PUBLICATIONS FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Publications from International Organizations on Public Health
Edited by
Anna Maria Rossi
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)
FAO Statistical Yearbook 2013. World food and agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2013. The FAO Statistical Yearbook is divided into four thematic parts: Part 1. The setting measures the state of the agricultural resource base by assessing the supply of land, labour, capital and inputs, and examining the pressure on the world food system stemming from demographic and macroeconomic change. Part 2. Hunger dimensions gauges the state of food insecurity and malnutrition, measuring the multitude of dimensions that give rise to hunger and shape undernourishment. Part 3. Feeding the world evaluates the past and present productive capacity of world agriculture, together with the role of trade in meeting changing food, feed and other demands. Part 4. Sustainability dimensions examines the sustainability of agriculture in the context of the pressure it exerts on the environment, including the interaction of agriculture with climate change, and how it can provide ecosystem services through the bio-based economy.
FAO/WHO guide for developing and improving national food recall systems. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2012, 68 p. ISBN 978 92 520 7290 4 FAO number: 111937. Food recall is a fundamental tool in the management of risks in response to food safety events and emergencies. Some countries are still in need of an effective recall system and the necessary infrastructure to support it. The purpose of the document is to support countries in establishing and implementing an effective national food recall system to respond to food safety events or emergencies. By drawing on demonstrated best practices, the elements for an effective national food recall system, and the process for establishing, reviewing and/or improving the national food recall system, are described as essential components of a national food control system.
Guidance note: integrating the right to adequate food into food and nutrition security programmes. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2012, 80 p. ISBN 978 92 510 7441 1 FAO number: 111921 US $ 17.00. This Guidance note is a practical tool for practitioners who want to integrate the right to food into food and nutrition security programmes. It briefly explains the conceptual, legal and operational dimensions of the right to food. The Guidance Note then looks at four key entry points for integrating the right to food into food and nutrition security programmes: roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, legal aspects, monitoring, and recourse and claim mechanisms. It uses specific examples and cases to illustrate how this can be done. For more information visit the FAO publication catalogue http://www.fao.org/icatalog/inter-e.htm
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE (ICSU)
ICSU Foresight Analysis Report 2: A Success Scenario. Paris: International Council for Science, November 2012. 19 p. In 2010, ICSU launched a Foresight consultation exercise as part of the planning for its 6-year strategy, 2012-2017. The Foresight exercise focused on the organization and directions of international science in 2031 (the year of ICSU's centennial celebration) and was deliberately designed to explore a longer-term horizon beyond the immediate strategic planning period. It was done in two parts: Part 1 consisted of a broad consultation with the scientific community, in particular ICSU's national and union Members, to identify 'key drivers' that will shape international science over the next two decades. These drivers were then used to develop four plausible exploratory scenarios to explore how different factors may combine to influence the science landscape. Part 2, which is the focus of this report, built on the work done for the exploratory scenarios, to develop a more aspirational 'success scenario'. An initial draft of this success scenario, including its potential implications for ICSU, was produced at a workshop in 2011 and this was then refined after a series of consultations with the ICSU community. As a final step, it was 'road-tested' against the four exploratory scenarios that had been developed in part 1, which led to the identification of key challenges or tensions that ICSU is likely to face between now and 2031. Some potential responses to these challenges are included in this report. More at http://www.icsu.org/publications/reports-and-reviews/icsu-foresight-analysis-report-2-2012/
UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)
Brooks LA, Arico S (Ed.). Tracking key trends in biodiversity science and policy. Paris: UNESCO. 2013, 167 p. ISBN 978 92 3 00 1118 5. Based on the proceedings of a UNESCO International Conference on Biodiversity Science and Policy, this publication highlights different themes covered in the conference including: 1. The Biodiversity knowledge base: taxonomy today and tomorrow for environmental sustainability and human well-being; 2. Conservation biogeography: integrating biogeography and conservation science in a changing world; 3. Priority-setting in biodiversity conservation: strengthening site-scale approaches; 4. Communication, education and public awareness; 5. Mainstreaming biodiversity into policy-making: towards a biodiversity science policy. Water issues are addressed all along the report and more specifically in an article on "Important areas for freshwater biodiversity".
Education for sustainable development in biosphere reserves and other designated areas. A resource book for educators in South-Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. Paris: UNESCO. 2013, 260 p. ISBN 978 92 3 00 1120 8. This resource book aims to increase the capacities of those trainers and educators seeking to design and implement innovative educational projects using biosphere reserves and other designated areas as "Education for sustainable development laboratories". The book addresses several water-related issues, including the water cycle, water ecosystems, water pollution, etc. and contains different activities, including an indicative worksheet for a water quality test.
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP)
Costs of inaction on the sound management of chemicals. Geneva: United Nations Environment Programme. 2013, 88 p. Job number: DTI/1551/GE. Harmful chemicals damage the environment, thus impairing its ability to provide environmental goods (such as food and water) and ecosystem services (such as air and water purification). This document provides a practical assessment of the current state of knowledge of the economic costs of inaction on the sound management of chemicals. It aims to raise political awareness of the benefits stated in economic terms of providing resources to sound management of chemicals and to strengthen the rationale for inclusion of sound chemicals management priorities into national development policies and plans. It also aspires to build capacity for ongoing assessment at international, national, and local levels through demonstration and practical application of proven techniques. The report includes an extensive literary review in order to identify economic information on the health, environmental, and development planning effects of harmful chemicals. Chemicals reviewed within the scope of study include industrial, minerals and metals, agricultural, household chemicals and pharmaceuticals among others.
Global Mercury Assessment 2013: sources, emissions, releases, and environmental transport. Geneva: United Nations Environment Programme. 2013, 42 p. Job number: DTI/1636/GE. This report presents sources of mercury emissions to air and water. It presents estimates of anthropogenic emissions to air from various sources based on data from 2010 and estimates for releases to aquatic environment. The report also presents the latest information on atmospheric and aquatic chemistry , fate and transport. It is an overall summary report for the policy makers based on a technical background report.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
Systematic screening for active tuberculosis. Principles and recommendations. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2013, 138 p. ISBN 978 92 415 4860 1 - Sw.fr.30.00/ US $ 36.00 Order no. 19300281. There have been calls to revisit the experiences of TB screening campaigns that were widely applied in Europe and North America in the mid-20th century, as well as more recent experiences with TB screening in countries with a high burden of the disease, and to assess their possible relevance for TB care and prevention in the 21st century. In response, WHO has developed guidelines on screening for active TB. An extensive review of the evidence has been undertaken. The review suggests that screening, if done in the right way and targeting the right people, may reduce suffering and death, but the review also highlights several reasons to be cautious. As discussed in detail in this document, there is a need to balance potential benefits against the risks and costs of screening; this conclusion is mirrored by the history of TB screening. This document presents the first comprehensive assessment by WHO of the appropriateness of screening for active TB since the recommendations made in 1974 by the Expert Committee. However, the relative effectiveness and cost effectiveness of screening remain uncertain, a point that is underscored by the systematic reviews presented in this guideline. Evidence suggests that some risk groups should always be screened, whereas the prioritization of other risk groups as well as the choice of screening approach depend on the epidemiology, the health-system context, and the resources available. This document sets out basic principles for prioritizing risk groups and choosing a screening approach; it also emphasizes the importance of assessing the epidemiological situation, adapting approaches to local situations, integrating TB screening into other health-promotion activities, minimizing the risk of harm to individuals, and engaging in continual monitoring and evaluation. It calls for more and better research to assess the impact of screening and to develop and evaluate new screening tests and approaches.
Progress on sanitation and drinking water. 2013 update. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2013, 39 p. ISBN 978 92 415 0539 0 - Sw.fr.30.00/ US $ 36.00 Order no. 19302255. This Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) 2013 update presents country, regional and global estimates for the year 2011. Since the JMP 2012 update, which presented 2010 estimates, results of 230 surveys have been added to the JMP data base bringing the total number of surveys in the JMP data base close to 1,700. As is to be expected from an annual update, the global estimates hardly change. Drinking-water coverage in 2011 remains at 89% - which is one per cent above the MDG drinking-water target. In 2011, 768 million people relied on unimproved drinking-water sources. JMP 2013 update presents country, regional and global estimates for the year 2011. Drinking-water coverage in 2011 remains at 89% - which is 1% above the MDG drinking-water target. In 2011, 768 million people relied on unimproved drinking-water sources. The report covers the following chapters: 1.Global sanitation trends 1990-2011; 2.Trends in open defecation 1990-2011; 3.Global drinking-water trends 1990-2011; 4.Towards a post-2015 development agenda; 5.The JMP method.
Palm W, Glinos IA, Rechel B et al. Building European reference networks in health care. Exploring concepts and national practices in the European Union. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2013, 97 p. (EURO Nonserial Publication) ISBN 978 92 890 0276 9 - Sw.fr.35.00/ US $ 42.00 Order no. 13400129. Under the European Directive on the application of patients rights in cross-border health care, the development of European reference networks was promoted as one of the prime areas for cross-border cooperation among Member States. These networks are meant to improve access to and provision of high-quality health care to all patients who have conditions requiring a concentration of specialized resources or expertise. At the same time they could act as focal points for medical training and research, information dissemination and evaluation, especially for rare diseases. The idea of pooling resources in order to better address medical conditions that are rare or require very specialized expertise or equipment, corresponds with moves towards concentration of specialized health care services, often motivated by common health systems challenges like tightening financial constraints, workforce shortages and growing attention for quality and safety. This book examines the different ways in which the concept of reference networks has been implemented in European countries, and what kind of medical conditions or interventions it covers in various countries. It also looks at the motivations behind the establishment of such networks, the regulatory and administrative processes for identifying and designating them, as well as the financial arrangements needed for their proper functioning. This study outlines the key policy implications and challenges for developing the concept of reference networks at national and European levels. Ultimately we aim to provide a better understanding of the issues that may be encountered when implementing the Directive.