Health

UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Kickstarting economies without COVID-19 plan, ‘a recipe for disaster’: Tedros

31 August 2020

Eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, countries want to “get their economies going again”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, advising on the measures that governments, communities and individuals should take, to do so safely.

UN WebTV/screenshot

Virtual Concert unites Pacific with the world in battling COVID-19

15 August 2020
Asia Pacific

The first-of-its-kind televised and digitally streamed Pacific Unite: Saving Lives Together concert called on regional leaders and citizens to unite in the global fight against COVID-19, the United Nations said on Saturday.

© UNICEF David Berkwitz

UN praises resilience and vision of younger generation, marking International Youth Day  

12 August 2020
Global

Commemorating International Youth Day, top UN officials have called on leaders around the world to “do everything possible” to enable young people to reach their fullest potential.

© UNICEF/Vinay Panjwani

‘No silver bullet’ to combat COVID-19, says UN health agency head

3 August 2020
Global

There is “no silver bullet” to combat COVID-19, the head of the UN health agency told journalists on Monday, adding, “and there might never be”.

 

UNICEF/Jan Zammit

Breastfeeding ‘for a healthier planet’

1 August 2020

World Breastfeeding Week got underway on Saturday, with the UN urging communities everywhere to “support breastfeeding for a healthier planet”. Health agency (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a joint call for governments to protect and promote women’s access to skilled breastfeeding counselling - a critical component of breastfeeding support.

UN News/Anton Uspensky

COVID-19: World leaders to stay at home, in first ‘virtual’ UN General Assembly

23 July 2020
Global

The General Debate of the General Assembly, traditionally the most high-profile UN event of the year, will be a slimmed-down affair this September, with world leaders staying away from New York, and contributing set-piece speeches via video link, a UN spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.

© UNRWA/Khalil Adwan

Israel-Palestine: Breakdown in cooperation over COVID, now putting lives at risk

21 July 2020

Cooperation between Israelis and the Palestinians at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic is breaking down, putting human lives at risk as the economy goes into meltdown and the threat of Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank lingers, the UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process says.

PAHO/Karen González Abril

WHO concerned about COVID-19 impact on indigenous people in the Americas

20 July 2020
Global

With the Americas still the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact on the region’s indigenous people is of deep concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

UN Photo/Ariana Lindquist

Mandela Prize awarded to Greek and Guinean rights activists

17 July 2020
Global

The 2020 Nelson Mandela Prize, which is awarded every five years and recognizes those who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity, will go this year to Marianna Vardinoyannis, of Greece, and Doctor Morissana Kouyaté, of Guinea, it was announced on Friday.

FAO/Nozim Kalandarov

UN report sends ‘sobering message’ of deeply entrenched hunger globally

13 July 2020
Global

In much of the world, “hunger remains deeply entrenched and is rising”, the UN chief said on Monday, launching this year’s major UN food security update, highlighting that over the past five years, tens of millions of people have joined the ranks of the chronically undernourished.