What's New

An increase in poverty is a palpable phenomenon throughout Pakistan especially in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. This perception seems to be supported by the World Development Indicators (WDIs) 2013 report which states that “Sixty percent of Pakistan's population is living below the poverty line” according to the US two dollar per day poverty measure. The poverty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) may be attributed to a decade of militancy, insurgency and terror-related activities, compounded by natural disasters such as floods. This mapping study presents the findings from an extensive review of the literature on social protection literature produced during the last seven years. It is also informed by a survey conducted in all the districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between April and to June 2013. The study was commissioned by the ILO Pakistan.

This handbook was written by a team of legal experts and reviewed by community activists working for improving the human rights situation of people with HIV and key populations most at risk of HIV. It is intended for people with HIV, people who are at higher risk of HIV, as well as their partners and family members. The handbook describes, step by step, how to behave when a rights violation occur, how to document it and how to seek help – directly from the authorities, or with the free help of legal professionals. It is supplemented by a set of user-friendly forms and free legal aid contracts. This handbook was designed for the legal systems of the countries in Eastern Europe and the CIS.

The Maternal Health Thematic Fund is UNFPA’s flagship programme for accelerating improved maternal and newborn health and the only one of its kind in the UN system that focuses on a key area of reproductive health while intensively contributing to strengthening health systems. The MHTF enables a targeted response to maternal mortality and morbidity across several dimensions, using sound evidence and state of the art knowledge while contributing to build the capacity of countries to create a functioning health system. This annual report highlights the Fund's critical contributions in 2014: from the training of 16,000 midwives, to supporting 10,000 surgical fistula repairs, to the finalization of national surveys on emergency obstetric and neonatal care, to South-South collaboration to improve maternal death surveillance and response, to the piloting of activities for first-time young mothers, a new focus area for the Fund.

This 73-page report documents government abuses against transgender people in Malaysia. In research in four Malaysian states and the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur, Human Rights Watch found that state Religious Department officials and police regularly arrest transgender women and subject them to various abuses, including assault, extortion, and violations of their privacy rights. Religious Department officials have physically and sexually assaulted transgender women during arrest or in custody, and humiliated them by parading them before the media.

The publication aims to provide national statistical offices with detailed guidance on how to collect, process, disseminate and analyse data on violence against women. It lays out the role of statistical surveys in meeting policy objectives related to violence against women, the essential features of these surveys, the steps required to plan, organize and execute these surveys, the concepts that are essential for ensuring the reliable, valid and consistent measurement of women’s experiences in accordance with core topics and a plan for data analysis and dissemination.

The 2014 Annual Report provides an overview of UNODC's work across the globe in assisting Member States to address the threat posed by drugs, crime and terrorism. In addition to highlighting the Office's achievements for the year, it showcases the human impact of UNODC's work through a series of success stories and the effect on the ground. The Annual Report covers a wide-range of content, including: a forward-looking strategic narrative that places UNODC's efforts within the evolving global policy landscape and sketches broad priorities for the coming few years; thematic chapters on drugs, health and trafficking; transnational organized crime; justice; corruption; terrorism; policy support and public affairs; research, trend analysis and forensics; and independent evaluation; and information on the Office's finances and funding.

The 2014 edition of the Statistical Yearbook is a reference full of up-to-date and comparable statistics and facts about the 58 regional members and associate members of ESCAP. It includes brief analyses of 32 key features of development in areas as diverse as population and demographics, child and maternal health, school enrolment and spending on education, income poverty and inequality, food security, crime, energy supply and use, disasters, economic growth, international trade, tourism and transport. The 2014 Yearbook is also accompanied by a series of online products, including country fact sheets, and a database containing more than 600 indicators and data visualization options. To ensure comparability across regions, subregions and countries, data at the country level have been obtained from international agencies which follow international statistical standards in compiling and reporting data.

Discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) has been recognized in international law, and developments in recent years have led to increased focus on the prevalence of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) persons around the world. While some countries have adopted legal provisions prohibiting discrimination against LGBT persons, most countries have not. The International Labour Organization (ILO) commissioned a study to map the patterns of discrimination faced by LGBT persons in Thailand’s world of work. This report reflects the study’s findings and recommendations from Thailand, a country which is considered relatively progressive in advancing the rights of LGBT workers. However, homosexuals and transgendered people are still regarded by some members of the community in Thailand as suffering from a mental illness, even if their classification as “mentally ill” has been removed from the law. However, in practice they continue to face widespread discrimination at work and in life.

The report follows a life-cycle approach, starting with social protection for children, followed by schemes for women and men in working age, and closing with pensions and other support for older persons. It also assesses progress towards universal coverage in health. The report further analyses trends and recent policies, such as the negative impacts of fiscal consolidation and adjustment measures, and urgently calls to expand social protection for crisis recovery, inclusive development and social justice. The World Social Protection Report 2014/15 includes valuable and comprehensive statistical annexes with the latest social protection data.

Countries around the world have committed to a historic ambition: to end preventable child and maternal deaths within a generation. A Common Cause shows why two key movements in global health – maternal and child health, and Universal Health Coverage – need to join forces to make that ambition a reality. The report argues for universal access to an integrated continuum of care for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health, provided through strengthened primary healthcare and referral systems.