The main focus of this latest edition is the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). The event marked a crossroad for sustainable development and set the sustainability agenda for the next decade. Therefore, the world expected that a strong call for responsible and sustainable business practices as covered by the United Nations Global Compact would emerge as a result. The aim of this publication is to provide a global overview of the achievements of the Global Compact. It offers proactive and in-depth information on key sustainability issues to stakeholders all around the...

Contains general tables, including a world summary of selected demographic statistics, statistics on the size, distribution and trends in national populations, fertility, foetal mortality, infant and maternal mortality, general mortality, nuptiality and divorce. Data are shown by urban/rural residence, as available.

The Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles 2009 contains comprehensive information about energy balances for some 115 developing countries, showing production, trade, conversion and consumption in energy units for all energy products as well as electricity profiles for some 190 countries. This publication provides detailed information on production, trade and consumption of electricity, net installed capacity and thermal power plant input for selected developing and developed countries.

In the wake of the First World War, at the Peace Conference at Versailles, US President Wilson called for the creation of a League of Nations for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small nations alike. For the first time, conflicts between nations were a matter of global concern. Numerous key areas social, economic and statistics, health, labour were dealt with either directly by the League or indirectly by its specialized agencies. The Leagues lifetime (1919-1947) saw the creation of bodies that would be at the origin...

In the context of the ongoing fallout from the global financial crisis, income distribution is back to the centre of economic analysis and policies. This publication explores the linkages between income distribution, growth and development. It analyzes the evolution of income inequality over the last decades in different regions and groups of countries. It also examines the explanations given for the widespread rise of inequality. The report questions the thesis that rising inequality is a necessary condition for successful development. Based on a comprehensive theory of economic policy...

West Africa suffers from a combination of factors that make it vulnerable to organized crime. It is one of the poorest regions on earth. In many countries governance is weak. The region is located along illicit trafficking routes. And criminal groups can recruit foot soldiers from a large pool of desperate youth. West Africa is under attack, from within and especially from abroad. It is time for the world - and the governments concerned - to respond to the threat before more of the common wealth is stolen, more lives are lost, and before criminality deepens its penetration of state...

The European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways (ADN) agreed in Geneva on 26 May 2000 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR) entered into force on 28 February 2008. The Agreement currently has seventeen Contracting Parties. The Regulations annexed to the ADN contain provisions concerning dangerous substances and articles, provisions concerning their carriage in packages and in bulk on board inland navigation vessels or tank vessels, as well...

This volume summarizes developments and trends in 2011 on key issues of multilateral consideration at the international and regional levels; reviews the activity of the General Assembly, the Conference on Disarmament and the Disarmament Commission; and contains a handy timeline of highlights of multilateral disarmament in 2011

The fiftieth issue of National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables shows detailed national accounts estimates for most of the world's countries and areas for the reporting years 1995 to 2008. 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 (SNA). A summary of the conceptual framework of the SNA and definitions of important terms are also included in this publication. Other statistical information covered includes gross domestic...