18 November 2014 -- The 1.8 billion adolescents worldwide -- more than ever before in human history -- can help to propel their countries’ economies， provided that Governments invest in education， health care and jobs for them， a new report released today by the United Nations shows.

The State of World Population 2014， produced by the UN Population Fund （UNFPA）， finds that the potential economic gains to countries with large populations of youth 10 to 24 years old would be realized through a “demographic dividend，” which can occur when a county’s working age population is larger than the population that is dependent and younger.

To maximize the dividend， however， countries must ensure that their young working-age populations are equipped to seize opportunities for jobs and other income-earning possibilities.

The report， the power of 1.8 billion： adolescents， youth and the transformation of the future， found that in the 1950s and 1960s， several East Asian economies invested heavily in young people’s capabilities and in expanding their access to voluntary family planning， enabling individuals to start families later and have fewer children.

According to the report， the result of such actions was unprecedented economic growth. The Republic of Korea， for example， saw its per-capita gross domestic product grow about 2，200 per cent between 1950 and 2008.

Today， demographic shifts taking place in about 60 countries are opening a window for a demographic dividend， UNFPA said.

A demographic dividend of this magnitude has the potential to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and raise living standards and catapult economies forward， the report states.

Critical youth investments needed to reap a demographic dividend are those that protect rights， including reproductive rights， improve health， including sexual and reproductive health， and provide skills and knowledge to build young people’s capabilities and agency. These investments can also accelerate fertility declines， which can in turn accelerate the demographic transition， according to the report.

The report also found that 9 out of 10 of the world’s young people today live in less developed countries. Because of lagging social services， these countries face greater obstacles to leveraging the advantages that can result from engaging a youthful， productive workforce.

http：//www.chinadaily.com.cn/language_tips/news/2014-10/23/content_18792675.htmhttp：//www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp？NewsID=49369#.VIapHtKl-0Q

2014 International Forum of Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs Held in Beijing

2014優(yōu)秀女企業(yè)家高峰論壇在北京舉行

Sponsored by the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs， the 2014 International Forum of Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs was held in Beijing on December 3， with the theme \"Female Entrepreneur's Leading Role in China's Economic Restructuring.\"

Director of the China National Committee for the Wellbeing of the Youth and former President of the All-China Women's Federation （ACWF） Gu Xiulian attended the forum and delivered a speech. Gu noted that Chinese economy has entered into a new phase and economic development has slowed down. She encouraged the female entrepreneurs to adjust themselves to the new phase and learn to adapt their enterprises to the new phase. She added that every enterprise should restructure and optimize its products and increase the added value and technological level of its products.

Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of ACWF Cui Yu also attended the forum and made remarks. Cui said that the Chinese economy has entered a new phase and economic development is starting to be driven by innovation. She suggested that female entrepreneurs should manage their enterprises in line with the law and make innovations to satisfy market demands.

President of the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs Zhu Rui said at the forum that in the new phase， new opportunities and challenges will come up and innovation and restructuring will be the major tasks of Chinese enterprises.

At the forum， the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs issued the 2014 Chinese Female Entrepreneurs Development Report. Over 260 female entrepreneurs， experts from the relevant ministries along with representatives from overseas attended the forum.

http：//www.womenofchina.cn/womenofchina/html1/news/leaders/1412/564-1.htm

Ban Urges Greater Industrial Safety Standards Against Accidents

潘基文敦促提高工業(yè)安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，防范事故發(fā)生

3 December 2014 -- The threat of industrial accidents continues to remain a clear and present danger for all nations， including those with stringent safety standards， United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today， as he urged the international community to do more to prevent such accidents from occurring.

In a video message to the Conference of the Parties to the UN Economic Commission for Europe Convention on the Trans-boundary Effects of Industrial Accidents， which opened today in Geneva， Mr. Ban warned that the consequences of such accidents can be “severe and are often deadly.”

The UNECE Convention supports countries in preventing industrial accidents， and in mitigating their effects if they occur. It focuses particularly on cross-border cooperation between countries in this regard. Through the Convention's Assistance Program， countries in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe， the Caucasus and Central Asia are improving their industrial safety standards.

The meeting of the Conference of the Parties -- which ends on 5 December -- has brought together over 100 representatives of governments， industry， academia， non-governmental organizations （NGOs） and international organizations.

The start of the meeting coincides with the 30th anniversary of the largest chemical accident in human history， which occurred in Bhopal， India， when the release of highly toxic gas from the Union Carbide pesticide plant killed thousands of people and injured hundreds of thousands more.

Darfur： African Union-UN Mission Launches Campaign Against

Recruitment of Child Soldiers

達(dá)爾富爾：非洲聯(lián)盟-聯(lián)合國行動組啟動反對雇傭童兵宣傳儀式

December 2014 -- The United Nations-African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur （UNAMID） has launched a campaign throughout the western region of Sudan against the recruitment of children as soldiers with an event that was attended by more than 1，000 people.

Held in conjunction with the Sudan Disarmament， Demobilization and Reintegration Commission and the UN Children’s Fund （UNICEF）， the event saw performances of songs as a show of solidarity with issues related to the protection of children， and clothing was distributed bearing messages promoting peace and protection of children， and against the use of child soldiers.

The strategic plan establishes an implementation follow-up committee not only to raise awareness about the negative impact of using children as soldiers but also to identify children who have served as fighters in past ethnic conflicts and to work with relevant organizations to rehabilitate and reintegrate them into society including through access to education and vocational training skills.

The plan is supported by UNAMID， which expects that its successful implementation to foster relations between communities， contribute to ending tribal clashes and enhance protection of children.

http：//www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp？NewsID=49475#.VIa46NKl-0Q

Obesity-Related Cancers on Rise， Especially in Developed Countries -- UN

聯(lián)合國稱與肥胖相關(guān)的癌癥持續(xù)增加，在發(fā)達(dá)國家尤為嚴(yán)重

26 November 2014 -- Being overweight or obese have become major risk factors for developing cancer， particularly among women and in more developed countries， the specialized cancer agency of the United Nations World Health Organization （WHO） reported today.

Overweight and obesity are responsible for an estimated 481，000 or 3.6 per cent of all new cancer cases in 2012， and reducing such health issues at the population level could have significant health benefits， according to a new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer （IARC）.

This study stresses the importance of putting in place efficient weight control measures， to curb the high number of cancers associated with excess body weight and to avoid the problems faced by rich countries being repeated in those now undergoing rapid development.Overall， we see that while the number of cancer cases associated with overweight and obesity remains highest in richer countries， similar effects are already visible in parts of the developing world.The study also highlights that the proportion of cancers related to obesity is higher in women than in men， with population-attributable fractions of 5.3 per cent and 1.9 per cent， respectively.

http：//www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp？NewsID=49453#.VIaujNKl-0Q