Interviews

Six billion people – that’s the bulk of the developing world – look set to suffer from the economic impact of the new coronavirus pandemic, the UN trade and development organization, UNCTAD, says. 

Even before the disease hits the most vulnerable countries on the planet – those that rely on exporting their raw materials – the UN body says that there were clear signs late last year, that 2020 was going to be a very tough year. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is not being taken lightly in India as people in the world’s second most populated country in the world are complying with a complete lockdown to prevent further spread of the disease.

That’s the opinion of Argentina Matavel Piccin, Representative for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in India.

UNFPA programmes support women and girls but during this time of crisis, the agency is also focusing on communications for health workers so that pregnant women and nursing mothers know how to protect themselves and their babies.

Amid rising numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Friday that the solution to beating the pandemic lies in having clean hands, more than hopes for a speedy vaccine.

That’s not so easy in countries with poor access to clean water, as WHO’s Dr. Margaret Harris tells UN News’s Daniel Johnson, before providing an update on the human drug and crucial vaccine trials, now under way.

Early indications from the economic fallout of COVID-19 are that it could cost up to 25 million job losses globally, that’s more than during the global financial crisis in 2008-9.

Speaking to UN News’s Daniel Johnson, Sher Verick from the International Labour Organization (ILO), explains how governments can help soften the impact for vulnerable workers.

Pandemics tend to affect men and women differently, and specialists in gender issues are warning that the COVID-19 coronavirus may hit women in negative ways that have a more profound impact on families.

Women make up the majority of caregivers, at home and in our communities. Existing trends show they have less access to sexual and reproductive health and domestic violence rises during crises.

But women have also the power to be ‘change makers in the response agenda’ playing a central role in communicating with their families, and with their communities.

In Mozambique on Tuesday, 14 “deeply traumatized” male migrants were rescued from a sealed shipping container on a lorry bound for South Africa. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 64 other men on the truck, died from asphyxiation.

In an interview with UN News’s Daniel Johnson, IOM’s Sandra Black explains where the migrants came from and what the agency is doing to raise awareness about the dangers of such journeys.

The COVID-19 pandemic shows that global challenges can only be solved through global solutions, according to the head of the UN Office in Geneva.

Director-General Tatiana Valovaya has underlined the critical need for solidarity as countries battle what she described as a “common enemy”.

Ms. Valovaya spoke to Michele Zaccheo about why the pandemic could provide a jolt that will make countries work together more effectively in the future.

Here’s a job you don’t see advertised every day: irradiating the COVID-19 virus.

It’s just one of the extraordinary tasks on the to-do list right now of Gerrit Verjoen  from the International Atomic Energy Agency, who is doing whatever he can, to help countries overcome the deadly pathogen.

In an interview with UN News’s Daniel Johnson, he shares his assessment of the new coronavirus and explains how nuclear-derived techniques could save hospitals precious time, when treating sick patients.

A new assessment by the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows the COVID-19 pandemic could increase global unemployment by around 25 million.

ILO is calling for an internationally coordinated policy response, which would be of particular benefit to South Asian countries like India, since a large part of its work force lacks social security and employment benefits.

UN News’s Anshu Sharma spoke to the Director of ILO’s Decent Work Team for South Asia based in the UN’s India office, Dagmar Walter.

As countries all over the world restrict the flow of goods to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus, one UN agency has come up with a plan to keep vital food and medical supplies on the move. 

The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), has just launched an online Observatory on Border Crossings all over the world. I can be used by transport companies to keep goods flowing as smoothly as possible as UNECE’s Jean Rodriguez tells Daniel Johnson.