Taking care of mental health while living in the new normal By UN News NEW YORK (IDN)— The United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Ms Jayathma Wickramanayake, will host the 9th session of the United Nations’ #CopingWithCOVID webinar series on July 15 (livestream at bit.ly/CwCOVID9). During this session — focused on young people’s mental health […]
Surprising Rift Over Africa Seat in UN Security Council
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – The non-permanent Africa seat at the United Nations Security Council was the subject of a heated duel between two African countries who lobbied fiercely for the powerful prize. On a second round of balloting, the seat went to Kenya which garnered 129 votes against 62 […]
COVID-19 Puts to Test the UN Development System
By Elena Marmo, Global Policy Watch (GPW) This article first appeared in the GPW’s blog. NEW YORK (IDN) – Across the UN System, all hands are on deck to address the impact of COVID-19 from immediate humanitarian and health needs, to medium and longer-term socio-economic policy. Various initiatives are circling one another, raising issues of […]
UN Chief Reiterates Call for Global Ceasefire on Africa Day
Commends Leadership in Battling COVID-19 By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – A star-studded benefit concert hosted by English actor Idris Alba, an online how-to video for jollof rice, and a UN call for a global ceasefire issued by the Secretary-General António Guterres marked the virtual Africa Day celebrated on May 24. […]
UN Launches Strategic Global Initiative to Combat Scourge of Misinformation
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN)—The United Nations has launched a strategic initiative to combat the growing scourge of COVID-19 misinformation by increasing the volume and reach of trusted, accurate information. “We cannot cede our virtual spaces to those who traffic in lies, fear and hate,” said UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, who announced the initiative […]
UN Chief Appeals to ‘Common Humanity’ Across All Faiths to Tackle COVID-19
By UN News NEW YORK (IDN) – Our shared vulnerability to the coronavirus pandemic reveals “our common humanity”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told religious leaders in an online meeting to discuss the role they can play in limiting the damage caused by COVID-19. Speaking during the meeting on May 12, Guterres said “it lays bare […]
UN Concerned About the ‘Growing Threat’ of Annexation of Palestine
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – As the world’s attention is turned to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, a special Committee of the UN General Assembly has alerted about “the threat of annexation” of the Palestinian territory by Israel. “Annexation is a threat to the two-state solution,” the Committee accentuated. Earlier, on April 23, UN […]
New Initiative to Fight COVID-19 with Information Technology
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – With support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations specialized agency for information ((ITU) are set to work with telecommunication companies to text people directly on their mobile phones with vital health messaging to help protect them from COVID-19. These text messages, as part […]
UN Travel Organization Predicts Revival of Holiday Traffic
By Ronald Joshua ROME | MADRID (IDN) – Tourism has been brought to a near-standstill by COVID-19, but the World Travel Organization (UNWTO) believes that once the pandemic has passed, the industry, which accounts for 10 per cent of global GDP, is in a unique position to help put the global economy back on its […]
WHO Cautions Against Relaxing Lockdown Measures in Europe
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a potential “second wave” of COVID-19 infections. The warning comes as some European countries have begun to relax lockdown measures following weeks of confinement introduced to halt the spread of the new coronavirus. In an update to strategic advice to […]