Coastal ecosystems are critical to maintaining human well-being and global biodiversity. In particular, mangroves, tidal salt marshes, and seagrasses provide numerous benefits and services that contribute to people’s ability to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Many of these services are essential for climate adaptation and resilience along coasts, including protection from storm surge and sea level rise, erosion prevention along shorelines, coastal water quality regulation, nutrient recycling, sediment trapping, habitat provision for numerous commercially important and endangered marine species, and food security for many coastal communities around the world. Despite their benefits and services, coastal blue carbon ecosystems are some of the most threatened ecosystems on earth, with an estimated 340,000 to 980,000 hectares being destroyed each year. Although their historical extent is difficult to determine due to dramatic losses which occurred before accurate mapping was possible, it is estimated that up to 67% of the historical global mangrove range, 35% of tidal salt marshes, and 29% of seagrasses have been lost. If these trends continue at current rates, a further 30–40% of tidal marshes and seagrasses and nearly all unprotected mangroves could be lost in the next 100 years. Increasingly, coastal ecosystems are being recognized for their important role in carbon sequestration and, when degraded, their potential to become sources of carbon emissions. Progress has been made to include these systems in international and national policy and finance mechanisms, but full integration of coastal management activities as part of countries’ portfolio of solutions to mitigate climate change has not yet been realized.

This report examines the latest progress towards achieving the MDGs. It reaffirms that the MDGs have made a profound difference in people’s lives. Global poverty has been halved five years ahead of the 2015 timeframe. Ninety per cent of children in developing regions now enjoy primary education, and disparities between boys and girls in enrolment have narrowed. Remarkable gains have also been made in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis, along with improvements in all health indicators.

Provisional Programme-Revision 1

In the period under review Greece underwent a severe economic crisis which affected all core dimensions. The quality of democracy was negatively affected by a new sharp divide between supporters and opponents of the bailout extended to Greece by its creditors under strict austerity conditions.

Green Economy in a Blue World - Executive Summary

Cartagena Convention contribution - Nina Lynseko

Promoting the ‘phase down’ Approach of Dental Amalgam in Developing Countries- Sustainability Plan – Tanzania

Campanha global do Programa das Nações Unidas para o Meio Ambiente, o Passaporte Verde aposta no turismo para promover ações de sustentabilidade e estimular a mudança de atitude em viajantes e empresários. Esta publicação traz dados centrais da Campanha Passaporte Verde no Brasil.

Dengue fever (DF) is the most serious mosquito-borne viral disease in the world and is significantly affected by temperature. Although associations between DF and temperatures have been reported repeatedly, conclusions have been inconsistent. Six databases were searched up to 23 March 2014, without language and geographical restrictions. The articles that studied the correlations between temperatures and dengue were selected, and a random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals. Of 1589 identified articles, 137 were reviewed further, with 33 satisfying inclusion criteria. The closest associations were observed between mean temperature from the included studies (23.2-27.7 °C) and DF (OR 35.0% per 1 °C; 95% CI 18.3%-51.6%) positively. Additionally, minimum (18.1-24.2 °C) (29.5% per 1 °C; 20.9%-38.1%) and maximum temperature (28.0-34.5 °C) (28.9%; 10.3%-47.5%) were also associated with increased dengue transmission. The OR of DF incidence increased steeply from 22 °C to 29 °C, suggesting an inflexion of DF risk between these lower and upper limits of DF risk. This discovery is helpful for government decision-makers focused on preventing and controlling dengue in areas with temperatures within this range.

DOALOS: Marine Debris and the Law of the Sea - Gabriele Goettsche

Ensuring a clean and healthy environment, through effective environmental management, will provide multiple benefits to society and the economy.

am delighted to present the third volume in the series. In this World Ocean Review (WOR 3), we focus on marine resources and the opportunities and risks associated with their potential exploitation. Two salient facts merit particular attention. Firstly, very little is known at present about the resources found in the world’s oceans, and their exploration and especially their production pose immense technical challenges. And secondly, there is insufficient public awareness and debate about these resources and their utilization. Oil, gas, minerals and methane hydrates lie in the lightless depths of the oceans, and their extraction is hidden from sight. Even the products manufactured from them are not always obvious or tangible in our daily lives. This contrasts sharply with the large body of information available about the world’s fish stocks and the fishing industry, and the public’s justified interest in this topic. Obtaining food from the sea is fundamental to our lives and has formed part of our consciousness for thousands of years. In that sense, raising people’s awareness of the problems associated with fishing is a relatively simple task. Indeed, politicians are now responding to growing public pressure – partly created by publications such as WOR 2 – and are turning their attention to more sustainable fishing in the hope that the extinction of numerous species of fish can still be averted. But there is still a long way to go before we achieve a similar level of knowledge and public awareness of marine resources. In my view, it is crucial to launch a debate about the use of these non-living marine resources – for without our natural collective interest in these diverse problems, we cannot exert the pressure that is needed to ensure that marine resources are extracted and utilized in a sustainable manner. In this volume, you will find information about the formation, exploration and production of marine resources: not only oil and gas but also ores, in the form of manganese nodules, cobalt crusts and massive sulphides. A separate chapter is devoted to methane hydrates. The extraction of all these resources poses major technical challenges and is a highly contentious issue due to the environmental risks involved. It could also become the basis for a powerful economic sector with the prospect of extremely high returns and significant political ramifications. Yet if such large-scale business is hidden from view, this not only poses a threat to the environment: it also jeopardizes fundamental human rights and social justice. The multinationals in particular, such as Shell, ExxonMobil and Total, which have been producing oil in West Africa for years, saw no need to protect the natural environment or to ensure equitable sharing of benefits from oil revenue in the past. There are very significant opportunities but also risks for the future in and on the seabed. I hope that WOR 3 will give you all the facts you need.

Financing remains one of the greatest challenges in advancing sustainable development. Hundreds of trillions of dollars need to be invested over the coming decades to drive economic progress. The challenge will be ensuring that this investment is consistent with and supportive of sustainable development. UNEP is active alongside other parts of the UN and many other partners in creating the conditions to meet this challenge. It contributes to the development of national environmental policies and international agreements including, economic measures that steer sustainable production and consumption. Such measures range from engagement in macroeconomic planning, to fiscal action and public procurement, support to small and medium sized enterprises, research and development and technology deployment.

目的系统评价我国农村重点人群营养改善措施的实施情况、实施效果以及存在的问题。方法计算机检索VIP、CNKI、Wan Fang Data和CBM数据库,纳入所有关于我国农村重点人群营养改善措施的实施情况、实施效果以及存在问题的研究,检索时限截至2014年1月1日。由2位研究者按照纳入与排除标准筛选文献、提取资料和评价纳入研究的方法学质量后,对纳入研究从营养改善措施实施情况和实施效果等方面进行定性分析。结果共纳入79个研究。定性分析结果显示:纳入研究最早发表于1990年,38.0%的研究实施地区在我国西北和西南地区,31.6%的研究有基金资助,主要是国际基金;90.0%的研究以婴幼儿及10岁以下儿童作为营养改善对象;营养改善措施多样,55.7%的研究以容易实施的营养宣教作为营养改善手段,38.0%的研究干预时间不超过半年;32.9%的研究以血液指标作为结局评价指标;所有研究均表明各种营养改善措施均能提升农村重点人群的营养水平。结论我国农村重点人群的营养改善研究实施较早且以西部不发达地区为重点,但对重点人群的关注不平衡,尤其是对老年人的关注不够。面对面营养宣教是开展最多的营养改善措施,但它不...

Using a systematic review of all available studies between 1991 and 2011, the prevalence of food insecurity in the Islamic Republic of Iran was estimated. After document evaluation and data aggregation, studies were analysed in separate categories based on the methods used: dietary recall, household income/expenditure or experiential/perception-based surveys. Meta-analysis of dietary-recall studies showed small non-significant increases between 1994 and 2004 in the prevalence of mild (from 8.8% to 9.3%) and moderate food insecurity (from 5.4% to 5.6%). Severe food insecurity was 3.8% and 3.7% in 1994 and 2004 respectively. Prevalence of food insecurity (moderate to severe) based on household income/expenditure surveys was consistently reported to be 10%. A separate meta-analysis of experiential/perception-based studies revealed rates of mild, moderate and severe food insecurity of 28.6%, 14.9% and 6.0% respectively. By combining study results in this manner makes it possible to come up with more realistic estimates for evidence-informed policy-making, until development of a national food insecurity surveillance system.

Background: Most African countries are facing a human resources for health (HRH) crisis, lacking the required workforce to deliver basic health care, including care for mothers and children. This is especially acute in rural areas and has limited countries' abilities to meet maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) targets outlined by Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. To address the HRH challenges, evidence-based deployment and training policies are required. However, the resources available to country-level policy makers to create such policies are limited. To inform future HRH planning, a scoping review was conducted to identify the type, extent, and quality of evidence that exists on HRH policies for rural MNCH in Africa. Methods: Fourteen electronic health and health education databases were searched for peer-reviewed papers specific to training and deployment policies for doctors, nurses, and midwives for rural MNCH in African countries with English, Portuguese, or French as official languages. Non-peer reviewed literature and policy documents were also identified through systematic searches of selected international organizations and government websites. Documents were included based on pre-determined criteria. Results: There was an overall paucity of information on training and deployment policies for HRH for MNCH in rural Africa; 37 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these, the majority of primary research studies employed a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods. Doctors, nurses, and midwives were equally represented in the selected policy literature. Policies focusing exclusively on training or deployment were limited; most documents focused on both training and deployment or were broader with embedded implications for the management of HRH or MNCH. Relevant government websites varied in functionality and in the availability of policy documents. Conclusions: The lack of available documentation and an apparent bias towards HRH research in developed areas suggest a need for strengthened capacity for HRH policy research in Africa. This will result in enhanced potential for evidence uptake into policy. Enhanced alignment between policy-makers' information needs and the independent research agenda could further assist knowledge development and uptake. The results of this scoping review informed an in-depth analysis of relevant policies in a sub-set of African countries.

Background: Most African countries are facing a human resources for health (HRH) crisis, lacking the required workforce to deliver basic health care, including care for mothers and children. This is especially acute in rural areas and has limited countries' abilities to meet maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) targets outlined by Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. To address the HRH challenges, evidence-based deployment and training policies are required. However, the resources available to country-level policy makers to create such policies are limited. To inform future HRH planning, a scoping review was conducted to identify the type, extent, and quality of evidence that exists on HRH policies for rural MNCH in Africa. Methods: Fourteen electronic health and health education databases were searched for peer-reviewed papers specific to training and deployment policies for doctors, nurses, and midwives for rural MNCH in African countries with English, Portuguese, or French as official languages. Non-peer reviewed literature and policy documents were also identified through systematic searches of selected international organizations and government websites. Documents were included based on pre-determined criteria. Results: There was an overall paucity of information on training and deployment policies for HRH for MNCH in rural Africa; 37 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these, the majority of primary research studies employed a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods. Doctors, nurses, and midwives were equally represented in the selected policy literature. Policies focusing exclusively on training or deployment were limited; most documents focused on both training and deployment or were broader with embedded implications for the management of HRH or MNCH. Relevant government websites varied in functionality and in the availability of policy documents. Conclusions: The lack of available documentation and an apparent bias towards HRH research in developed areas suggest a need for strengthened capacity for HRH policy research in Africa. This will result in enhanced potential for evidence uptake into policy. Enhanced alignment between policy-makers' information needs and the independent research agenda could further assist knowledge development and uptake. The results of this scoping review informed an in-depth analysis of relevant policies in a sub-set of African countries.

Productive and Healthy Oceans Fish for Food Security: Planning for Results - Inger K.Stool

This guidance document distills best practice principles for coastal wetland carbon projects, drawing on a long history of project development and implementation in fields of wetlands restoration, terrestrial carbon projects, carbon policy and community engagement. The primary focus is on experience gained in the management of intertidal wetlands, including tidal marshes and mangroves, although many broad lessons can be extended to seagrass meadows.

This report is a mid-term evaluation of a UNEP-GEF project. The overall goal of the project is to implement effective, operable, transparent and sustainable National Biosafety Frameworks which cater for national and regional needs, deliver global benefits and are compliant with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in the Caribbean sub-region to ensure that their biodiversity will be less vulnerable to any potential risks from introduced LMOs. The objectives of this Terminal Evaluation were to assess project performance and to determine outcomes and impacts (actual and potential) stemming from the project, including their sustainability, and based on this assessment identify lessons of operational relevance for future project formulation and implementation.