Describing the trade and exploitation of human beings through trafficking as one of the gravest and most comprehensive violations of human dignity, UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay marked the first-ever World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, by urging all governments to act: “Every government has a responsibility to fight it, both directly—through investigations and prosecutions – and in the deeper sense of serious and sustained efforts at prevention.”
From the young women who have been enslaved as prostitutes or abused as unpaid domestic workers to the men who have been trapped in everlasting servitude, victims of trafficking have frequently been made vulnerable by structural discrimination and inequalities, Pillay said at a special event held in Geneva to observe the Day.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), about 21 million men, women and children today are coerced into various forms of forced labour, generating as much as US$ 150 billion in illegal profits per year.
“The scale and diverse nature of the problem calls for comprehensive solutions” ,Kari Tapiola, the ILO Special Advisor to the Director General, said in his address. Those who benefit from exploitation must be punished, Tapiola said, and equally there must be strong preventative measures and improved support and compensation for victims.
This selected issues paper on Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was prepared by a staff team of the International Monetary Fund as background documentation for the periodic consultation with the member country. It is based on the information available at the time it was completed on June 7, 2014.
Извор: IMF
Press Release No. 14/364
July 25, 2014
On July 1, 2014, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the 2014 Article IV Consultation and Third Post-Program Monitoring with Macedonia.1
Growth accelerated to 3.1 percent in 2013 and has been more job-friendly than in the past. After a good performance at 3.9 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, baseline growth is expected to gather pace—to about 3.5 percent this year—and to broaden further. Domestic demand will be supported by private consumption and large public infrastructure projects, while the contribution of exports will be offset by higher investment-related imports. Inflation is weakening, led by lower food and commodity prices, but a pickup in the second half of the year is projected, bringing average inflation to about 1 percent in 2014. The decline in foreign exchange reserves observed since end-2012 has been mostly due to valuation effects and is expected to halt and partially reverse in the second half of 2014, preserving reserve adequacy. A pickup in foreign direct investment (FDI) and significant financial inflows to the public sector from multilateral and bilateral external creditors will offset a widening current account deficit and slightly declining private transfers.
The nominal cash budget deficit target for 2013 was met, but resulted in a higher-than-targeted 4.1 percent of GDP deficit. For the first four months of 2014, growth in expenditures has outpaced that of revenues, resulting in a cumulative budget deficit of 2.5 percent of GDP, against a targeted deficit of 3.5 percent of GDP for the year. As in 2013, subsidies and other transfers were frontloaded, with almost 50 percent of the budgeted amount spent in the first four months.. Central government debt rose to 35.8 percent of GDP at end-2013 and is expected to rise by about half a percent of GDP in 2014. Debt of state-owned-enterprises is increasing at a faster pace and is expected to bring public sector debt at about 43.5 percent of GDP at the end of the year.
The Staff Report prepared by a staff team of the IMF for the Executive Board’s consideration on July 1, 2014, following discussions that ended on May 19, 2014, with the officials of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on economic developments and policies. Based on information available at the time of these discussions, the staff report was completed on June 17, 2014.
KEY ISSUES
Context. Growth accelerated to 3.1 percent in 2013, driven by a positive net exports contribution. The broad policy direction is supportive of near term macroeconomic stability. The key challenge is to transition from stability into an acceleration of medium term growth. Uncertainty with respect to EU accession remains, and weighs on longer term prospects.
Fiscal Policy. The 2014 central government deficit target must be met, even in the face of weaker revenues—lower central government spending is unlikely to derail the recovery and debt stability considerations should weigh more heavily. Laying out the measures underpinning the medium-term adjustment path will reduce implementation risks and ensure a sustainable and growth-friendly consolidation. Large public infrastructure works will support near both term and potential growth, but their substantial impact on public finances needs better monitoring and disclosure.
July 17, 2014 - Washington — Age 10 to 14 years, a time when both girls and boys are constructing their own identities and are typically open to new ideas and influences, provides a unique narrow window of opportunity for parents, teachers, healthcare providers and others to facilitate transition into healthy teenage and adulthood years according to researchers from Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health who note the lack worldwide of programs to help children of this age navigate passage from childhood to adulthood.
Извор: WUNRN - 27.07.2014
