The "Assessment of Assessments" (AoA) is a start-up phase of a regular process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment including socio-economic aspects. AoA represents the most comprehensive initiative undertaken to date by the UN system to better coordinate ocean governance. Its central recommendation calls for a mechanism that builds on existing global, regional and national institutions and processes while integrating all available information, including socio-economic data, on how our seas and oceans are actually being used.--Publisher's description.

Despite the central role oceans play in the economic, environmental and social affairs of the planet's 6.7 billion inhabitants, significant gaps exist in our understanding and management of the complex processes at work from the global climate system, to the water cycle and circulation of nutrients, to changes affecting marine habitats. In addition, the vastness of the world's oceans have for far too long been perceived as impervious and indestructible to human impact. To deal with this situation, improved monitoring and observation practices, regular assessments to provide a deeper understanding of the status and trends of environmental changes, and the know-how and ability to prevent, mitigate and adapt to these changes are urgently required. The UN General Assembly in 2005 -- recommended that a regular process for the global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, including its socio-economic aspects (Regular Process), be initiated. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) were asked to serve as the lead agencies in the start-up phase that came to be known as the "Assessment of Assessments" (AoA). Under the AoA, an Expert Group have developed options and a framework for such a Regular Process, which can serve as the mechanism to keep the world's oceans and seas under continuing review.

Effective early warning systems provide the capacity to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful warning information to enable individuals, communities and organizations threatened by a hazard to prepare and to act appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the possibility of harm or loss. [Author] To support countries in the prevention and management of losses caused by animal diseases the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working to develop a strategic framework for early warning (EW) of animal health threats. [Author] FAO organized a global technical consultation to gather expertise across various health sectors and inform development of the framework. [Author] The meeting was attended by more than 70 participants, gathering expertise form animal, public and environmental health at various geographical levels. [Author] Through a series of brainstorming sessions, experts outlined concrete priority actions and targets that can be put in place in order to strengthen EWS in the short term, move towards anticipatory systems in the medium term, and finally, in the long term, build systems that are focused on prevention. [Author] This report summarizes the main discussions and conclusions. [Author]

This cohesive edited volume showcases data collected from more than seven thousand ceramic artifacts including pottery, figurines, clay pipes, and other objects from sites across South America. Covering a time span from 900 BC to AD 1500, the essays by leading archaeologists working in South America illustrate the diversity of ceramic provenance investigations taking place in seven different countries. An introductory chapter provides a background for interpreting compositional data, and a final chapter offers a review of the individual projects. Students, scholars, and researchers in archaeological study on the interactions between the indigenous peoples of South America and studies of their ceramics will find this volume an invaluable reference.

A unique examination of why the quest for global free trade often forgets that trade liberalization is organized regionally rather than multilaterally. There are now more than 250 regional integration initiatives and this number is steadily increasing. This trend raises a key question: What is the impact of regional integration, both for the countries involved and for those excluded from regional integration schemes? Using a combined economic, political science and scientific approach, this book explores how regional integration can be measured and evaluated and delivers comprehensive answers. It looks at the methodological problems involved in designing monitoring tools for regional integration in a systematic way and makes a number of concrete suggestions for designing and organising systems of indicators of regional integration. It also offers a critical overview of available indicators and tools and presents crucial new monitoring instruments. This book will be of great interest to students and researchers of international relations and economics as well as policy makers and professionals within international and regional organizations.