Health Sector--Ten Threats to Global Health in 2019 World Health Organization. “The world is facing multiple health challenges. These range from outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and diphtheria, increasing reports of drug-resistant pathogens, growing rates of obesity and physical inactivity to the health impacts of environmental pollution and climate change and multiple humanitarian crises…the World Health Organization’s new 5-year strategic plan…focuses on a triple billion target: ensuring 1 billion more people benefit from access to universal health coverage, 1 billion more people are protected from health emergencies and 1 billion more people enjoy better health and well-being…Here are 10 of the many issues that will demand attention from WHO and health partners in 2019.”
--Summary: See the first paragraph and image for each of the 10 topics. Each topic has 3-4 short paragraphs.
Humanitarian Sector--Global Humanitarian Overview 2019 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (December 2018).
“We are witnessing extremely high levels of humanitarian need even as global wealth is higher than ever before. This year’s
Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) therefore provides, for the first time, an analysis not just of how many people need humanitarian assistance, but a clearer understanding of why. Despite global economic gains, 10 per cent of the world’s people are still living in extreme poverty. At least 2 billion people worldwide live in areas affected by fragility, conflict and violence, where the intersection of poverty, high population growth, environmental degradation, natural hazards and protracted conflict leave them especially vulnerable. In 2019, nearly 132 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection, the majority because of the impact of conflict. The United Nations and partner organizations aim to assist nearly 94 million of them.” (excerpt from the Foreword, page 6). Available in English, French, Arabic, and Chinese.
--Summary: See pages 4-5.
Development Sector--Global Compact for a Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration United Nations.
“The global compact for migration is the first, intergovernmentally negotiated agreement, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner. Today, there are over 258 million migrants around the world living outside their country of birth. This figure is expected to grow for a number of reasons including population growth, increasing connectivity, trade, rising inequality, demographic imbalances and climate change. Migration provides immense opportunity and benefits – for the migrants, host communities and communities of origin. However, when poorly regulated it can create significant challenges. These challenges include overwhelming social infrastructures with the unexpected arrival of large numbers of people and the deaths of migrants undertaking dangerous journeys.” (Excerpt from the
UN Refugees and Migrants website)--Summary: Read the
overview on the UN Refugees and Migrants website and the
23 Objectives of the Compact (paragraph 16, pages 5,6)
Peace and Security SectorGlobal Peace Index 2018: Measuring Peace in a Complex World Institute for Economics and Peace.
“This is the twelfth edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness. Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the GPI is the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness. This report presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on trends in peace, its economic value, and how to develop peaceful societies. The GPI covers 99.7 per cent of the world’s population, using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, and measures the state of peace using three thematic domains: the level of Societal Safety and Security; the extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict; and the degree of Militarisation. In addition to presenting the findings from the 2018 GPI, this year’s report includes analysis of trends in Positive Peace: the attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies. It looks at changes in indicators of Positive Peace that immediately precede deteriorations or improvements in peacefulness, which provides a framework for predictive analysis. The report also assesses the ways in which high levels of peace positively influence major macroeconomic indicators.” (excerpt from page 2)
--Summary: See pages 2-3.
Human Rights SectorWorld Report 2019 Human Rights Watch
Image: cover detail from World Report 2019 by human Rights Watch
This
Report "summarizes key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide, drawing on events from late 2017 through November 2018. In his keynote essay, “World’s Autocrats Face Rising Resistance,” Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth argues that while autocrats and rights abusers often captured headlines in 2018, rights defenders pushed back and gained strength in unexpected ways. Drawing on analysis of a series of human rights successes in international fora, often led by unlikely government coalitions, and of powerful activism by civic groups at national and regional levels, he shows that defense of rights worldwide is resilient and multi-faceted.....The rest of the volume consists of individual country entries, each of which identifies significant human rights abuses, examines the freedom of local human rights defenders to conduct their work, and surveys the response of key international actors, such as the United Nations, European Union, African Union, United States, China, and various regional and international organizations and institutions.” (excerpt from the Foreword)
--Summary: Read pages 1-7 of the opening essay and choose a specific country of interest to review.
Economic SectorWorld Development Report 2019: The Changing Nature of Work, World Bank
This
Report “studies how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Fears that robots will take away jobs from people have dominated the discussion over the future of work, but the World Development Report 2019 finds that on balance this appears to be unfounded. Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. Firms adopt new ways of production, markets expand, and societies evolve. Overall, technology brings opportunity, paving the way to create new jobs, increase productivity, and deliver effective public services. Firms can grow rapidly thanks to digital transformation, expanding their boundaries and reshaping traditional production patterns. The rise of the digital platform firm means that technological effects reach more people faster than ever before. Technology is changing the skills that employers seek. Workers need to be better at complex problem-solving, teamwork and adaptability. Digital technology is also changing how people work and the terms on which they work. Even in advanced economies, short-term work, often found through online platforms, is posing similar challenges to those faced by the world’s informal workers. The Report analyzes these changes and considers how governments can best respond. Investing in human capital must be a priority for governments in order for workers to build the skills in demand in the labor market. In addition, governments need to enhance social protection and extend it to all people in society, irrespective of the terms on which they work. To fund these investments in human capital and social protection, the Report offers some suggestions as to how governments can mobilize additional revenues by increasing the tax base.” (excerpt from
World Bank website). In six languages.
Summary: Here is the
Overview in English. Read pages 2-5 to get a feel for the
Report.
Environment SectorA Breath of Fresh Air: Acting on the UN Mandate to Tackle Air Pollution NCD Alliance
“To coincide with the First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health [30 Oct-1 Nov 2018], the NCD Alliance has produced a short
brief summarising the UN mandate for governments to address air pollution as a core component of the NCD response. Air pollution is the world’s largest single environmental health risk, and a leading risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). According to the WHO, air pollution causes 7 million deaths every year worldwide. Of these deaths, about 80% are from NCDs, making the number of NCD deaths due to air pollution comparable to mortality due to tobacco use. Air pollution negatively affects quality of life for all, and in particular for billions of people around the world living with NCDs.
New data released by the WHO…highlights that "every day around 93% of the world’s children under the age of 15 years (1.8 billion children) breathe air that is so polluted it puts their health and development at serious risk". Tragically, many of them die: WHO estimates that in 2016, 600,000 children died from acute lower respiratory infections caused by polluted air.” (excerpt from
NCD Alliance website)
--Summary: Read all four pages of this Brief.
