Global

In Tienditas Health Care Center, the United Nations Population Fund prevents gender-based violence, identifies people at risk, and provides care to survivors.
PAHO/Karen González

COVID-19: Avoid ‘nationalistic footrace’ in choosing vaccines

18 December 2020
Health

As governments move to secure COVID-19 vaccines for their populations, choosing these treatments should not be viewed as “some kind of nationalistic footrace”, with some countries winning and others losing, a senior official with the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists on Friday. 

UN Human Rights Office in Mexico takes part in an event to demand that the Chamber of Deputies passes a bill on enforced disappearances.
ONU-DH Mexico

UN committee on enforced disappearance registers ‘milestone’ 1,000th request to locate victims

17 December 2020
Human Rights

The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) reached “a significant milestone” on Thursday after registering its 1,000th urgent request for governments to take action to locate victims. 

A mural on a wall in Manchester, England, depicts a NHS nurse.
Unsplash/Matthew Waring

Vaccines for all, an ‘acid test’ in COVID-19 battle

16 December 2020
Health

Equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines will represent an “acid test” for the international community, the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) told journalists on Wednesday, highlighting the importance of global cooperation and solidarity in beating back the disease. 

Refugees cook food and charge mobile phones at a temporary site after a fire destroyed the main camp at Moria, in Lesvos island, Greece.
UNICEF/Enri Canaj Magnum Photos

Put me out of a job: UN refugee chief’s challenge to world leaders

15 December 2020
Migrants and Refugees

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has challenged world leaders to put him “out of a job” by addressing the root causes that drive millions to flee their homes due to war and insecurity. 

A girl carries a basket of fruits through a flooded street in Cotonou, a large port city in Benin.
UNICEF/Oliver Asselin

People, planet on ‘collision course’, warns UN Development Programme

15 December 2020
SDGs

Countries must redesign their development pathways to reduce damage to the environment and the natural world, or risk stalling progress for humanity overall, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has warned in a major new report. 

A UNFPA health mobile team assists Syrian refugees in Adana, Turkey.
UNFPA

Avert ‘dire consequences’ for women's health, UNFPA urges in appeal to prevent maternal deaths

14 December 2020
Women

The UN agency dedicated to improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide (UNFPA) appealed on Monday for $2.5 billion by 2030 to help avert potential “dire consequences” surrounding pregnancies and maternal deaths.

A staff member at a heath centre in Uganda cleans the floor using a mixture of chlorine and water to prevent infections. Proper water, sanitation and hygiene services at health facilities are vital to protect populations from infections.
UNICEF/Michele Sibiloni

Water, hygiene woes at health facilities putting lives at risk: UN report

14 December 2020
Health

Lack of basic water and sanitation services at health facilities has put around 1.8 billion health workers and patients at higher risk of COVID-19 infection and other diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have said. 

In the fictional country of Gilead, an environmental disaster has caused infertility amongst women.
George Kraychyk

The Handmaid’s Tale: making a drama out of a crisis

13 December 2020
Climate and Environment

The Handmaid’s Tale, a critically acclaimed television series which has won 38 Emmy awards, may be about a fictional “alternative reality”, but the show’s creators have gone to great lengths to ensure that references to themes such as climate change, human rights abuses, and refugees, are as real and accurate as possible, by collaborating closely with UN experts.

Students in a rural area of Kenya are set to enjoy the benefits of solar lanterns.
UNDP Kenya/Inger Haugsgjerd

LIVE: Climate Ambition Summit

12 December 2020
Climate and Environment

Live coverage of the Climate Ambition Summit 2020, an important step forward in the battle against the climate crisis, with several major economies announcing new commitments to cut their carbon footprints and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

What is the Climate Action Summit?

UN Secretary-General declares "state of climate emergency"

What is net zero?

What comes next?

A nurse prepares to vaccinate an infant during a regularly-scheduled immunization clinic in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
© UNICEF/Thomas Nybo

World must invest in strong health systems that protect everyone — now and into the future

12 December 2020
Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed just how important it is for all countries to have strong health systems that provide the entire population with quality services when and where they need them, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed.