UN News

‘Defining moment’ in Afghanistan requires leaders to work together, top UN official tells Security Council (Di, 31 Mär 2020)
With the COVID-19 pandemic as a backdrop, political parties in Afghanistan are being urged to prioritize national interests and come together for peace talks with the Taliban, the UN Deputy Special Representative for the country told a videoconference meeting with Security Council members on Tuesday.
>> mehr lesen

Economic sanctions should be lifted to prevent hunger crises in countries hit by COVID-19 – UN rights expert (Tue, 31 Mar 2020)
As the world exhibits new bonds of solidarity in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it is a matter of “humanitarian and practical urgency to lift unilateral economic sanctions immediately,” to prevent hunger crises in pandemic-hit countries, a UN human rights expert, said on Tuesday.  
>> mehr lesen

UN appeals to all Somalis to ‘come together’ in fight against COVID-19 pandemic  (Tue, 31 Mar 2020)
Like most countries in the world, Somalia is facing the unparalleled challenge of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations system in the country noted on Tuesday, calling on its citizens to “unite” in stemming the spread.
>> mehr lesen

UN launches COVID-19 plan that could ‘defeat the virus and build a better world’ (Tue, 31 Mar 2020)
The UN chief launched on Tuesday a new plan to counter the potentially devastating socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling on everyone to “act together to lessen the blow to people”.
>> mehr lesen

Coronavirus poses latest threat to battered health system in DR Congo (Tue, 31 Mar 2020)
The looming threat of the new coronavirus disease COVID-19 is just the latest challenge to the beleaguered health care system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is struggling with deadly measles and cholera epidemics that have killed thousands of children over the past year, the UN children’s fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
>> mehr lesen

FROM THE FIELD: Humanitarians on the frontline in COVID-19 fight (Tue, 31 Mar 2020)
Humanitarian workers in developing countries are on the front lines and taking “urgent action” in the fight against the spread of the deadly new coronavirus, COVID-19, according to the United Nations.
>> mehr lesen

First Person: Humankind’s ‘modern mentality to tame’ the environment: A volcanologist’s view (Tue, 31 Mar 2020)
The 17 goals agreed by the global community to reduce poverty and create a sustainable planet are the responsibility of all people, wherever they are in the world, according to the United Nations. The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs represent a boundary-pushing blueprint for the future of the Earth and it’s anticipated they will be realized by 2030. UN News joined the International Labour Organization on a visit to Hawaii where many people are already living or studying aspects of the goals in their everyday work.
>> mehr lesen

‘Immediate nationwide ceasefire’ needed for all-out effort to counter COVID-19 in Syria (Mon, 30 Mar 2020)
Syria is at “high risk” of being unable to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Special Envoy for the country said on Monday, reiterating calls for a “complete, immediate nationwide ceasefire” to enable an all-out-effort to counter the march of the new coronavirus.
>> mehr lesen

Coronavirus necessitates global increase in protective equipment, medical supplies: UN health chief (Mon, 30 Mar 2020)
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for stepped-up production of medical equipment and supplies as health facilities and health workers in many countries struggle with increasing and urgent demands brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
>> mehr lesen

Release inmates in Yemen to avert nationwide coronavirus outbreak, experts urge (Mon, 30 Mar 2020)
An international panel of human rights experts called today for the immediate release of political prisoners and detainees in war-ravaged Yemen to help avert a nationwide outbreak of COVID-19.
>> mehr lesen

UN helps Pacific prepare for COVID-19 pandemic, warns that children are ‘hidden victims’ (Mon, 30 Mar 2020)
United Nations agencies are working together to provide vital support to Pacific Island countries as they rally to combat COVID-19 outbreaks across the region. 
>> mehr lesen

$2.5 trillion COVID-19 rescue package needed for world’s emerging economies (Mon, 30 Mar 2020)
The economic fallout from COVID-19 is likely to get “much worse” before it gets better for some six billion people living in developing economies, the UN said on Monday, in an appeal for a $2.5 trillion rescue package to boost their resilience to further hardship. 
>> mehr lesen

COVID-19 stoking xenophobia, hate and exclusion, minority rights expert warns (Mon, 30 Mar 2020)
Combatting the COVID-19 pandemic must also include stamping out what one independent human rights expert has called the “darker sides” of the disease: verbal and physical attacks against Chinese and other minority communities, and excluding them from access to healthcare.
>> mehr lesen

COVID-19: UN donates 250,000 face masks to NYC health workers (Sat, 28 Mar 2020)
On behalf of the city, the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, was on hand to receive 250,000 face masks donated by the UN on Saturday, destined for health workers in the metropolis that is home to the Organization’s Headquarters.
>> mehr lesen

First Person: Hawaii’s ‘silver tsunami’: the challenge of caring for kupuna elders (Sun, 29 Mar 2020)
The 17 goals agreed by the global community to reduce poverty and create a sustainable planet are the responsibility of all people, wherever they are in the world, according to the United Nations. The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs represent a boundary-pushing blueprint for the future of the Earth and it’s anticipated they will be realized by 2030. UN News joined the International Labour Organization on a visit to Hawaii where many people are already living aspects of the goals in their everyday work. 
>> mehr lesen

First Person: False promises in Mauritania (Sun, 29 Mar 2020)
Women and girls face particular challenges as migrants, whatever their reason for leaving their country of origin. UN agencies are learning more about these difficulties, and how to address them.
>> mehr lesen

COVID-19: UN envoy hails strong Israel-Palestine cooperation (Sat, 28 Mar 2020)
Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, has praised the coordination between the Israeli and Palestine authorities in reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic.
>> mehr lesen

First Person: Heartbreak and hope – one doctor’s story from China’s coronavirus ground zero (Sat, 28 Mar 2020)
Xiang Lu is one of the thousands of Chinese doctors who was dispatched to fight the COVID-19 outbreak in the hardest-hit province of Hubei, as it reached its peak. When UN News spoke to him on 23 March, he said that the situation is vastly improved and he may, at last, be able to return home.
>> mehr lesen

Peacekeeping radio stations provide COVID-19 information to vulnerable communities in conflict-affected countries (Fri, 27 Mar 2020)
UN Peacekeeping radio stations have in recent decades helped build support for peace process in a dozen countries around the world including Cambodia, Croatia, Namibia and Timor-Leste.  
>> mehr lesen

Critical work of UN ‘largely uninterrupted’, despite unprecedented challenge of COVID-19 (Fri, 27 Mar 2020)
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the United Nations to operate in new ways, its vital work worldwide continues largely uninterrupted, heads of UN principal organs assured Member States, during a joint briefing on Friday held online.
>> mehr lesen

UNFPA advocates for women, girls suffering unseen impacts of COVID-19 pandemic (Fri, 27 Mar 2020)
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is pledging support for those suffering from invisible impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including women and girls whose access to life-saving sexual and reproductive health care may be disrupted. 
>> mehr lesen

Protect ‘healthcare heroes’ from COVID-19, urges UN rights expert (Fri, 27 Mar 2020)
States and business leaders must step up efforts to ensure that the selfless doctors, nurses, first-responders and other medical professionals working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic receive adequate protective equipment, a UN rights expert said on Friday.
>> mehr lesen

Migrants in Hawaii care for the elderly, the aloha way (Fri, 27 Mar 2020)
Migrants are playing an increasingly important role in the provision of health care around the world. The number of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who move from developing countries to take up posts in developed countries is expected to rise as the global population of older persons and children continues to grow.
>> mehr lesen

First Person: two months of COVID-19 confinement in Wuhan (Thu, 26 Mar 2020)
Many countries have recently begun to introduce lockdown measures that have led to many citizens having to spend much, if not all, of their time at home. For those in Wuhan, China, where COVID-19 is believed to have originated, the period of self-isolation has lasted around two months. UN News spoke to Dizi*, a Wuhan resident, to find out how she has been coping. The interview has been translated.
>> mehr lesen

A sustainable global economy must arise once COVID-19 pandemic is reversed, UN chief tells G-20 summit (Thu, 26 Mar 2020)
World leaders at the G-20 virtual summit held on Thursday committed to inject over $5 trillion into the global economy to counteract the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
>> mehr lesen

‘Rapid deterioration’ in global investment flows as Coronavirus spreads: UN trade body (Thu, 26 Mar 2020)
Foreign direct investment flows are liable to drop by 30 to 40 per cent during 2020, into next year, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting a far more severe economic blow that initially projected, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said on Thursday in its latest Investment Trends Monitor report.
>> mehr lesen

Life-saving vaccinations must not ‘fall victim’ to COVID-19 pandemic – UNICEF chief (Thu, 26 Mar 2020)
Around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic is overstretching health services, medical goods are in short supply, and transport disruptions have left supply chains facing “historic strain”, according to the head of the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
>> mehr lesen

Human rights must be maintained in beating back the COVID-19 pandemic, ‘without exception’ – UN experts (Thu, 26 Mar 2020)
Dozens of independent UN human rights experts stressed on Thursday that in addition to public health and emergency measures, battling the COVID-19 pandemic, must respect the fundamental human rights of every individual.
>> mehr lesen

Iraq: Top UN official calls on political leaders to confront COVID-19 pandemic and unite (Thu, 26 Mar 2020)
While the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the political, security, social and economic crises roiling Iraq, the top UN official in the country hopes it will spur leaders to put aside their differences and unite for the common good.
>> mehr lesen

FROM THE FIELD: Threatened Brazilian activist fights for slavery descendants' rights (Thu, 26 Mar 2020)
A Brazilian activist who regularly receives threats of violence says he will continue fighting for the right of people of African descent to access land and property in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
>> mehr lesen