First Person

OCHA's Reena Ghelani (right) meets women in Teachers Village IDP Camp in Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria.
OCHA/Leni Kinzli

First Person: Finding new ways to save millions at risk during the coronavirus pandemic

24 April 2020
Health

Millions of people are reliant on humanitarian supplies to survive, and the COVID-19 pandemic is making it even more difficult for aid workers to reach them. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), is having to rethink the way it operates in some of the most vulnerable places in the world.

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

First Person: DR Congo doctor prepares for latest in long line of health crises

16 April 2020
Health

Health professionals working with the World Health Organization (WHO) in eastern Democratic of Congo (DRC), have been dealing with the deadly Ebola epidemic since August 2018. This experience is helping them to prepare for the latest disease to arrive: COVID-19.

Aldo Sebastián Cicchini, a violinist at RAI orchestra plays on a balcony in Milan, Italy during the COVID-19.
Ana Mazzeo

First Person: The power of art in a time of coronavirus crisis

15 April 2020
Health

In Italy, impromptu concerts, performed from apartment balconies, have become one of the features of life under lockdown. On UNESCO World Art Day, which falls on April 15, a professional violinist told UN News how he is using his talent to help others through the crisis.

A fever is one of the symptoms of coronavirus
Unsplash/Matteo Fusco

First Person: ‘Fate’ of Italian nurse, and countless other health workers, depends on protective clothing

7 April 2020
Health

A 24-year-old nurse in Italy who is treating patients with the deadly COVID-19 virus has been describing how her “fate” on any given day is dependent on how well she dresses in her protective clothing.

Farmers, who gatherer flowers in the Southern Espinhaço Mountain Range in Brazil, enhance biodiversity and preserve traditional knowledge.
FAO/João Roberto Ripper

First Person: COVID-19 is not a silver lining for the climate, says UN Environment chief

5 April 2020
Climate and Environment

Greenhouse gas emissions are down and air quality has gone up, as governments react to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, has cautioned against viewing this as a boon for the environment. In this First Person editorial, Ms. Andersen calls instead for a profound, systemic shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.