United Nations

A Resilient and Sustainable Future Needs Asia-Pacific Response to COVID-19 and Climate Emergency

Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

The writer is Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

BANGKOK (IDN) – The unprecedented public health emergency triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and its multi-faceted impact on people's lives around the world is taking a heavy toll on Asia and the Pacific.

Countries in our region are striving to mitigate the massive socioeconomic impact of the pandemic, which is also expected to affect the region's economic health. In its annual Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2020 launched on May 8, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) expects growth in Asia-Pacific developing economies to slow down significantly this year.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 08 April 2020

Photo: Secretary-General António Guterres briefs the media on the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. UN Photo/Mark GartenPhoto: Secretary-General António Guterres briefs the media on the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. UN Photo/Mark Garten

The Impact of COVID-19 on the World's Vulnerable a Major Priority of the UN

By Daniel Johnson of UN News

GENEVA (IDN) – The impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the elderly, the world's poorest, and the asylum seekers as well as the ways and means of addressing the after-effects are some major priorities of the United Nations.

Abandoning elderly at risk from coronavirus is 'criminal', the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has said. The rights of all people and particularly the elderly and infirm need to be respected at a time of crisis such as the ongoing pandemic, the OHCHR said, amid concern that some countries are doing too little to look after their senior citizens.

: UN Bureau; COVID-19; 02 April 2020

Photo: Screenshot of the UN chief calling for an immediate global ceasefire. Credit: UN WebTV.

UN Chief's Call for Global Ceasefire Gathering Support

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK (IDN) – In a clarion call for "an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world", UN Secretary-General António Guterres on March 23 urged warring parties across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the bigger battle against COVID-19: the common enemy that is now threatening all of humankind.

The ceasefire would allow humanitarians to reach populations that are most vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19, which first emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and has now been reported in more than 180 countries. So far, there are nearly 300,000 cases worldwide, and more than 12,700 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

: Radwan Jakeem; UN INSIDER; 25 March 2020

Photo: Collage of UN pictures (left) Violence in West Darfur has forced thousands of Sudanese across the border into Chad. ©UNHCR/Aristophane Ngargoune and (right) A woman wearing a protective mask and gloves checks her phone while walking along the East River in New York. UN News/Elizabeth Scaffidi.

COVID-19: UN Agencies Working Round the Clock to Ensure Humanitarian Support

By Daniel Johnson of UN News

GENEVA (IDN) – United Nations agencies are working round the clock to provide all the necessary aid to vulnerable sections of the society to combat the Coronavirus pandemic at diverse levels: ensuring meals to millions of children affected by the closure of schools, airlifting relief to Sudanese refugees in Chad.

Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that for the moment, there is no reason why people infected with the COVID-19 virus should not take ibuprofen, a widely available drug used to treat fever and soreness.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 23 March 2020

Photo: An unusually early and exceptionally intense heatwave has set new temperature records in Europe, posing a major threat to people's health, agriculture and the environment. Credit: WMO Video screen shot.

New UN Report Warns of Adverse Impacts of Climate Change

By Jaya Ramachandran

GENEVA (IDN) – A new UN study has warned of accelerating climate change on land, sea and in the atmosphere. Compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), parented by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the report documents impacts of weather and climate events on socio-economic development, human health, migration and displacement, food security and land and marine ecosystems.

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 22 March 2020

Photo: Mike Demotta is the curator for living collections at Hawaii's National Tropical Botanical Garden. Credit: ILO Photo/John Isaac

Hawaiian Culture and Native Plant: The 'Inseparable Bond'

By UN News

KAUAI, Hawaii (IDN) – The 17 goals agreed by the global community to reduce poverty and crate a sustainable planet are the responsibility of all people, wherever they are in the world, according to the United Nations. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a boundary-pushing blueprint for the future of the Earth and it is anticipated they will be realised by 2030. UN News joined the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on a visit to Hawaii where many people are already living aspects of the goals in their everyday work.

: Phil Harris; SUSTAINABILITY; Forests, desertification, land degradation & biodiversity; 21 March 2020

Photo: Medical equipment supplied by the World Food Programme (WFP) arrives in Beijing. Courtesy of Yingshi Zhang

China Shows Novel Coronavirus Can Be 'Stopped in Its Tracks’

By UN News

BEIJING (IDN) – China’s experience in containing the spread of the new coronavirus could serve as a lesson for other countries now facing the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official with the World Health Organization (WHO) has told UN News in an in-depth interview.

While more than 153,00 cases of the respiratory illness have been recorded globally as of March 15, it is on the decline in China, demonstrating that the course of the outbreak there has been altered, according to WHO Representative in the country, Dr. Gauden Galea.

: Jamshed Baruah; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 19 March 2020

Photo: Handover ceremony at UN compound in Beijing for donation of critical medical supplies to the Chinese government. Credit: UNDP China

International Cooperation Vital to Defying the Consequences of Coronavirus

Viewpoint by Beate Trankmann*, UNDP Resident Representative in China

BEIJING (IDN) – Since its outbreak, the effects of the coronavirus have been felt in countries across the world. With around 110,000 confirmed cases of COVID19 and over 4,000 deaths as of March 10, this epidemic has put public health systems and emergency services under immense pressure. Demand for medical supplies and protective equipment has surged, and many people have been quarantined due to suspected contamination. However, while the circumstances have been severe, this crisis has also been a strong reminder of China’s resilience and the importance of international solidarity.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 18 March 2020

Photo: NPT Prepcom 2019. Credit: James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS).

Five Nuclear Weapon States Pledge Commitment to NPT

By J C Suresh

WASHINGTON, DC (IDN) — Five permanent members (P5) of the UN Security Council – USA, China, France, Russia and Britain – who together possess an overwhelming majority of 13,865 nuclear weapons have pledged "unstinting commitment to preserving and deepening … for future generations" the legacy of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

A joint statement by Foreign Ministers of the five countries on the 50th anniversary of the entering into force of the NPT on March 5, 2020 says "we celebrate the immeasurable contributions this landmark treaty has made to the security and prosperity of the nations and peoples of the world."

: J C Suresh; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 12 March 2020

Photo: Speaking out about girls' rights in Rwanda in the House of Lords, UK. Credit: World Health Organization.

Too Few Women in Power 25 Years After Beijing Declaration

By UN Women

GENEVA | NEW YORK (IDN) — Women's representation in political decision-making continues to increase but at a dragging pace, with three-quarters of parliamentary seats still held by men, according to new data presented in the 2020 edition of the IPU‑UN Women map of Women in Politics. The data's publication coincides with the 25-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, which remains the world's most comprehensive agenda for gender equality.