United Nations

UN Striving to Ensure Media and Information Literacy

By Ramu Damodaran

The writer is Chief, United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) hosted in the Department of Global Communications. This OpEd was first published in the latest #WhyWeCare. It highlights efforts of the UN to combat the "infodemic" — misinformation or disinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic that is having a disastrous social and economic impact on societies around the globe. The efforts include a proposal for declaring October 24-31 as a Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week. — The Editor.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 03 April 2021

Photo: The UN Security Council chamber. Source: The United Nations.

UN Security Council Faces Critical Issues Under Vietnamese Presidency

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK (IDN) — As Viet Nam takes the presidency of the UN Security Council in for the month of April, the 15-member Council's report for March in Hindsight examines mercenarism and the mercenaries' heavy involvement in illicit, destabilising activities in a number of countries on the Security Council’s agenda.

Viet Nam has chosen to hold several signature events during the month. A ministerial-level open debate on mine action is anticipated with UN Secretary-General António Guterres as a likely briefer. A resolution is a possible outcome.

: Radwan Jakeem; UN INSIDER; 31 March 2021

Photo: People across ethnic and religious divides hold vigil in Yangon, Myanmar. Unsplash/Zinko Hein. Source: UN.

UN Condemns 'Shameful, Cowardly' Attacks on Peaceful Protesters in Myanmar

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned in the strongest terms, the killing of dozens of civilians, including children and young people, by security forces in Myanmar on March 27.

In a statement issued by Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq, the UN chief said, “the continuing military crackdown…is unacceptable and demands a firm, unified and resolute international response”. 

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 28 March 2021

A Robust Blueprint Emerges from the UN's Largest Gathering on Women’s Rights

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) — The largest gathering on women’s rights has decided to contribute to accelerating the pace of progress to ensure women’s full participation and leadership at all levels of decision-making in executive, legislative and judicial branches of government and the public sector. It also appreciates that temporary special measures, such as quotas, and increased political will are needed as an enabling pathway to this goal.

: Caroline Mwanga; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 27 March 2021

Photo: The jobless in Malaysia. Source: Malay Mail.

COVID-19 Pushes Millions into Destitution

By Jaya Ramachandran

GENEVA (IDN) — A once-in-a-century crisis—a Great Disruption unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic—hit the world economy in 2020. The pandemic has reached every corner of the globe. Meanwhile, more than 120 million have been infected and close to 2.7 million people killed worldwide.

High unemployment and loss of income have pushed millions into destitution during the pandemic. The total number of people living in poverty is expected to have increased by 131 million in 2020 alone. As many as 797 million people will still be trapped in extreme poverty in 2030, representing a poverty headcount ratio of over 9 per cent.

: Jaya Ramachandran; UN INSIDER; 24 March 2021

Photo: High-level Dialogue on Energy 2021. Source: United Nations.

Expert Groups Prepare Roadmap for Universal Energy Access

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK (IDN) — The virtual launch of the High-level Dialogue on Energy 2021 Process: A Year of Energy Action on March 10 succeeded in generating a wave of enthusiastic support from key players in the energy field who committed to help drive impactful results at the September summit-level Dialogue event, according to the UN.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Affordable Clean Energy; 20 March 2021

Photo: Collage of women calling for rights and Turkish President Erdoğan.

UN Urges Turkey To Reconsider Withdrawal from the Treaty Protecting Women's Right

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) — UN Women has reiterated the concerns expressed by the United Nations in Turkey and other partners regarding Turkey’s announced termination of being a party to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (the “Istanbul Convention”). It has urged Turkey to reconsider its withdrawal.

: UN Bureau; UN INSIDER; 20 March 2021

A Three-Day Event in Italy to Set the Stage for UN Food Systems Summit

By Jaya Ramachandran

ROME (IDN) — Under the leadership of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the Pre-Summit of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit from July 19 to July 21 will bring together worldwide efforts and contributions aiming at transforming global food systems.

Youth, smallholder farmers, indigenous peoples, researchers, the private sector, policy leaders and ministers of agriculture, environment, health, and finance among others will deliver the latest evidence-based and scientific approach from around the world.

: Europe Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Food security, nutrition & sustainable agriculture; 18 March 2021

UN Keen to Achieve Gender Equality Far Ahead of 2150

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) — The international community has set the goal of achieving gender equality by 2030. But UN Women, a United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, maintains that "at the current rate of progress, gender equality will not be reached among Heads of Government until 2150, another 130 years".

This projection is based on the new data published ahead of the ten-day 65th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65).

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 14 March 2021

The Future Is Better with Women in Every Decision-Making

By Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director

[Also available in: ar |es | fr | ru | zh]

NEW YORK (IDN) — International Women's Day (March 8) this year comes at a difficult time for the world and for gender equality, but at a perfect moment to fight for transformative action and to salute women and young people for their relentless drive for gender equality and human rights.

Our focus is on women's leadership and on ramping up representation in all the areas where decisions are made—currently mainly by men—about the issues that affect women's lives. The universal and catastrophic lack of representation of women’s interests has gone on too long.