United Nations peace operations in Haiti date back to September 1993, when the Security Council set up the first UN peacekeeping operation in the country – the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH). Since then, Haiti has been somewhat of a ‘playground’ for the evolution of UN peacekeeping. Early missions (UNSMIH/UNTMIH) were characterised by narrow remits addressing ...» more
Gender Inclusive Urban Planning
A gender- and socially-inclusive city promotes equitable rights and provides opportunities and support for all residents to participate in urban life. Although there are encouraging urban initiatives in various cities in South Asia, there is not yet a consolidated approach to inclusive urban policy and governance. This report looks at information on the key interrelated ...» more
Youth unemployment and livelihoods
In 2010, over 75 million young people were unemployed across the world. The global youth unemployment rate was 12.6 per cent, against a global adult unemployment rate of 4.8 per cent (UNDESA, 2012). Why are young people less likely to find a job or source of livelihood than their prime-age counterparts? There are currently a number of barriers to youth employment: Excess ...» more
Economic Empowerment and Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG)
The link between women’s economic empowerment and violence against women and girls (VAWG) complex and nuanced. While some studies have found that when women gain employment, own property or land they have a lower incidence of VAWG, other studies show a higher, or no difference. Key findings from this report include: Several studies have suggested that there is an ...» more
Indonesian and Philippine engagement in South-South and Triangular Cooperation
Both Indonesia and the Philippines provide considerable assistance to other developing countries, typically capacity building and sharing expertise about a range of development themes from agriculture and rural development to ICT, microfinance, education, health and welfare, amongst others. While most cooperation occurs at a regional Asia-Pacific level, Indonesia and the ...» more
Risks, effects and prevalence of VAWG
Key facts on the prevalence of violence against young women and girls include: Globally, up to six out of every ten women experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. A World Health Organization study of 24,000 women in 10 countries found that the prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence by a partner varied from 15 percent in urban Japan to over 70 percent ...» more
Monetary values of the private psychological costs of VAWG
Violence against women and girls is not only an important human rights and development issue, but there is increasing evidence that the economic and social costs are considerable. Several studies have calculated the direct costs to the medical, judicial and penal systems, as well as the economic losses incurred by victims. However, few studies have attempted to quantify the ...» more
Use of participatory methods in VAWG evaluations
In spite of the growing body of evidence that violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a serious human rights and development issue, there remains a paucity of evaluations of the impact of interventions in this area (particularly the impact on girls). The majority of evaluations of programmes to prevent or tackle VAWG take the form of qualitative, input or process-level ...» more
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) and Aid
Strategies that have been tried by development agencies (government and NGO) to secure and protect the rights of LGBT people, particularly in Africa, include: Action on HIV/AIDS: Donor and NGO concerns about the links between health and economic, social and political vulnerability opened up spaces to talk about the human rights of people marginalised by their sexuality. ...» more
How have social protection systems contributed to social and economic development in Indonesia?
Social protection systems were introduced in Indonesia in the wake of the 1997 financial crisis, which had devastating consequences for the national economy and society. This report reviews the introduction of social protection systems in Indonesia, how they have developed over time and the programmes that are involved. It also looks at how social protection systems have ...» more
How have social protection systems contributed to social and economic development in Singapore?
The social protection system in Singapore is based around the compulsory retirement savings scheme, the Central Provident Fund (CPF), introduced in 1955 as the national funded pension scheme under the British colonial government. In 1968, three years after Singapore became independent from the Malaysian Federation, the government introduced legislation to allow citizens to use ...» more
How have social protection systems contributed to social and economic development in China?
After the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, social protection systems were gradually introduced and now cover many contingencies, including old age, unemployment, healthcare, maternity and occupational injury. However, despite having a comprehensive system for its ‘legal’ urban population, China is only recently extending this system to the much larger rural ...» more
The impact of Area-Based Programming
Area-Based Development (ABD) approaches use the geographic ‘area’ as the main entry point for intervention, rather than a sector or target group. Area-based programming is widely used in conflict-affected parts of Europe, the Middle East, South and Central Asia. ABD has been less commonly used in Africa, and where it has been applied, the programmes tend not to be as ...» more
Girls’ access to economic assets
The literature suggests that increasing girls’ access to and use of economic assets has potentially far-reaching impacts on other aspects of their lives. However, to date, there have been few rigorous evaluations of girls’ economic empowerment programmes, particularly those which provide tangible productive/financial assets. The few evaluations available suggest that ...» more
Evidence-based strategies for preventing child/early marriage
Early marriage is still prevalent in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It exposes millions of girls to the risks associated with early sexual activity and pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, social exclusion, limited education and livelihood opportunities, and gender-based violence. Factors influencing the age at which girls marry include the extent of their education and of household ...» more
Engaging Private Sector Actors in Delivering Development
Donors, both bilateral and multilateral, are using a range of creative approaches to encourage private sector actors to participate and invest in activities that help deliver development. Donor initiatives that engage private sector actors can help to provide better quality jobs, goods and services, and can innovative solutions to development challenges. However, more ...» more
Experience with Health SWAps
Experiences with SWAps have shown that they can have a positive impact on improved national ownership and leadership; donor harmonisation and alignment; and greater coherence, transparency and accountability along the policy-result chain. This query examines the key determinants and prerequisites for success in health SWAps. It also looks at the success of different SWAp ...» more
Violence against Women (VAW) and political engagement
The link between violence against women (VAW) and women’s political engagement is a complex one, deeply rooted in patriarchal systems of gender relations.In the literature consulted for this query, convincing arguments are made about the connection between VAW and women’s engagement in political processes. The link between VAW and women’s under-representation in politics is ...» more
Community Peacebuilding
Key findings: Community peacebuilding initiatives have been developed in several conflict-affected countries. In fragile and (post)conflict-affected settings, community-led processes to peacebuilding can complement state structures and institutions that are often weak in capacity or political will.Most community peacebuilding initiatives in South Asia are relatively new. As ...» more
Empowerment, Choice and Agency
Empowerment has been understood and operationalised in a variety of ways. There are over 30 definitions of ‘empowerment’ in current use amongst development scholars and organisations, with a similar tendency for ‘agency’. While some organisations leave the term undefined, other organisations lack a clear centralised definition, with different departments interpreting ...» more
