Health & Well Being

Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivers the annual Nelson Mandela Lecture. Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

UN Chief Makes a Passionate Plea for Discarding Fallacies and Falsehoods

The Rich and Poor are Not Sailing in the Same Boat

By Jaya Ramachandran

NEW YORK (IDN) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has in a surprise dramatic move, castigated a series of "fallacies and falsehoods" perpetrated particularly on the deprived of the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed all lies such as the lie that free markets can deliver healthcare for all; the fiction that unpaid care work is not work; the delusion that we live in a post-racist world; the myth that we are all in the same boat".

: Jaya Ramachandran; UN INSIDER; 19 July 2020

UN Gathering To Call for Robust and Urgent Actions to Advance Gender Equality

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) – Twenty-five years after its adoption the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, member states and observers, civil society organizations, gender equality leaders, CEOs, and heads of academia will gather virtually on July 21 in a multi-stakeholder hearing. The purpose is to bolster priority actions at the global and national level that will address the challenges that threaten the bold vision of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

: Caroline Mwanga; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 18 July 2020

Human Nature Is a Central Theme of Philosophy

Viewpoint by John Scales Avery*

COPENHAGEN (IDN) – What is human nature? Are we humans good or evil? To what extent is the character of a person produced by heredity, and to what extent by environment? Is competition more central to our existence than cooperation, or is it the other way around? How can a happy, peaceful and stable society be created? Are humans essentially the same as other animals, or are we fundamentally different? Should humans dominate and control nature, or should we be the custodians of nature?

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 17 July 2020

Photo: Trump with children. Source: rawstory.com

Trump’s 'Plan' Is to Make the Virus and Its Casualties Disappear

Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar

This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations.

America’s rightward march culminating in Trump's presidency has brought us to this moment where we are dying from a virus that other nations have managed to control.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 17 July 2020

Photo: In Argentina, UNDP has developed a social media campaign promoting inclusive finance. #PlataSinBanco ("money without bank") explains current alternatives to withdraw money from a local ATM, even without a debit card or bank account. Credit: UNDP Argentina

Poverty and Inequality Get Worse in Latin America as COVID-19 Infections Surge

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) —Latin America is scrambling to contain surging COVID-19 infections while confronting near-certain recession and related impacts. But polices that prioritize poor and vulnerable people can help mitigate the region’s already extreme poverty and inequality, says a new study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

: Santo D. Banerjee; UN INSIDER; 16 July 2020

Photo credit: Global Reporting Initiative

South Asia Virtual Regional Summit to Focus on Empowering Decisions for a Sustainable Future

By Reinhard Jacobsen

AMSTERDAM | NEW DELHI (IDN) – How can the rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic be approached in a way that alleviates the growing economic, societal and environmental pressures in South Asian countries?

Seeking solutions in support of this aim is a key focus of the GRI South Asia Virtual Regional Summit, which starts on July 22. This free events series – with nine online sessions over one week – includes a diverse program under the theme empowering decisions for a sustainable future.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; THE WORLD; South Asia; 16 July 2020

Photo: Flexible development resources like those provided by Germany enable UNDP to build on and accelerate efforts to tackle the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: UNDP Bangladesh/Fahad Kaizer

COVID-19: UNDP Commends Doubling of Germany's Support to Flexible Core Funding

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK (IDN) – Germany has become the largest funding partner to the 2020 core resources of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a result of a hike to €110 million, equivalent to more than $124 million.

In 2019, Germany provided €50 million to UNDP's core resources. As a strong supporter of multilateralism and international cooperation, Germany has been the largest government contributor to UNDP since 2017.

: Radwan Jakeem; UN INSIDER; 15 July 2020

Kenya Having Another Go at Passing a Reproductive Rights Bill

Viewpoint by Anthony Ajayi and Meggie Mwoka*

Kenya’s Senate is considering a reproductive healthcare bill, which seeks to address reproductive health gaps. This is the second time the bill has come before the senate. It has, once again, drawn fire from religious groups, some politicians and civil society lobbies opposed to its proposals. Anthony Ajayi and Meggie Mwoka unpack the bill and the lessons from previous failed attempts.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 15 July 2020

Collage of photos of former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (left) and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark

Former Liberian Leader Joins Panel Investigating the Global Response to COVID-19

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia's former president, and Helen Clark, New Zealand's former prime minister, are to head the newly formed Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

The announcement follows the Trump administration’s formal notification to the UN on July 6 of its withdrawal from WHO, which won't take effect until July 6, 2021 with a possibility of reversal by a new administration or changed circumstances.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 13 July 2020

The Path Forward for Higher Education After COVID-19

UN Academic Impact Talks to Students from Several Countries

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) – COVID-19 pandemic has forced more than 1.5 billion students in 165 countries out of school, enforcing the global academic community to explore new ways of teaching and learning, including distance and online education, according to UNESCO estimates.

This has proven challenging for both students and educators, who have to deal with the emotional, physical and economic difficulties posed by the illness while doing their part to help curb the spread of the virus, notes United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI).