December 2011: The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has published its December 2011 newsletter, with articles on: the UN’s “Future We Want” campaign; the European preparatory meeting for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and the Second Intersessional Meeting on the UNCSD; and the pre-launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2012.
On the Regional Preparatory Meeting for the UNCSD for the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) region, “DESA News” reports that the meeting will focus on measures required and existing good practices in the UNECE region. It notes that the results of the meeting, including policy recommendations and good practices, will be transmitted to the global preparatory process and presented at the Second Intersessional Meeting for UNCSD, which will take place in New York, US, from 15-16 December 2011. The article recalls that, at the Seventh Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” in Astana, Kazakhstan, in September 2011, the region’s Ministers of the Environment agreed to “take the lead” in the transition to a green economy. The UNECE PrepCom aims to build on these outcomes on green economy, and to assess how the region’s developed countries can assist poorer countries in their transition to a green economy.
On the WESP 2012, the newsletter says the report is a joint product of DESA, the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the five UN regional commissions. The report, the overview of which will be launched on 1 December 2011, discusses short-term prospects for the world economy and key global economic policy and development issues, and seeks to provide a point of reference for discussions on economic, social and related issues taking place in various UN entities during 2012. [Publication: DESA News, Vol. 15, No. 12]