United Nations

Vitamin A deficiency affects some 127 million preschool children globally, putting them at increased risk of sickness and death. Supplementation is cost-effective and has proven potential to reduce the yearly number of preventable child deaths. This report tracks the progress of supplementation programming following 10 years of global advocacy. It is a 'scorecard' for countries and the international community on progress in scaling up one of the most effective child survival interventions available.

This paper explores the role of earlier trade liberalisation and market responses in shaping the emerging trade agenda in North America. The paper draws on experience in Europe in forging a more integrated market to point to the benefits that would accrue to Canadians, Americans, and Mexicans from taking deliberate steps to reduce the impact of border administration, to promote greater regulatory convergence, and to forge the necessary institutional infrastructure to govern deepening cross-border integration.

The World Economic and Social Survey 2007 analyses the challenges and opportunities associated with ageing populations and aims to facilitate discussions in furthering the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing which focuses on three sets of priorities: older people and development, advancing health and well-being into old age, and enabling and supportive environments for older persons. The Survey underscores the need to fully recognize and better harness the productive and social contributions to societies that older persons can make but are, in many instances, prevented from making.

This publication contains detailed national accounts estimates for some 207 countries and areas of the world for the years 1970 to 2004/2005. The national data for each country and area are presented in separate chapters using uniform table headings and classifications recommended in the United Nations System of National Accounts 1993. Statistics on national accounts aggregates such as gross domestic product, per capita gross domestic product, shares of gross domestic product by expenditure and by kind of activity, average growth of gross domestic product and components thereof, and implicit price deflators are included.

This report provides background information on World Space Week, details of the programmes implemented during the 2006 celebration and suggestions for future celebrations of what has become the largest annual public space event worldwide. The objective of World Space Week is to increase awareness among decision-makers and the public of the benefits of the peaceful uses of space.

Our planet is in danger and we are all responsible for what is happening to it. Very often young children are more aware of how to protect the environment than adults are. This colouring book aims to make adults realise that if we want to bequeath our children an environment which is in good health, we must listen to them, think of their future, and act.

With the continuous expansion of technical capabilities and communication media, authoritative geographical names are sought for accurate reporting, geo- referencing and inclusion in geographical information systems. The present Reference Manual focuses on the technical aspects of geographical names standardization, including Romanization systems and toponymic data transfers and formats.

The United Nations has identified the need for enhanced partnerships between the public sector, private sector and civil society as an essential ingredient in the attainment of growth and sustainable economic development. The present publication explores how the audit process can be made more open and participatory and how audit can be used as a tool for citizen empowerment to hold the government to account.

The May 2006 floods in Suriname were a devastating blow for the affected population’s capacity to make a living. This assessment of the socio-economic impact of the floods makes use of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach to analyse their impact on the affected households. It outlines the vulnerability context of the affected population and it maps the strategies of households to sustain a living.

This publication contains a two-page profile of social and economic indicators for each of the fifty-six UNECE member countries. Each profile contains general information, including country capital and largest cities, time zone, official languages, map and currency, a graphical representation of the population according to gender and age group, gender statistics, employment and unemployment rates, and economic statistics including gross domestic product, final consumption expenditure, purchasing power parity, gross external debt, average exchange rate, and consumer price index.

The present publication examines how the information revolution has provided unprecedented opportunities for both economic and human development to countries, societies and people – if they are capable of tapping its potential. It is becoming well to recognized that people should be placed at the centre of all concerns. In other words, the new information revolution needs to be humanized if one wants to prevent a new divide—namely the digital divide.

This is a compilation of relevant practices of dealing with environmental and social issues during the planning, design and management of dams. It is designed as an informative learning tool for decision-makers and technical practitioners. The Compendium covers 9 topics selected by the multistakeholder Dams and Development Forum. It discusses the state of the art regarding dealing with the topics around the world. It shows how they are captured by regulatory frameworks and provides a number of examples illustrating how they have been implemented on the ground.

The present Directory includes ministries, trade promotion organisations, import promotion offices, chambers of commerce and industry, federations of chambers of commerce and industry, trade associations, operational trade points and, in separate chapters, selected regional and international organisations. It lists organisations in alphabetical order of countries/territories with addresses, telephone and telefax numbers, electronic mail and Internet site addresses as well as an indication of their main types of activities.

All persons should, by virtue of their essential humanity, enjoy all human rights. Exceptional distinctions, for example between citizens and non-citizens, can be made only if they serve a legitimate state objective and are proportional to the achievement of the objective. The present publication aims to highlight all the diverse sources of international law and emerging international standards protecting the rights of non-citizens.

This revised edition of the Guide examines the trade remedy legislation and practices of Canada for the benefit of business managers, exporters and importers in developing countries and transition economies. It covers the origins of trade remedies, their administration in Canada, as well as the various World Trade organisation rules governing trade remedies. It also discusses related issues such as anti-dumping, countervailing, and the role of the Canadian international Trade Tribunal.

The Statistical Yearbook is an annual compilation of a wide range of international economic, social and environmental statistics on over 200 countries and areas, compiled from sources including UN agencies and other international, national and specialised organisations. The 50th issue contains data available to the Statistics Division as of March 2006 and presents them in 76 tables. The number of years of data shown in the tables varies from one to ten, with the ten-year tables covering 1994 to 2003 or 1995 to 2004. Accompanying the tables are technical notes providing brief descriptions of major statistical concepts, definitions and classifications.

The legal regime established by the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention for the delineation of the outer limits of the extended continental shelf combines both legal and scientific concepts, rendering its interpretation challenging to both legal practitioners with no scientific background, and marine scientists with no legal training. For this reason, the present Manual covers, to the extent possible, all relevant legal, scientific, logistical and procedural aspects of the delineation of the outer limits of the extended continental shelf in its nine modules.

Coastal and marine environments play many different roles in relation to public health, food security, economic and social benefits, cultural values and traditional livelihoods. The state of these environments is mirrored by activities carried out on land. Activities varying from industrial and agricultural production to daily domestic routines affect the health of these ecosystems and of the people that depend on them. This revision of the NPA Handbook (renamed Protecting Coastal and Marine Environments from Land-based Activities: A Guide for National Action), hopes to facilitate action that will actually protect our coastal and marine environments.

The United Nations Documents Index provides information on documents and publications issued by United Nations offices worldwide. The information is presented in nine sections covering the areas of documents and publications, official records, sales publications, United Nations maps included in UN documents, United Nations sheet maps, United Nations document series symbols, author index, title index and subject index. The index is a three part set.