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  • The Convention on the Rights of the Child at a crossroads
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    On 20 November 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a landmark achievement that has since become the world’s most widely ratified human rights treaty. The Convention sets strict standards for signatory governments to protect the rights of every child.

    Published in connection with the 30th anniversary of the Convention, this report is intended as an advocacy tool to both celebrate the achievements of the past three decades and generate dialogue on the critical work that remains – especially for children who have been left behind.

    Based on the latest available data, the report outlines a selected set of issues that need urgent attention. It also advocates for all stakeholders to recommit to the Convention, stepping up their efforts to fulfill its promise in the next 30 years. Where there are political will and determination, the report concludes, children’s lives and well-being will improve.

    Author: UNICEF

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  • Tonga Disability Survey Report 2018
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    The Tonga Disability Survey is one of a few detailed surveys conducted in the

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    region to assess and document the degree of activity limitations and participation restrictions and societal activities for persons with disabilities and to ascertain the specific vulnerabilities that children and adults with disabilities face in Tonga.

    It was also undertaken to establish the baseline information about the accessibility of health and social services for persons with disabilities in Tonga and generate data that guide the development of policies and strategies that ensure equity and opportunities for children and adults with disabilities.

    Author: Tonga Statistics Department

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  • 2019 Human Development Report on Inequality
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    The United Nations Development Programme released its …

    p.org/en/2019-report" originalsrc="http://report.hdr.undp.org/" shash="PeF4lOyxl9VqEtEUHjLBe4R3U4r5akV5HIrGgvMzRpYGi7vauAYvLNRADhby7pF847kQmcZoAvbb/irPVoEKZypk1GJe/CE8b2LakWLOA4dOhtLubS4xdGCBdYuX8ynd8o8tVzBjeBY6nUzCUMlwNKTWmchYzALM3qy3Bur3Ov8=">2019 Human Development Report on Inequality on December 9.

    Titled, ‘Beyond Income, Beyond Averages, Beyond Today,’ the report identifies a new generation of inequalities that are increasingly determining people’s opportunities in the 21st century.

    The demonstrations sweeping across the world today signal that, despite unprecedented progress against poverty, hunger and disease, many societies are not working as they should. The connecting thread, is inequality.

    Just as the gap in basic living standards is narrowing for millions of people, the necessities to thrive have evolved.

    A new generation of inequalities is opening up, around education, and around technology and climate change -- two seismic shifts that, unchecked, could trigger a ‘new great divergence’ in society of the kind not seen since the Industrial Revolution.

    In countries with very high human development, for example, subscriptions to fixed broadband are growing 15 times faster and the proportion of adults with tertiary education is growing more than six times faster than in countries with low human development.

    The report analyzes inequality in three steps: beyond income, beyond averages, and beyond today and proposes a battery of policy options to tackle it.

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  • Information sharing critical to understand the level of efforts and initiatives in climate change in the Pacific
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    The Solevaka team is grateful for the valuable comments and perspectives shared
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    by contributors to the E-Consultation on the Pacific Climate Action that was held for two months.

    Most views highlighted the impacts of climate change and the lack of information sharing on efforts in the region. The voices of young people and their request to be included in initiatives were raised.

    Information sharing continues to be highlighted as an important practice that needed to be strengthened particularly given that the landscape of projects is vast in the climate change space and information is scatted.

    Following the closure of the e-discussions or forum, the team has summarized the contributions and the synthesis report.

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  • Tuna Fishery Report Card 2019
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    The …

    card%202019%20WEB.pdf">2019 ‘report card’ on the state of health of tuna fisheries in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean is out.

    It said all four species that are economically important in the region – skipjack, South Pacific albacore, yellowfin, and bigeye – are being fished sustainably.

    In the parlance of the report, “none is being overfished, and overfishing is not occurring”, although there was “no room for complacency” in how fish stocks are managed because all four species continue to decline overall.

    The abundance of a species is estimated against a benchmark, called a target reference point (TRP), which is a desirable level of stock needed to maintain the healthy functioning of the species, the environment it lives in, and the sustainability of fishing.

    The report card said that numbers of skipjack tuna are above the target reference point (TRP) for that species. TRPs are being developed for the other three species.

    The report noted that the value of tuna fishing to the region is increasing, and had passed the target for 2020. 

    Local employment in the tuna industry was also increasing and was on target to meet the 2023 target.

    Tuna stocks are not assessed every year, although a report card is issued every year, and uses data from the most recent assessment of each species of tuna. The report cards are published to help fisheries managers meet the goals of the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries.

    The report card was published by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the Pacific Community (SPC).

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  • Emissions Gap Report 2019
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    As the world strives to cut greenhouse gas emissions and limit climate change

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    , it is crucial to track progress towards globally agreed climate goals.

    For a decade, the United Nations Environment Program’s Emissions Gap Report has compared where greenhouse gas emissions are heading against where they need to be, and highlighted the best ways to close the gap.

    What’s new in this year’s report?

    Update on the emissions gap

    The report presents the latest data on the expected gap in 2030 for the 1.5°C and 2°C temperature targets of the Paris Agreement. It considers different scenarios, from no new climate policies since 2005 to full implementation of all national commitments under the Paris Agreement. For the first time, it looks at how large annual cuts would need to be from 2020 to 2030 to stay on track to meeting the Paris goals.

    Ways to bridge the emissions gap

    https://youtu.be/u0QRcFuT2Sg

    Every year, the report features ways to bridge the gap. This year, the report looks at the potential of the energy transition – particularly in the power, transport and buildings sectors – and efficiency in the use of materials such as iron steel and cement.

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  • Global Sustainable Development Report
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    The Global Sustainable Development Report prepared following the decision of

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    the United Nations Member States at the 2016 high-level political forum for sustainable development (HLPF) reflects the universal, indivisible and integrated nature of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    Scientists are calling for urgent, targeted, action to avoid reversing the development gains of recent decades.

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  • Digital Economy Report 2019
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    The United Nations Conference on Trade And Development (UNCTAD) has published

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    the first version of the Digital Economy Report.

    The report examines the potentials presented by the digital economy and provides an assessment of the scope for value creation and capture in developing countries.

    The report also provides valuable insight for policy-makers in SIDS as they work towards sustainable economic growth in the digital era.

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  • Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) - Global Outlook Report 2019
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    The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) have been

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    working together since 2014 to support countries in developing Nationally Determined Contributions - or NDCs - beginning with the launch of a regional NDC dialogue series that just completed its 22nd event having engaged over 2,200 participants from over 150 developing countries.

    This report, leveraging those relationships and history, is the most detailed review yet of momentum since the Paris Agreement and is designed to both inspire and inform the UN Climate Action Summit in New York on 23 September.

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  • CREATING A SUSTAINABLE FOOD FUTURE: SYNTHESIS REPORT
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    This synthesis report summarizes the findings o

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    f the World Resources Report Creating a Sustainable Food Future, a multiyear partnership between World Resources Institute, the World Bank Group, United Nations Environment, the United Nations Development Programme, the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement, and the Institut national de la recherche agronomique.

    The report focuses on technical opportunities and policies for cost-effective scenarios for meeting food, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions goals in 2050 in ways that can also help to alleviate poverty and do not exacerbate water challenges. It is primarily global in focus. As with any report, it cannot address all issues related to the global food system, such as many ethical, cultural, and socioeconomic factors or remedies for tackling acute food shortages in the short term. Future research may pursue quantitative estimates of agricultural freshwater use.

    The final report has recently been published.

    Previously published installments analyzing many of the issues covered in this report in greater detail are available at World Resources Report

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