WORLD SOCIAL REPORT

Why in news?

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) published the World Social Report 2023, with the theme “Leaving No One Behind in an Aging World“.

Background:

Rooted in the UN Charter and guided by the transformative 2030 SDGs, the UN DESA (New York City, 1948) upholds the development pillar of the UN.

UN DESA helps countries make informed decisions by providing information through publications and databases and international deliberations at the UN General Assembly, ECOSOC, etc.

The World Social Report (since 1997 and previously Report on the World Social Situation) has served as a background document for policy analysis of socio-economic trends.

Since 2001, the periodicity of the report has been changed from a four-year cycle to a two-year cycle (biennial).

In 2022, the world marked the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing.

To commemorate this landmark, the 2023 Report explores the economic and social implications of the ageing of the human population.

Highlights of the Report:

Population ageing is a defining global trend of the time, which has begun or is expected to begin soon in all countries and areas.

People are living longer (an inevitable result of the demographic transition), and more are older than ever before.

Spectacular improvements in health and survival and reductions in fertility have driven this momentous shift.

This change brings both challenges and opportunities as countries strive to achieve the SDGs.