This is the News in Brief from the United Nations

UN envoy commends successful conclusion of Guinea-Bissau presidential election

On News Years day, the head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel underlined the Organization’s support for Guinea-Bissau following the conclusion of its presidential election.

Former Prime Minister Umaro Sissoco Embaló was, on Wednesday, declared the winner of a run-off vote held on 29 December, beating rival Domingos Simões Pereira, another ex-Prime Minister.

Following his three-day visit to the country on Wednesday, UN Special Representative Mohamed Ibn Chambas issued a statement praising the successful conduct of the poll and the peaceful atmosphere throughout the process, “commending the two candidates for their magnanimity and grace in accepting the results”.

He also urged “all party supporters to continue to show maturity and exercise restraint in the post-election period”.

And Mr. Ibn Chambas underlined the UN’s commitment to Guinea-Bissau as the country continues efforts towards consolidating peace and development.

UN kicks off 75th anniversary dialogues, everyone urged to ‘join the conversation’

The UN launched on Wednesday, the biggest global conversation in the world's future, called the UN75 dialogues. 

Throughout 2020, exchanges from across the globe will be gathered in the first-ever repository of crowd-sourced solutions to major global challenges.

Together with a ‘One-minute Survey’; opinion polling in 50 countries; and an artificial intelligence sentiment analysis of traditional and social media in 70 countries, the UN75 dialogues will generate compelling data to inform national and international policies and debate.

These views and ideas will be shared in September at a high-level event to mark the Organization's 75th anniversary.

“We need to come together, not only to talk, but to listen”, said Secretary-General António Guterres. “It is absolutely essential that you all join the conversation”. 

Investing health works yields ‘triple dividend’, WHO chief says

On Thursday, the head of the World Health Organization, WHO, thanked “the brave health workers” around the globe and asked that the world do better in supporting them.

“They are doing life-saving work every day, including during holidays when the rest of us are with our loved ones at home”, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his New Year’s video message.

“But”, he added “the world needs to do a better job” paying, training and protecting them.

Over the next 10 years estimates show that the world will need another 18 million health workers, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.

He recalled that 2020 is the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, which celebrates the professionals who provide a wide range of health services, “from the first moments of life to the last”.

There are 22 million nurses and two million midwives worldwide, who prevent, diagnose and treat diseases; provide expert care during childbirth; and also serve people caught in humanitarian emergencies and conflicts, according to WHO.

Noting that 70 per cent of the global health workforce is female, he pointed out that “jobs for health workers are often jobs for women”.

“Investing in health workers pays a triple dividend for health, economic growth and gender equality”, concluded out the WHO Director-General.