The year 2015 was one of global action concerning the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other challenges. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development along with a set of new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will apply universally to all countries. As the MDG experience shows, setting ambitious goals is the first step; achieving them requires concrete actions. This publication reviews economic, social and environmental policies implemented at the national level and the institutional aspects that enabled them, bringing about significant progress towards achieving the MDGs. The Survey draws a set of policy lessons that States will find helpful in formulating strategies and policies for implementing the 2030 Agenda.

This edition of the World Economic and Social Survey contributes to the debate on the implementation challenges of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In addressing the specific challenge of building resilience to climate change, the Survey focuses attention on the population groups and communities that are disproportionately affected by climate hazards. It argues that, in the absence of transformative policies which coherently address the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development, building climate resilience will remain elusive and poverty and inequalities will worsen. To the extent that the differential impact of climate hazards on people and communities is determined largely by the prevalence of multiple inequalities in respect of the access to resources and opportunities, policies aimed at building climate resilience provide an opportunity to address the structural determinants of poverty and inequality in their multiple dimensions.

This report examines the links between inequality and other major global trends (or megatrends), with a focus on technological change, climate change, urbanization and international migration. The analysis pays particular attention to poverty and labour market trends, as they mediate the distributional impacts of the major trends selected. It also provides policy recommendations to manage these megatrends in an equitable manner and considers the policy implications, so as to reduce inequalities and support their implementation.

The Survey points out promising directions for reform, including strengthening government capacities for formulating and implementing national development strategies; doing more to ensure that official development assistance is aligned with national priorities; strengthening the international trade and financial systems so that countries with limited capabilities can successfully integrate into the global economy; creating new mechanisms for dealing with deficiencies, such as specialised multilateral frameworks through which to govern international migration and labour mobility, international financial regulation, multinational corporations and global value chains regulation, as well as sovereign debt workouts. Most importantly, the Survey highlights the need for a strong mechanism for global economic coordination which establishes coherence across all areas of global economic governance.

Reviews the 70-year history of a flagship publication that is also the oldest continuing report of its kind and in the process derives lessons from the past that are relevant to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ... This edition of the Survey highlights the importance for achieving sustainable development of a stable global economy suppported by coordinated global actions, well-functioning interntational trade and monetary systes, respoect for national policy space, international solidarity and development planning.

This publication presents statistics and analysis on the status of women and men in the world, highlighting the current situation and changes over time. It is the sixth in a series published since the World Conference on Women in 1995. It emphasizes that progress towards the goal of gender equality has been made in most areas of concern, although uneven and at low pace. Through a life cycle approach, it reveals the challenges and opportunities faced by women at different stages of life and based on where they reside. Trajectories of women and men are highlighted in the statistical findings of the analysis undertaken on population and families, health, education, work, power and decision-making, violence against women, environment and poverty.