SDGs

Twelve-year-old boy in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, sorts through hazardous plastic waste without any protection, working to support his family amidst the lockdown.
© UNICEF/Parvez Ahmad

Impacts of COVID-19 disproportionately affect poor and vulnerable: UN chief

30 June 2020
Global

Addressing poverty eradication on Tuesday in front of the General Assembly, UN chief António Guterres warned that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are falling “disproportionately on the most vulnerable: people living in poverty, the working poor, women and children, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups”.

UNICEF is supporting families of children with disabilities to attend schools in the poorest districts of Maputo and Matola in Mozambique.
© UNICEF/Aminadab Jean

Universal, inclusive education ‘non-negotiable’

23 June 2020
Global

Inclusive education should be a “non-negotiable” right for all children, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said in a new report launched on Tuesday.

Twelve-year-old boy in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, sorts through hazardous plastic waste without any protection, working to support his family amidst the lockdown.
© UNICEF/Parvez Ahmad

COVID-19 upends ‘entire generation’ of 600 million South Asian children

23 June 2020
Asia Pacific

Without urgent action, COVID-19 will continue to unravel decades of progress across South Asia, destroying the “hopes and futures of an entire generation”, warns a new report released on Tuesday by the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

A camel stand in a windmill park on the outskirt of Nouakchott, Mauritania.
© UNDP Mauritania/Freya Morales

Throughout COVID-19 recovery, 'plummeting’ clean energy costs can help climate action

10 June 2020
Global

As COVID-19 hits the fossil fuel industry, a new UN report published on Wednesday shows that renewable energy is more cost-effective than ever – providing an opportunity to prioritize clean energy in national economic recovery packages and bring the world closer to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.
 

As unparalleled economic shock puts development gains at risk, community workers in Bangladesh distribute hygiene packages and promote coronavirus prevention awareness.
UNDP/Fahad Kaizer

COVID-19: ‘Unparalleled economic shock’ threatens development hopes and gains

10 June 2020
Global

As the diverse and severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt across the world, an “unparalleled economic shock” is putting development gains at risk, the UN chief told a meeting of high-powered business leaders on Wednesday.

A woman carries fish from the shore in Maharashtra, India.
UNDP/Dhiraj Singh

As consumption rises, here’s why sustainable fisheries management matters

8 June 2020
Global

Global consumption of fish hit a record high in 2018 and is set to rise in the decade ahead, highlighting the need to ensure sustainable fisheries management, according to the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Late September sunrise as seen from Paalijärvi observation tower in Alajärvi, Finland. May 2020, was the warmest on record, UN weather agency WMO has confirmed.
WMO/Tapio Niemi

May confirmed as warmest on record, CO2 levels hit new high despite COVID economic slowdown

5 June 2020

Last month was the warmest May on record and carbon dioxide levels also hit a new high despite the economic slowdown from COVID-19, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday, in an urgent appeal for Member States to renew their efforts to tackle climate threats.

Research is underway to find a vaccine against the coronavirus.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe

‘Global solidarity’ needed, to find affordable, accessible COVID-19 vaccine

4 June 2020
Global

In the race to end the coronavirus pandemic, the UN chief reminded a virtual medical conference on Thursday that “a vaccine, by itself, is not enough”.  

A midwife in Addis Ababa examines a mother and her newborn.
© Ethiopian Midwives Associatio

‘Stronger response’ key, to build a safer and more stable future: Guterres

3 June 2020

UN chief António Guterres is calling for greater unity and solidarity to defeat COVID-19 and build a better world in the wake of the global pandemic.

Young men wear face masks while cycling in a park in Büyükçekmece, Turkey.
UNDP/Levent Kulu

Bicycles: Setting the wheels of change in motion during and after COVID-19 

3 June 2020
Global

World Bicycle Day highlights the potential for transforming the way the world moves around, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, helping create a healthier, more sustainable future, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.