coronavirus

IMF Photo/Jeff Moore

Catch-up, ‘get ahead and stay ahead’ of coronavirus, urges UN health agency chief

26 October 2020
Health

Global COVID-19 cases spiked to their highest level yet during last week, with many northern hemisphere countries seeing “a concerning rise in cases and hospitalizations”, the UN health agency chief said on Monday, urging countries to “get ahead and stay ahead” of the virus. 

IOM/Abdullah Al Mashrif

Science, unity and solidarity, key to defeating COVID: UN chief

25 October 2020
Health

Better preparation, listening to the science and acting together in solidarity, are some of the main ways that countries across the world can overcome the on-going COVID-19 crisis, the UN chief told the World Health Summit on Sunday.

© UNICEF/Alessio Romenzi

‘Very tough’ months ahead in COVID battle, WHO helping scale up dwindling oxygen supplies

23 October 2020
Health

Facing another critical juncture in the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief told reporters on Friday that a “very tough” few months lie ahead with too many nations seeing an exponential increase in cases. 

© UNICEF/Chansereypich Seng

Classroom crisis: Avert a ‘generational catastrophe’, urges UN chief

22 October 2020
Culture and Education

The world is at risk of suffering “a generational catastrophe” as COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the education of students globally, the UN chief said on Thursday. 

Unsplash/Jared Sanders

A few ‘green shoots’, but future of global trade remains deeply uncertain

21 October 2020
Economic Development

Although global trade is making a frail recovery, the outlook remains uncertain, UN trade and development body UNCTAD said on Wednesday, in announcing its latest COVID-era update. 

© ILO

Collapsing consumer demand amid lockdowns cripple Asia-Pacific garment industry

21 October 2020
Economic Development

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered government lockdowns, collapsed consumer demand, and disrupted imports of raw materials, battering the Asia Pacific garment industry especially hard, according to a new report released on Wednesday by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

UN OCHA/Gema Cortes

UN urges people to #PledgetoPause before sharing information online

21 October 2020
Health

With the COVID-19 pandemic sparking a “communications emergency” caused by false information disseminated on social media, the UN Secretary-General is encouraging people everywhere to take a breath before sharing content online. 

© World Bank/Visual News Associate

New UN gender study: Women ‘far from having an equal voice to men’

20 October 2020
Women

The COVID-19 pandemic is “interrupting efforts” to achieve gender equality and threatening to “reverse hard-won gains” over the past decades, a senior UN official said on Tuesday.

© UNICEF/Niklas Halle'n

One in six children living in extreme poverty, with figure set to rise during pandemic

20 October 2020
SDGs

An estimated one in six children – or 356 million globally – were living in extreme poverty before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and this is set to worsen significantly, according to a new World Bank Group and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) analysis released on Tuesday. 

IMF/Jeff Moore

Focus on fundamentals as COVID-19 caseloads rise: WHO

19 October 2020
Health

As COVID-19 cases continue to accelerate, particularly in Europe and North America, the World Health Organization (WHO) is advising governments and people everywhere not to let their guard down, for the benefit of those hospitalized, or working on the front line of the battle to end the pandemic.