EN V I RO N ME N T AN D URBAN ISSUE S
This publication is the first UN-led effort to make a comprehensive assessment of the state of transboundary surface and groundwater resources in the Middle East. It follows a standardized structure, with eight surface water chapters and 19 groundwater chapters that systematically address hydrology, hydrogeology, water resources development and use, international water agreements and transboundary water management efforts. The chapters cover all rivers and groundwater resources shared between Arab countries in the Middle East and include data on water resources that are shared with Iran, Israel and Turkey. Boasting over 50 new maps and 200 figures, tables and boxes with recent, comprehensive data series, the Inventory provides an up-to-date view of the state and evolution of shared water resources in the region.
This publication is a completely revised, second edition of the popular book of the same title. Aside from being fully updated, this new edition includes the dimension of adaptation to climate change and new risks resulting from climate change. The text provides and combines practical examples from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe with theoretical and conceptual frameworks. It is key reading for all those interested in improving risk reduction and adaptation strategies to extreme events and gradual changes in the context of climate change and natural hazards. Measuring vulnerability and evaluating adaptation are essential prerequisites to strengthening the capacities of communities in building resilience through knowledgebased approaches.
October 2013 9789211283617 624pp $90.00
United Nations University
January 2014 9789280812022 460pp $42.00
This publication argues that the development of sustainable urban transport systems requires a conceptual leap. The purpose of ‘transportation’ and ‘mobility’ is to gain access to destinations, activities, services and goods. As a result, urban planning and design should focus on creating cities that focus on accessibility, rather than simply increasing the length of urban transport infrastructure or increasing the movement of people or goods. Urban form and the functionality of the city are therefore a major focus of this report, which highlights the importance of integrated land-use and transport planning.
April 2014 9789280812350 412pp $40.00
Arab Water Development Report 5: Issues in Sustainable Water Resources Management and Water Services
United Nations
This series aims to improve environmental management by recommending ways to achieve better policy implementation in different countries. They cover issues related to policymaking, planning and implementation, the financing of environmental policies and projects, and the integration of environmental concerns into economic sectors. Presented here is the first review for Morocco, the second for Croatia and the third for the Republic of Moldova.
Morocco July 2014 9789211170740 270pp $40.00
Croatia July 2014 9789211170764 240pp $40.00
Republic of Moldova July 2014 9789211170757 240pp $40.00
United Nations
July 2014 9789211283662 96pp $20.00
The Arab Ministerial Water Council (AMWC) took the initiative to establish a regional monitoring mechanism for water and sanitation services that builds upon indicators globally monitored under the UNICEF-WHO Joint Monitoring Program (JMP), and tasked ESCWA to lead its development and implementation. This regional initiative coincides in time, and reflects in context, the recent resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council declaring the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right. This development will in turn influence the orientation of the anticipated water and sanitation target that will be included in the post-2015 development agenda based on the Rio+20 outcome document, “The Future We Want.”
United Nations Development Programme
This book focuses on the rural and urban environments, and the wide-ranging representations of various players’ interacting activities that preserve or destroy these environments. The key issues contemporary to the rural and urban communities include appropriate overall environmental governance involving collaboration and competition among different actors; preservation or creation of a rich and lively living environment, and a search for ways to ensure the inheritance of our greatest assets for following generations. This volume presents current key academic findings, while also considering interactions between humans and nature, such as local resource management through the commons, and rural–urban interdependence.
July 2014 9789211170733 64pp $18.00
United Nations The United Nations Framework Classification for Fossil Energy and Mineral Reserves and Resources 2009 (UNFC-2009) is a universally acceptable and internationally applicable scheme for the classification and reporting of fossil energy and mineral reserves and resources and is currently the only classification in the world to do so. The Specifications, on the other hand, make UNFC-2009 operational. They set out the basic rules that are considered necessary to ensure an appropriate level of consistency in application. It is a strong code that paves the way for improved global communications which will aid stability and security of supplies, governed by fewer and more widely understood rules and guidelines.
Water Governance in the Arab Region: Managing Scarcity and Securing the Future
United Nations University
Spring Summer 2014
Many transition economies in Europe and Central Asia are endowed with rich natural resources and biodiversity. At the same time, global climate change and associated extreme weather events are already affecting these countries, with serious economic and social consequences. The countries are now seeking new ways to accelerate the use of green technologies as a measure to adapt to the effects of the changing climate. This requires tailor-made innovation policies that integrate the environmental concerns of the country. This publication is a guide for policymakers to facilitate adoption and application of green technologies. It reflects the findings with special reference to green technologies carried out for Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in 2012 and 2013.
Environmental Performance Reviews
In this publication, a more comprehensive international regime for the post-Kyoto Protocol world is pursued, based on the experience obtained from the first commitment period set forth in the Protocol. It is through emissions targets set for each country and the policies toward meeting the targets that a de facto low-carbon economy will be constructed. This volume focuses primarily on the following aspects: the role of local government bodies, the selection of domestic policies, the combination of policies, the integration of policies, the political and administrative systems that serve as a basis for policies, the technological innovations related to the policies, and the revenue sources to rebuild infrastructure.
Rural and Urban Sustainability Governance
April 2014 9789280812336 332pp $37.00
June 2014 9789211170726 160pp $45.00
United Nations University
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
United Nations Framework Classification for Fossil Energy and Mineral Reserves and Resources 2009 Incorporating Specifications for its Application
United Nations
Governing Low-Carbon Development and the Economy
Global Report on Human Settlements 2013: Planning and Design for Sustainable Urban Mobility
March 2014 9789211325683 344pp $58.00
Innovation Policy for Green Technologies: Guide for Policymakers in Transition Economies in Europe and Central Asia
This report provides an extensive understanding of the water situation in the Arab region and stimulates discussion on improving water governance. Going beyond the traditional debates on availability, uses and dependency of water resources, the report places the issue in a socioeconomic and environmental context and lays out the building blocks of good water management, including: cost effectiveness analysis as a tool for weighing the options and competing interests involved in complex water decisions; setting up and enabling environments through legislation, regulations and institutions; supporting shifts in patterns of water demand; and creating incentives for investment in more sustainable approaches. Effective water governance systems can serve as catalyst for sustainable human development.
April 2014 9789211263664 184pp $18.00
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E N V IRO N ME N T AN D URBAN IS S UES
United Nations
Measuring Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: Towards Disaster Resilient Societies (Second Edition)
Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia