Monday 29 October 2012

Peace and Conflict 2012

Peace and Conflict 2012



Welcome to the website for Peace and Conflict 2012, CIDCM's biennial publication providing key data and documenting trends in national and international conflicts.

pdf iconDownload an electronic copy of the executive summary for Peace and Conflict 2012 (Adobe PDF format, 29 MB).

Sunday 28 October 2012

The theme for 2012 World Audiovisual Heritage Day is “Audiovisual Heritage Memory? The Clock is Ticking.”




The world’s audiovisual heritage is endangered with some of it having been lost through chemical decay, lack of resources, skills, and structures. More will be lost if stronger and concerted international action is not taken. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in coordination with other organizations have taken the lead in preserving and sharing these documents.
To raise global awareness of the significance of audiovisual documents and to draw attention to the need to safeguard and preserve them, World Audiovisual Day was proclaimed by the UNESCO in 2005 and is celebrated on October 27 annually. The theme for 2012 is “Audiovisual Heritage Memory? The Clock is Ticking.”

Audiovisual documents include films, radio and televisions programs, and audio and video recordings contain the principal records of the 20th and 21st century that go beyond language and culture. They are lasting supplements to the traditional written record. The United Nations through its Department of Public Information has had its audiovisual archives which date back to the early 1920’s. The UNESCO says these audiovisual records have to be transformed to digital within the next 15 years.

Knowledge in world history, literature, and daily news is important to scholars worldwide, which makes the content of information stored in audiovisual archives important. Public consciousness of the importance of the preservation of these documents and recordings has given the momentum to conservation professionals to manage a range of technical, political, social, financial, and other factors to ensure the safeguarding of this audiovisual heritage.

Friday 26 October 2012

Doing Business 2013: Smarter Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enter...

Small and medium enterprise or small and medium-sized enterprise are companies whose personnel numbers fall below certain limits. Smarter Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises assesses regulations affecting domestic firms in 185 economies and ranks the economies in 10 areas of business regulation, such as starting a business, resolving insolvency and trading across borders


Tuesday 23 October 2012

October 24th, World Development Information Day

World Development Information Day 2012

World Development Information Day 2012 

October 24th 2012

In 1972 the UN General Assembly instituted World Development Information Day in an effort to draw attention of world public opinion to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them.

The Assembly decided that the date for the Day should be in alignment with the United Nations Day held on the 24th of October, which was also the date of the adoption of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade  in 1970.

The Assembly felt that improving the dissemination of information and the mobilization of public opinion, particularly among young people, would lead to greater awareness of the problems of development, thus, promoting efforts in the sphere of international cooperation for development of appropriate and viable solutions to these development issues.
Learn more about this observance at www.un.org/en/events/devinfoday/.

 Join the Debate on FACEBOOK / World Development Information Day 2012


United Nations Day, October 24

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message on United Nations Day (24th October)




Secretary-General's Message for 2012 -

We are living through a period of profound turmoil, transition and transformation. Insecurity, inequality and intolerance are spreading. Global and national institutions are being put to the test. With so much at stake, the United Nations must keep pace across the spectrum of its activities — peace, development, human rights, the rule of law, the empowerment of the world's women and youth.

There has been important progress on many fronts. Extreme poverty has been cut in half since the year 2000. Democratic transitions are under way in many countries. There are encouraging signs of economic growth across the developing world.

 Now is the time to raise our collective ambitions. With the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals fast approaching, we must intensify our efforts to reach all of these lifesaving targets. We must prepare a bold and practical post-2015 development agenda. And we must continue to combat intolerance, save people caught in conflicts and establish lasting peace.

The United Nations is not just a meeting place for diplomats. The United Nations is a peacekeeper disarming fighters, a health worker distributing medicine, a relief team aiding refugees, a human rights expert helping deliver justice.

 In carrying out this global mission we rely on countless friends and supporters. Non-governmental organizations, scientists, scholars, philanthropists, religious leaders, business executives and concerned citizens are critical to our success. No single leader, country or institution can do everything. But each of us, in our own way, can do something.

 On this UN Day, let us reaffirm our individual commitment and our collective resolve to live up to the ideals of the United Nations Charter and build a better world for all. Ban Ki-moon

 JOIN THE DEBATE ON FACEBOOK - United Nations Day 2012

World Statistics Day , October 20

Commemorate World Statistics Day under the theme ‘’Working Together to Improve Statistics in the Twenty First Century and Beyond’’. - http://www.un.org/en/events/statisticsday/




The World Statistics Pocketbook 2011 is the thirty-first in a series of annual compilations of key statistical indicators prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The World Statistics Pocketbook 2011

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Ban Ki-moon’s message for International Day to Eradicate Poverty 2012

15 October 2012
Secretary-General
SG/SM/14586
OBV/1152

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

In Message on International Day to Eradicate Poverty, Secretary-General Says


Investing in Poor best Way to Build Stronger, More Prosperous Societies


Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, commemorated on 17 October:

Poverty is easy to denounce but difficult to combat.  Those suffering from hunger, want and indignity need more than sympathetic words; they need concrete support.

We mark this year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty at a time of economic austerity in many countries.  As Governments struggle to balance budgets, funding for anti-poverty measures is under threat.  But this is precisely the time to provide the poor with access to social services, income security, decent work and social protection.  Only then can we build stronger and more prosperous societies — not by balancing budgets at the expense of the poor.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have galvanized global action that generated great progress.  We have cut extreme poverty by half and corrected the gender imbalance in early education, with as many girls now attending primary school as boys.  Many more communities have access to clean drinking water.  Millions of lives have been saved thanks to investments in health.

These gains represent a major advance toward a more equitable, prosperous and sustainable world.  But more than a billion people still live in poverty, denied their rights to food, education and health care.  We have to empower them to help us find sustainable solutions.  We should spare no effort to ensure that all countries reach the MDGs by 2015.

At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in June of this year, leaders from around the world declared that poverty eradication is “the greatest global challenge facing the world today”.

We are now developing the UN development framework for the period after 2015, building on the MDGs while confronting persistent inequalities and new challenges facing people and the planet.  Our aim is to produce a bold and ambitious framework that can foster transformational change benefiting people now and for generations to come.

Rampant poverty, which has festered for far too long, is linked to social unrest and threats to peace and security.  On this International Day, let us make an investment in our common future by helping to lift people out of poverty so that they, in turn, can help to transform our world.

* *** *

Monday 15 October 2012

Michelle Bachelet: International Day of Rural Women 2012

International Day of Rural Women - October 15

As the world celebrates the International Day of Rural Women, UN Women with the World Food Programme, Food and Agricultural Organization and International Fund for Agricultural Development are launching a joint programme in Rome to empower poor rural women through economic integration and food security initiatives. In this video message, Executive Director Michelle Bachelet emphasizes how the economic empowerment of rural women will help lift them out of poverty and bolster food security.


Saturday 13 October 2012

Sustainable Energy for All

Fact Sheet: The World Bank Group & Sustainable Energy for All



A summary of the World Bank’s contributions to the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, both planned and underway.


GOAL #1: Achieving universal access to energy

The International Energy Agency estimates that achieving universal access to modern energy services by 2030 will cost $48 billion a year. The World Bank Group is providing more than $1 billion a year to over 60 countries that is directly focused on expanding access, both by extending the grid and through off-grid solutions for remote areas. The Bank Group’s financial instruments, such as partial risk guarantees, reduce risk associated with energy projects to leverage private investment for access, while its policy and strategic guidance help governments create conditions that attract companies that bring new business models, innovative finance, or new energy and energy efficiency technologies.
Since Rio+20, 61 countries have opted in to the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, and businesses, investors, and donors have committed $50 billion to it. The 61 countries, 25 of them in Africa, account for about 80% of global population without access to electricity. The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), administered by the World Bank, has completed six of a total of 40 “rapid assessment” country studies undertaken by all SEFA partners (others supporting these assessments are the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, InterAmerican Development Bank, European Commission, and the United Nations Development Programme) each of which reviews a specific country’s electricity and household fuels’ access gaps, as well as their status on renewable energy development and energy efficiency practice. ESMAP will deliver a technical assistance program for energy access in five developing countries.

GOALS #2 & #3: Doubling renewable energy share & improvement rate of energy efficiency

The Bank Group’s two major financing vehicles, IBRD for middle-income and IDA for low-income countries, contributed about two-thirds of the Bank Group’s total $49.2 billion in financing for energy projects and programs between 2007-12. Of total Bank Group energy financing during this period, 43% was for renewable energy and energy efficiency, while a large part of the remainder went to transmission, distribution and policy reform. This finance usually produces matching volumes of investment from public and private sectors, as well as from multilateral and bilateral donors. The goal is to double the current leveraging of this lending, raising it from $1 to $2 for every $1 of Bank financing.

The Bank’s ESMAP, which helps low and middle-income countries develop and implement sustainable energy policies, is developing a Global Geothermal Development Plan with several partners to explore and develop geothermal potential in developing countries. This will include Africa’s Rift Valley, where geothermal power could potentially deliver clean electricity access in up to 13 countries. ESMAP will also bring its Energy Efficient Cities Initiative to urban policymakers to help them implement building standards, transport and traffic regulations, as well as municipal tax incentives that scale-up energy efficiency efforts in cities, where over 70% of the world’s population will live by 2050.

The International Finance Corporation’s clean energy investments have increased substantially since 2007, with renewable energy now accounting for over 70% of its power business. IFC is working with other parts of the Bank Group to provide guidance to countries on policy incentives such as feed-in tariffs, renewable portfolio standards, and reverse electricity auctions to help renewable energy companies become competitive. It also encourages countries to abandon costly subsidies to power producers relying on fossil fuels.
The Bank and IFC are among 10 partners in the Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership, or Global LEAP. This collaboration aims to replicate the success of Lighting Africa by catalyzing markets for off-grid lighting across Asia. Meanwhile, successful Lighting Africa pilot programs will be extended to new markets in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Senegal, and Mali, with the goal of reaching 250 million people with off-grid lighting products by 2030.

Flaring of gas associated with oil production has dropped by 20% worldwide, from 172 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2005 to 140 bcm in 2011. This has reduced CO2 emissions by 85 million tons, roughly the equivalent of emissions from 16 million cars. The Bank and its partners in the Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR) will step up flaring reduction efforts over the next four years through activities to develop gas infrastructure and markets. A major goal is to increase use of previously flared gas to expand access to electricity and cleaner household fuels.The Bank is working through the Africa Clean Cooking Initiative and the Clean Cooking Initiative in East Asia to raise awareness on clean cooking issues and to help governments design programs to scale up the dissemination of clean cooking stoves and modern fuels. Bank financing has connected millions of households to biogas and natural gas in China, Nepal, Colombia, and Armenia, while facilitating transitions to more efficient household fuels in Cambodia, Laos, and nine African countries.

The Bank Group and four regional multilateral development banks manage the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs), which include the Clean Technology Fund and Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Program for Low-Income Countries, and the Strategic Climate Fund. About $5 billion, or 75% of total capitalization of the CIFs, is supporting projects targeting the Sustainable Energy for All goals. CIF investments include development of concentrated solar power in the Middle East and North Africa, South Africa, China, and India; geothermal energy in Indonesia and East Africa; access expansion using sustainable energy in Honduras, Nepal, Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, Mali, and Ethiopia; and financing energy efficiency and smart grid technologies in Mexico, Turkey, Vietnam, and Ukraine.

Thursday 11 October 2012

Ban Ki-moon Message on the International Day of Rural Women 2012

Secretary-General's Message for the International Day of Rural Women2012

 

Rural women produce much of the world’s food, care for the environment and help reduce the risk of disaster in their communities. Yet they continue to face disadvantages and discrimination that prevent them from realizing their potential. For too many rural women, their daily reality is one in which they do not own the land they farm, are denied the financial services that could lift them out of poverty, and live without the guarantee of basic nutrition, health services and amenities such as clean water and sanitation. Unpaid care work imposes a heavy burden and prevents their access to decent wage employment.

Empowering rural women is crucial for ending hunger and poverty. By denying women rights and opportunities, we deny their children and societies a better future. This is why the United Nations recently launched a programme to empower rural women and enhance food security. The joint programme of the three Rome-based food and agricultural organizations and UN Women will work with rural women to remove the barriers they face, and to boost their skills as producers, leaders and entrepreneurs
When food and nutrition security are improved, rural women have more opportunities to find decent work and provide for the education and health of their children. With equal access to land, credit and productive resources, rural women can increase their productivity and sell their goods. As equal members of society, rural women can raise their voices as decision-makers and propel sustainable development.

The world has increasingly recognized the vital role that women play in building peace, justice and democracy. As we approach the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, it is time to invest more in rural women, protect their rights, and improve their status. On this International Day, I call on all partners to support rural women, listen to their voices and ideas, and ensure that policies respond to their needs and demands. Let us do everything we can to enable them to reach their potential for the benefit of all.
Ban Ki-moon

Ban Ki-moon Message on the International Day for Natural Disater Reduction 2012

Secretary-General's Message for 2012

 This year’s observance of the International Day for Disaster Reduction seeks to highlight the need for women and girls to be at the forefront of reducing risk and managing the world’s response to natural hazards. Across the world, women and girls are using their roles within families and communities to strengthen risk reduction. In Bangladesh, women organized themselves to prepare for and respond to floods by teaching other women how to build portable clay ovens and elevate houses.

 In South Africa, marginalized adolescent girls have been empowered to help design plans to reduce the impact of drought and severe wind storms.


 In the Bolivian altiplano, indigenous women have consolidated traditional agricultural and climatic knowledge, which resulted in significant reduction of crop losses from hail, frost and flooding.

 In Viet Nam, villagers have been introduced to disaster reduction issues through customized radio soap operas that incorporate real-life examples and stories from local women.

And following the tsunami and earthquake in Fukushima, Japan, women played a central role in re-establishing income opportunities, with a special focus on single mothers. Such efforts advance understanding of how communities can benefit from encouraging women to take leadership roles in disaster risk reduction, and will only become more valuable as climate change intensifies and as the world struggles to cope with extreme weather and disasters that affect an average of more than 200 million people annually

. On this International Day for Disaster Reduction, let us recognize that, as the theme of this year’s observance declares, women and girls are the “[in]Visible Force of Resilience”.

 Ban Ki-moon

International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction 2012: Women and Girls - the [in]Visible Force of Resilience

Theme for 2012: Women and Girls - the [in]Visible Force of Resilience

 

By resolution 44/236 (22 December 1989), the General Assembly designated the second Wednesday of October International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. The International Day was to be observed annually during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, 1990-1999.
By resolution 64/200 of 21 December 2009 the General Assembly decided to designate 13 October as the date to commemorate the Day and to change the Day's name to International Day for Disaster Reduction. The objective of the observance is to raise awareness of how people are taking action to reduce their risk to disasters.
The theme of the 2012 International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) is "Women and Girls - the [in]Visible Force of Resilience".
Women and girls are empowered to fully contribute to sustainable development through disaster risk reduction, particularly in the areas of environmental and natural resource management; governance; and urban and land use planning and social and economic planning - the key drivers of disaster risk.
Resolution 64/200. - International Strategy for Disaster Reduction International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction

Here are some essential steps that you can take to prepare for disasters

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Preparing for Disaster

Actnowsavelater.org
Image from UNOCHA and UNDP's "Act now, save later" clip. Watch it here: www.actnowsavelater.org
Here are some essential steps that you can take to prepare for disasters:

  1. Build an Emergency Supply Kit and include non-perishable food, water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra flashlights and batteries, sanitary items, shoes and clothing as well as other items you might need. 
  2. Make a Family Emergency Plan. Agree how you will contact one another, how you will find each other and what you will do in case of an emergency.
  3. Volunteer to support disaster efforts in your community, be part of the community planning process.
  4. Join or start a preparedness project. Serve your community by improving the preparedness of your friends, colleagues and neighbors.
  5. Support major disasters by donating cash or goods that are needed.
  6. Duplicate your important documents and keep an extra copy offsite either in a safety deposit box or with someone you trust. Examples of these documents are: passport, driver's license, social security card, will, deeds, financial statements, prescriptions, personal items, etc. Include an inventory of your valuables, in writing and with photographs or video.
  7. Get the latest information from your local news stations and follow instructions given by local emergency management officials.
  8. Learn the elevation level of your property and whether the land is flood-prone.
  9. Learn community hurricane evacuation routes and how to find higher ground. Determine where you would go and how you would get there if you needed to evacuate
  10. Remove dead or rotting trees and branches that could fall and cause injury or damage during a severe thunderstorm.
  11. If you are a tourist, familiarize yourself with local tsunami evacuation protocols. You may be able to safely evacuate to the 3rd floor and higher.
  12. Prepare for landslides by following proper land-use procedures.
  13. In mudflow areas, build channels or deflection walls to direct the flow around buildings.
  14. Use fire-resistant or noncombustible materials on the roof and exterior structure of your house.
     
 

World Disaster Reduction Campaign

Get involved:

 Showcase what women and girls are doing to contribute to disaster resilience.

 Organize public events to increase understanding of gender concerns in DRR processes.

Lobby national and local governments as well as community leaders and decision makers, academia, and international organizations to 'Step Up'.

Mobilize the public at large to demand changes to the socio-cultural/political framework that exacerbates the exclusion of women and their vulnerabilities.

Encourage men and boys to get involved.

Think Big - Gender equality and risk reduction principles must guide all aspects of disaster mitigation, response and reconstruction.

Get The Facts - Gender analysis is needed to direct aid and plan for full and equitable recovery. Nothing in disaster work is "gender neutral."

Work With Women - Women's community organizations have insight, information, experience, networks, and resources vital to increasing disaster resilience.

 Resist Stereotypes -
Base all initiatives on knowledge of difference and specific cultural, economic, political, and sexual contexts, not on false generalities.

 Respect and develop the capacities of women and girls.

Wednesday 10 October 2012

World Sight Day - October 11

World Sight Day (11 October) [WHO]

World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness, visual impairment and rehabilitation of the visually impaired held on the second Thursday in October.
World Sight Day is observed around the world by all partners involved in preventing visual impairment or restoring sight. It is also the main advocacy event for the prevention of blindness and for "Vision 2020: The Right to Sight", a global effort to prevent blindness created by WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.

Related links

October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child

United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child,  October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child,  
Press Conference: Launch of a new report on child marriage by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Speakers: Mr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Depression No Matter for Experts Alone, Secretary-General Says in Message

8 October 2012
Secretary-General
SG/SM/14567
OBV/1147

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

Depression No Matter for Experts Alone, Secretary-General Says in Message for Mental Health Day, Urging Action to Relieve Related Stigma



Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for World Mental Health Day, observed on 10 October:

Some 350 million people of all ages, incomes and nationalities suffer from depression.  Millions more — family, friends, co-workers — are exposed to the indirect effects of this under-appreciated global health crisis.

Depression diminishes people’s ability to cope with the daily challenges of life, and often precipitates family disruption, interrupted education and loss of jobs.  In the most extreme cases, people kill themselves.  Approximately one million people commit suicide every year, the majority due to unidentified or untreated depression.

People develop depression for a number of reasons.  Often, different causes — genetic, biological, psychological and social — combine to provide the trigger.  Stress, grief, conflict, abuse and unemployment can also contribute.  Women are more likely to suffer depression than men, including following childbirth.

A wide variety of effective and affordable treatments are available to treat depression, including psychosocial interventions and medicines.  However, they are not accessible to all people, especially those living in less developed countries and the least advantaged citizens of more developed nations.  Among the barriers to care and services are social stigma and the lack of general health-care providers and specialists trained to identify and treat depression.  This is why the World Health Organization is supporting countries through its Mental Health Gap Action Programme.

Depression is not simply a matter for health experts.  We can all act to relieve the stigma around depression and other mental disorders — perhaps by admitting that we may have experienced depression ourselves, or by reaching out to those experiencing it now.  On World Mental Health Day, let us pledge to talk more openly about depression.  This is the first critical step to removing one of the barriers to treatment and helping to reduce the disability and distress caused by this global crisis.

United Nations Observances in 2012

Observanves 2012 - United nations System Calendar of Media Events -

         
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

February 2012

  World Day of Social Justice -

March 2012

  International Women's Day -
  International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - Geneva and world wide
  World Water Day  "Water and Food Security" -
  World Meteorological Day -
  World TB Day -

April 2012

  International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action -
  World Health Day -
  World Malaria Day -
  International Jazz Day - Worldwide

May 2012

  World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development -
  International Day for Biological Diversity (UNEP/CBD) -

June 2012

  World Environment Day -
  World Oceans Day -
  World Day to Combat Desertification -
  International Day in Support of Victims of Torture -

July 2012

  Nelson Mandela International Day -

August 2012

  International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples -
  International Youth Day 2012 -
  World Humanitarian Day -
  International Day against Nuclear Tests -

September 2012

  International Day of Democracy -
  International Day for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (UNEP) -

October 2012

  International Day of Older Persons -
  International Day of the Girl Child -
  International Day of Rural Women -
  World Food Day -
  International Day for the Eradication of Poverty -
  UN Day -

November 2012

  International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict (UNEP) - Global
  International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People -

December 2012

  Human Rights Day -

Monday 8 October 2012

World Post Day 2012 theme : "A new strategy for a new world "

Message from the Director-General of the Universal Postal Union for 2012

A new strategy for a new world

Ours is an era of new information and communication technologies, of mobile telephones and the Internet. And yet, Posts are not standing idly on the side lines: they are an integral part of the increasingly digital world. 

As strong drivers of economic growth, Posts must continue to innovate, develop efficient and accessible postal services, adopt common standards and exploit new technologies to diversify and improve services.  Post offices – whether physical or virtual – serve not only customers’ communication needs but also allow them to conduct official business, pay bills, send or receive money, order goods or track and trace letters or parcels along the entire distribution chain.

Traditional letter-post services still account for the majority of postal revenues but Posts can benefit from the globalization of mail exchanges in other ways. They should seize the opportunities offered by e-commerce. Many Posts are wisely readying their operations for the e-commerce boom, which has resulted in increased parcel volumes. And rightly so; industry-watchers predict that e-commerce sales will surpass the trillion-euro mark in 2013. Many of the goods ordered online will be delivered as parcels to customers and who better than the Post to fill that role?

For its part, the UPU will continue to help Posts better interconnect their networks to facilitate exchanges. It will also continue to provide know-how and technical expertise, encourage the development of innovative postal products and services to better meet customer needs and sustainably develop the postal sector.

Governments too must step up to the mark. Their support of the postal sector is crucial. With it, Posts across the globe will fulfil their potential as motors of national economies.

Despite this changing world, the postal community is still well placed to guarantee the integrity of the universal postal service and the free circulation of mail items within the single postal territory.

I wish you the very best on World Post Day 2012.
Edouard Dayan, Director-General of the Universal Postal Union

Friday 5 October 2012

The world in 2050 is one where:


  • We have equal access to improved sanitation, safe water, food and health and well-being.
  • We have healthy ecosystems.
  • There is inclusivity in decision-making by both traditional stakeholders such as business and government, but also by neglected groups such as women, youth and indigenous peoples.
  • We look beyond the present.
  • We have informed, aware and proactive citizens who know the value of food and water and you use resources wisely.
  • There is transparency and accountability.
  • We have cooperation that is built on trust by all stakeholders, and one that acknowledges interdependencies.
However we still live in a world where:
  • 2.6 billion people lack improved sanitation
  • Roughly 800 million people lack safe drinking water
  • One billion people go to bed hungry
  • 2 billion people are undernourished
  • 60% of ecosystem services are deteriorating
  • One billion people are obese
  • Between 30- 50% food produced is wasted
The journey to get there should be driven by:
  • Increasing sustainable investments in agriculture
  • Embracing a more resource efficient diet
  • Implementing sustainable intensification
  • Wasting less food
  • Promoting enabling conditions that include incentive mechanisms, policy cohesion and institutional design and strengthening
  • Being adaptable
  • Understanding the link between water, energy and food
  • Adopting business model perspectives in development projects
  • Developing resource recovery and re-use
  • Empowering communities
  • Boosting fairer trade markets
  • Learning from our mistakes as well as our successes
This initiative was successful in raising the voice of the young professionals and allowing it to reach decision makers that attended World Water Week. It also highlighted the World Water Week in Stockholm as a platform which invests in helping and developing the future leaders of our planet. You can still engage with the Young Professionals' Vision team by following discussions online on the twitter hash tag #YPL or on the World Water Week Social Media Hub: www.watermedia.org 

2013 World Water Week in Stockholm under the theme " Water Cooperation - Bridging Divides "

2013 WWW

Thank you for this year, Welcome back next year!

2013 World Water Week in Stockholm
date: September 1 - 6, 2013
theme: Water Cooperation - Bridging Divides

World Water Week is hosted and organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and takes place each year in Stockholm. 
2nd Announcement- 2012 World Water Week

What's going on

  • On the Water Front series
  • On the Water Front series offer collection of the most innovative and important insights on water issues presented at the World Water Week in Stockholm. This compendium is a must-read for those interested in the latest knowledge, tools and strategies to resolve the planet's most pressing water challenges.
  • Are you looking for presentations?
  • Find presentations, background documents and movies here. Make use of the resources and share the knowledge!
  • 2012 World Water Week closes with a youthful vision for a food secure future
  • The 2012 World Water Week in Stockholm closes with a "vision" capturing the perspective of the younger generation of water scientists and professionals on the priorities that must be set now in order to achieve water and food security by 2050.
  • Keynotes join rapporteurs to wrap it up
  • The Closing Plenary session will feature keynote presentations from leading luminaries on the best path forward towards a food and water secure world.
  • WWW Daily Friday
  • What's the key to tackle Water challenges? What are communities and companies doing for water? New software for water and energy people? Read all about it
  • Youth Vision Concludes the Week
  • Young professionals tell the world how we can achieve water and food security in 2050 when they retire.