This page brings together information and guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations regarding the current outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that was first reported in Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019. Please visit this page for daily updates. WHO is working closely with global experts, governments and partners to rapidly expand scientific knowledge on this new virus, to track the spread and virulence of the virus, and to provide advice to countries and individuals on measures to protect health and prevent the spread of this outbreak.
Coronavirus global health emergency: Coverage from UN News
Protecting the Caribbean’s most vulnerable people in the face of COVID-19: A UN Resident Coordinator blog
The United Nations is working closely with governments in the Caribbean to protect the region’s most vulnerable people from the impact of the deadly coronavirus, COVID-19. For this latest in our occasional series, Didier Trebucq, United Nations Resident Coordinator to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, explains what action they are taking in that region.
Low-skilled workers, developing countries at risk of steep economic decline as coronavirus advances
The global economy could shrink by up to one per cent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and may contract even further if restrictions on economic activities are extended without adequate fiscal responses, according to analysis released today by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
Nigeria: UN and partners acting to avert coronavirus spread in displacement camps
The UN system in Nigeria and its partners are working to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus disease in some of the most vulnerable areas in the country: communities and camps housing millions of internally displaced people (IDPs) uprooted by the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast.
Coronavirus pandemic threatens to plunge millions in Arab region into poverty and food insecurity
COVID-19 will be responsible for pushing a further 8.3 million people in the Arab region into poverty, according to a new policy brief issued on Wednesday by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
COVID-19 in the Pacific: Children are the ‘hidden victims’
Lockdowns and school closures around the world due to COVID-19, are affecting children’s learning, mental health, and access to basic health services.
In the Pacific Islands, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are working with governments and partners to stop transmission and keep children and their families safe.
In an interview for UN News, UNICEF Pacific Representative, Sheldon Yett, painted a grim picture of parents and caregivers losing their jobs, compounding the problem of shuttered classrooms.
COVID-19 effect casts cloud over weather alert accuracy: UN sky watchers
UN weather experts warned on Wednesday that the coronavirus pandemic risks disrupting key forecasting services, including early warning alerts around the world.
UN refugee agency ‘rapidly adjusting’ the way it works amid COVID-19 pandemic
With COVID-19 already having a significant impact on its field operations, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has outlined a series of measures it is taking to respond to the public health emergency and prevent further spread.
‘Defining moment’ in Afghanistan requires leaders to work together, top UN official tells Security Council
With the COVID-19 pandemic as a backdrop, political parties in Afghanistan are being urged to prioritize national interests and come together for peace talks with the Taliban, the UN Deputy Special Representative for the country told a videoconference meeting with Security Council members on Tuesday.
Economic sanctions should be lifted to prevent hunger crises in countries hit by COVID-19 – UN rights expert
As the world exhibits new bonds of solidarity in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it is a matter of “humanitarian and practical urgency to lift unilateral economic sanctions immediately,” to prevent hunger crises in pandemic-hit countries, a UN human rights expert, said on Tuesday.
UN appeals to all Somalis to ‘come together’ in fight against COVID-19 pandemic
Like most countries in the world, Somalia is facing the unparalleled challenge of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations system in the country noted on Tuesday, calling on its citizens to “unite” in stemming the spread.