How much a person earns or owns is not the only indicator of well-being, says Alarcon. You also have to look at access to education, proper housing, health care and decent jobs. "In those dimensions of development, progress has been made," she says. "Although large inequalities remain."

DPAD and Nicaragua's Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (MHCP) organized the final training workshop on economy-wide modelling for sustainable development policy analysis, on 15-18 November, in Managua. This workshop marked the completion of the training stage of a capacity building process for analysts from different government institutions, in the framework of the project “Supporting developing countries in their transition from MDG-based development strategies to broader sustainable development strategies through modelling-based policy analyses”.

On the 23rd of November 2016, the DPAD/DSP unit organized a Development Policy Seminar where the draft report of the International Panel on Social Progress (“Rethinking society for the 21st century” – working title) was presented by Professor Marc Fleurbaey (Professor of Public Affairs and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University and Member of the UN Committee for Development Policy). Ms. Diana Alarcon (Chief, DPAD/DSP) chaired the seminar.

Between 30 November and 2 December, the CDP Secretariat is organizing two expert group meetings (EGM) in Geneva. The first, on 30 November and 1 December, will discuss lessons learned by selected LDCs and developing countries in building their productive capacities for sustainable development.

The second, on 2 December, will solicit feedback on the LDC graduation diagnostic toolkit, establishing possible partnerships and identifying data sources

On 16 November, DSP/DPAD organized a side event at the COP22 in Marrakesh entitled Modelling Tools for Sustainable Development Policies: building national capacity to address the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development. The objective of the event was to present on-going work on capacity development to inform national policies. Diana Alarcon introduced DESA's vision of capacity development as a tool to strengthen countries' capacity to estimate the inter-linkages across development dimensions and the options countries have to improve policy impacts.

UN DESA | Development Policy and Analysis DivisonIn the context of the COP22 in Marrakesh, DPAD organized a side event to present the World Economic and Social Survey 2016: Building Climate Resilience, an Opportunity for Reducing Inequalities. The event was well attended by a diverse group of people from government delegations, civil society and the private sector.

Perhaps no other word has been repeated more frequently than “integrated” to describe the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. Yet policymaking is approached sector-by-sector. The allocation of resources and the political accountability at the national level lie with sectoral ministries.

So what does “integration” mean for national policymaking in the context of the 2030 Agenda? Does an integrated perspective really lead to any changes in policy decisions?

UN DESA | Development Policy and Analysis DivisonDPAD conducted the 2nd Training Workshop in the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) in Kampala, Uganda (31 October- 4 November).

Our Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, Lenni Montiel, and the team of authors behind the World Economic and Social Survey 2016: “Climate Change Resilience – An opportunity for reducing inequalities” in UN DESA's Development Policy and Analysis Division, organized a Facebook Live event to discuss the findings of the Survey and answer questions from all over the world.

UN DESA | Development Policy and Analysis Divison