 22–36 news articles were reported annually, and Topic 2 (recognition of death from overwork of public officials) was the most common. Between 2016 and 2019, 72–162 news articles were reported annually, and Topic 1 (postal workers’ extended working hours) was the most common. Between 2020 and 2021, 314–441 news articles were reported annually, and Topic 3 (measures against industrial accidents of courier workers) and Topic 4 (courier sorting and labor union consensus) were the most common. ConclusionIn Korea, postal workers, public officials, and courier workers are vulnerable to death from overwork. This can be resolved by considerably reducing working hours, recognizing industrial accidents, and improving the working environment. From the perspective of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) SDGs’ decent work concept, to sustain workers’ health and well-being, the State and companies should guarantee workers healthy working hours, choice of working hours, guarantee of decent and productive work, and maximum working hours cap system. The labor system and workplace culture should be improved to guarantee workers’ health and well-being.

Human Development Index, good governance practice and export: Evidence from ASEAN countries

This study examines the effect of the human development index and good governance practices on exports in several ASEAN countries. The data were collected from some sources, including the United Nations Development Program, World Development Indicator, and Worldwide Governance Indicators, from 2010 to 2021. The acquired data were further estimated using a regression panel. The results indicate that human development has an effect on exports. While some good governance practice variables, including political stability and the absence of violence/terrorism, and regulatory quality can explain exports in several ASEAN countries. However, voice and accountability, government effectiveness, and the rule of law do not affect exports. The analysis shows that, simultaneously, the human development index and good governance practices can have an effect on exports in several ASEAN countries. It helps policymakers identify specific areas where investment is needed to improve economic growth and export competitiveness. Understanding human development and governance practices could boost the trust and confidence of foreign investors and trading partners, hence fostering economic cooperation and integration among ASEAN nations and the global community.

Health economic evaluations for Indonesia: a systematic review assessing evidence quality and adherence to the Indonesian Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Guideline.

The Government of Indonesia implemented health technology assessment (HTA) to ensure quality and cost control in the National Health Insurance Program (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional/JKN). The current aim of the study was to improve the usefulness of future economic evaluation for resource allocation by appraising current methodology, reporting, and source of evidence quality of studies. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to search for relevant studies using a systematic review. The methodology and reporting adherence were appraised according to Indonesia's HTA Guideline issued in 2017. The differences in adherence before and after the guideline dissemination were compared using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests for methodology adherence wherever appropriate, and the Mann-Whitney test for reporting adherence. The source of evidence quality was assessed using evidence hierarchy. Two scenarios of the study start date and the guideline dissemination period were tested using sensitivity analyses. Eighty-four studies were obtained from PubMed, Embase, Ovid, and two local journals. Only two articles cited the guideline. No statistically significant difference (P>0.05) was found between the pre-dissemination and post-dissemination period with respect to methodology adherence, except for outcome choice. Studies during the post-dissemination period showed a higher score for reporting which was statistically significant (P=0.01). However, the sensitivity analyses revealed no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in methodology (except for modelling type, P=0.03) and reporting adherence between the two periods. The guideline did not impact the methodology and reporting standard used in the included studies. Recommendations were provided to improve the usefulness of economic evaluations for Indonesia. The Access and Delivery Partnership (ADP) hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI).

Regeneration and Rejuvenation of Water Bodies in the City of Bhawanipatna

Abstract: Water is one of the essential resources for human survival.it is also a precious national resource linked to every aspect of development. With less than 3% of the Earth's water being fresh, the need to conserve and manage it is crucial. Global warming, climate change causes inadequate rainfall which are the reason for the water stress condition of india.it effect the level of water in ponds and lakes and eventually dries them up. Water bodies like lakes and ponds are integral for drinking water, agriculture, and urban purposes. Assessing freshwater resources and implementing conservation measures are essential for sustainable development. Watershed development, rainwater harvesting, and water recycling are essential for sustainable water supply in the coming future. Regeneration and rejuvenation of water bodies are important for sustainable development of cities and town as they help in water conservation, ground water recharge, improve climatic conditions, supports bio-diversity, etc. In which community plays important role in the regeneration and rejuvenation process. Bhawanipatna is the city and the districts headquarter of the Kalahandi district in the Indian state of Odisha. These water bodies both big and small have an inseparable impact on the aestheticity and operational functionality of the city. They are a vital part of the temperature regulatory mechanism and help the city in various other ways. Bhawanipatna, having highest population growth in the Kalahandi District, faces an imminent and acute water scarcity due to the lack of development as compared to other cities. Asha Sagar Pond which is located at the epicenter of Bhawanipatna has a significant amount of land cover that impacts the lifestyle and influences the microclimate of the study area. Implementation of water management scheme with local community participation is essential for sustainable urban development of cities and towns. Restoration methods such as preventive and ameliorative method can help in overcoming water scarcity at a micro to city level. There is a growing concern in many quarters that the world is running out of water. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report 2006, for over a billion people around the world, water access is unreliable, unsafe or beyond their purchasing power (UNDP, 2006). Urban areas in India are facing a water crisis due to loss of watershed, increasing levels of pollution, deteriorating water balance, lowering of water table and a dire lack of groundwater recharge (Singh, 2012). Regeneration and rejuvenation of water bodies are important for sustainable development of cities and town as they help in water conservation, ground water recharge, improve climatic conditions, supports bio-diversity

Informados y confiados: el efecto del consumo de medios de comunicación tradicional y digital sobre la confianza de los chilenos en 2015

La confianza de las personas, interpersonal o institucional, ayuda a explicar interacciones entre individuos y otros fenómenos sociales, resulta clave tratar de entender por qué la gente confía. El consumo de medios de comunicación ha sido considerado como un factor importante para entender en el comportamiento de los individuos. Pero el efecto entre el consumo de medios tradicionales sobre la confianza de las personas es considerada positiva por algunos y negativa por otros. Además, existe menos evidencia sobre el efecto del consumo de medios de comunicación digitales sobre la confianza de las personas. Utilizando la encuesta del Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo – Índice de Desarrollo Humano 2015 (PNUD-IDH 2015), evalúo el efecto del consumo de medios tradicionales y digitales sobre la confianza interpersonal e institucional de los chilenos en 2015. Reporto que consumir distintos tipos de medios de comunicación motiva diferentes tipos de confianza. Así, mientras el consumo de medios tradicionales aumenta la confianza en las instituciones, el consumo de medios digitales fomenta la confianza interpersonal de los chilenos en 2015

How Peace Tourism Involves Youth in Peacebuilding: Examples from Maluku-Indonesia?

Abstract This study aims to describe peace tourism involving youth to fill the peacebuilding gap after the Ambon-Maluku conflict. Peace tourism in many places focuses on the role of the private sector, government, and the international community without involving youth. Polarization in society strengthened due to the presidential elections of the Republic of Indonesia in 2014 and 2019, and the Jakarta governor election in 2017, thus exacerbating the peacebuilding gap. This research uses qualitative research with a case study approach. Data were collected through observation, semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and literature study. The results of the study show that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) together with national and local institutions carried out peace tourism on January 25–30, 2018. They chose 120 youth, and 82.5% came from outside Maluku Province. Peace tourism involves visiting locations where conflicts occur and attending the 35th world peace gong. For example, the Red-White Bridge, Batu Merah, and Passo villages were discussed with Islamic and Christian leaders, journalists, youth communities that care about peace, and others. During peace tourism, youth are enthusiastic about learning about the history of conflict and influencing communities to restore social relations. After the peace tour, they return to their area to become peacekeepers. Unfortunately, this program is not sustainable.

Role of Financial Performance of Global Islamic and Conventional Microfinance Institutions in Sustainable Development Goals Achievement

The achievement of sustainable development goals is a challenge for United Nations Development Programme member countries. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore and compare the role that the financial performance of global Islamic and conventional microfinance institutions playing achieving sustainable development goals by using non-traditional indexes. Further, the study also checked the moderating role of institution size in this relationship. Results indicate that the financial performance of both Islamic and conventional microfinance institutions is important to achieving sustainable development goals. Institution size as a moderator has a negative impact on the financial performance of conventional microfinance institutions in achieving sustainable development due to the possibility of commercialization. In terms of policy recommendations, the results of this study present several policy directions for both Islamic and conventional institution managers for both developed and developing countries. Both Islamic and conventional MFIs managers should focus on financial performance to achieve sustainable development goals. The managers should realize that in the case of increasing the institution's size, financial performance can be improved, but it also creates commercialization, making the main objective of serving the poorest customers difficult. This study also gives directions to the government, central bodies, and other regulatory authorities to develop policies for improving the financial performance of both Islamic and conventional microfinance institutions to achieve sustainable development goals. This study has taken two indicators of financial performance that are extensively discussed in the literature. For future studies, other financial performance indicators can be included in the study.

The Role Of International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) In Disaster Management Of Mt. Sinabung Eruption In Karo District, North Sumatra, Indonesia

This study aims to determine the role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in managing the eruption of Mount Sinabung. The eruption of Mount Sinabung in 2010 and another eruption in 2013 had a major impact on the people living around Mount Sinabung. The role of various parties was carried out, including the presence of an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Karo Regency. This paper will describe the role of NGOs using the concept of disaster management which consists of pre-disaster, emergency response, and post-disaster stages. In this study, it was found that during the pre-disaster stage the international NGOs present were FM Yoboseyo Yumen (FMYY) Japan and Mercy Malaysia. During the emergency response stage, the World Food Program (WFP) was present in Karo District. At the post-disaster stage are the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the International Labor Organization (ILO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This research method used a qualitative approach with descriptive research types, and data collection through interviews and secondary data.

A vicious cycle of superficial conceptualization: Deconstructing nature in social innovation (policy) discourse

Critical studies of social innovation (SI) reveal sustainability concepts are widely used by scholars, policy makers and practitioners on a superficial level (Eichler & Schwarz, 2019). Even if SI is mainly linked to social and economic dimensions, the relationship between SI and environment is still vague and needs further research. One possible reason for this disconnectedness would be the dominating anthropocentric assumptions instead of ecocentric assumptions? To fill this gap, this paper aims to explore the conceptualization of nature in SI documents. We do this through an analysis of United Nations (UN) publications, particularly, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Accelerator Labs. In addition, we consider how SI is understood, executed, promoted and how perceptions of nature affect SI. Eco-critical discourse analysis (ECDA) is adopted as an analytical approach for this study. This study utilizes texts as empirical material on SI published by the UN. The focus on the UN is appropriate, as they are a highly influential institution on national economies in shaping their SI policies and practices. Therefore, this study is undertaken on the basis that the discourse of these documents affects the SI discourse and practices of countries and the field. The contribution of this study lies in its effort to reveal embedded propositions in SI texts through language-driven analysis, then to discuss how a deeper understanding would regain the agenda for long-lasting socio-economic problems through an ecocentric critical discourse.

Reproductive Challenges of Chinese Females---From Economic and Health Perspectives

Gender inequality has always been prevalent in China in the areas of economics, education, health, and politics. Ranked the 39th out of 189 countries on the Gender Inequality Index of the United Nations Development Program, China has persisting gender wage gap--- females earnings are roughly 71.5% of males. During the reproduction process where both genders undertake different physiological and social roles, inequality concerning wage, employment, social welfare, and healthcare exists. The study explores socioeconomic and health inequalities faced by Chinese females during the reproduction process compared to their male counterparts, including wage disparities, unemployment, downward job transfers, postpartum mental disorders, and physical health issues. The paper shows that the gender pay gap has been persistent in China in recent decades and demonstrates an ascending trend regarding the childbearing and child-caring periods. There is also a persistent employment gap between both genders, which worsens particularly after reproduction. The career positions of Chinese females are negatively influenced by motherhood. Besides socioeconomic status, research demonstrates a high level of postpartum depression and physical disorders in new moms. Last but not least, the study aims to carry out feasible approaches to cure inequalities during the reproduction process, guaranteeing females sufficient access to broad social welfare.

Knowledge Transfer in Support of the Development of Oxygen Concentrators in Emergency Settings During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic simultaneously disrupted supply chains and generated an urgent demand in medical infrastructure. Among personal protective equipment and ventilators, there was also an urgent demand for chemical oxygen. As devices to purify oxygen could not be manufactured and shipped rapidly enough, a simple and accessible oxygen concentrator based on pressure swing adsorption was developed at ETH Zurich in spring 2020. Instead of building devices locally and shipping them, it was decided to educate others in need of oxygen. The implementation encompassed education on process chemistry, material choice, and assembly and optimization of the concentrator and was realized using synchronous teaching tools, such as video call, and asynchronous ones, such as a website and video streaming. The project gained traction and interaction with engineering teams from universities and non-Governmental Organizations (Red Cross and the UN Development Program) in developing countries and emerging market economies, including Ecuador, Mexico, Somalia, and Peru. At the end of the project, the teams were surveyed regarding their experience in the educative knowledge transfer. It was reported that the learning experience prepared these groups well to build the device and to teach others as well. Major challenges were accessing some parts of the device and optimizing its performance. While synchronous communication is expected to be a very effective teaching method, the survey results showed that explanations via a website and video streaming have contributed the most to the implementation of the oxygen concentrator and thereby provide autonomous and sustainable education tools.

PROBLEMATYKA MIGRANTÓW KLIMATYCZNYCH

The paper concerns the issue of climate migrants, the causes of this phenomenon, and postulates in this respect. It should be indicated that currently there are no binding legislative acts that would regulate the legal status of a climate migrant. The definition of the term ‘refugee’ in the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of 28 July 1951 covers only those who are forced to change their place of residence for fear of persecution. However, the term ‘environmental refugee’, or ‘climate refugee’, has been used in the literature and in international legal documents, e.g. in the report for the United Nations Development Programme of 1985. Due to climate change and other environmental factors, the problem of environmental migrants has become a reality. Small island states, such as Tuvalu, the Maldives, and Kiribati, are among the most vulnerable to climate change, including rising sea levels and risk of flooding. Therefore, appropriate legal measures should be taken to fill the legislative gap and to provide appropriate legal protection to persons who seek asylum in other states due to climate threats.

ANALYSIS OF THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO IMPROVING THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF UKRAINE

The article summarizes scientific and methodological principles of strategic planning of socio-economic development at the regional level in Ukraine. The main goal of strategic planning of regional development is determined and the main stages of developing a system of regional economic development forecasts are considered. The process of developing a strategic plan for socio-economic development of the region is analyzed, and the factors influencing the process of developing this strategy are also considered. The purpose of the article is the formation of theoretical and methodological foundations of strategic planning of regional development based on the analysis and theoretical generalization of methodological tools on the problem of research, development practice and the content of regional development strategies in Ukraine.
 Methodological foundations and legal basis of strategic planning are revealed both in the research of scientists and in the works and documents of Ukrainian and international experts. In the theory of strategic planning, general characteristics and tools for the implementation of this process are determined at various levels: the national level, individual territorial administrative units, and enterprises. Among the latest publications on the issues of this research, monographs by V. Vartsaba, N. Smentin, and scientific articles by O. Shevchenko, S. Ivanov, A. Chernykhivska, and others should be noted.
 International experience and practical foundations of strategic planning of regional development are outlined in the latest publications of the UN Development Program, as well as confirmed by experts of international projects and programs to promote local development in Ukraine.
 Practical implications: The author has justified the need to include budgeting in the system of methods of strategic economic analysis and developed an algorithm for methodical economic analysis of the activity of a commercial organization.
 Originality: As a result of using the methodological foundations of strategic economic analysis, a scheme of correspondence of methods to the stages of its organization has been developed.
 Conclusions: The author has highlighted traditional (statistical), economic-mathematical and special techniques in the system of methods of strategic economic analysis, emphasized the relevance of the toolkit of strategic economic analysis for a commercial organization operating in modern economic conditions, and also emphasized the prospects for development in the field of improvement and expansion of the methodological base of this direction.
 The quality of strategic planning of the socio-economic development of the region largely depends on the scientific and methodological support of this process. To ensure the expediency of strategic planning and to achieve a cumulative positive effect from the implementation of the developed strategy, it is necessary to combine the efforts of the management and administrative- financial, production and scientific-technical spheres, to involve the fullness and optimization of the natural, human, scientific-technological and innovative potential of the region. The main tasks and priorities of regional development at the current stage are overcoming crisis phenomena in socio-economic fields and increasing the pace of economic recovery.