Welcome to this year’s first issue of the CEPA Bulletin!
With the 17th session of CEPA coming up this April, I am excited for the opportunity to engage your expertise around the interesting issues lined up for this year’s session. Readying institutions and policies for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is crucial to effectively achieve the SDG targets. Progress can only be accelerated if the foundation is laid for strong effective governments that are accountable to their people and that ensure open government innovations and reforms at local and national level. Institutions and public administration must evolve at all levels to cultivate transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.
In this issue we feature some interesting recent UN activities.
The first International Forum on Migration Statistics was held in Paris and molded a community of users of migration statistics. Migration patterns today have fueled political debate and are top of the policy agenda which makes the improvement of migration data collection within countries ever more important.
At the 56th Session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD56) held at the UN Headquarters in New York, the commission recommended four draft resolutions to ECOSOC on ageing, future working methods, strategies for poverty eradication and Africa’s development.
The ECOSOC Youth Forum brought together over 700 young people to the UN, under the theme “The role of youth in building sustainable and resilient urban and rural communities”. The forum addressed a range of issues including water and sanitation, sustainable energy, inclusive safe and resilient cities as well as technology and innovations to facilitate youth engagement.
DPADM, together with ESCAP and in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea, held a side event during the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to launch the EGovernment for Women's Empowerment Toolkit. The online toolkit has been developed through a joint DESA – ESCAP research project and represents the first region-wide toolbox to support the gender-mainstreaming of e-Government.
Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you that Ms. Marion Barthélemy has been appointed as Director of the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination effective 1 March 2018. Serving as Director of the Statistics Division, I have been appointed the Officer-in-Charge of DPADM. I look forward to meeting and working with you all during the 17th CEPA session in April!
Stefan Schweinfest
Director, Statistics Division
Officer-in-Charge, Division for Public Administration and Development Management
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
United Nations