From survivors of rape to young women entrepreneurs, the UN Deputy Secretary-General has spent the week meeting some of those whose lives have been upended by conflict in Ethiopia, but also hearing stories of hope that point towards the “indispensable” value of a return to lasting peace across the African nation.
Today, 11 February, as we mark International Women and Girls in Science Day to highlight the importance of equal access and participation in science for women and girls, we travel to Uzbekistan to meet Malika, Madina and Sarvinoz.
The UN Secretary-General on Saturday said that Africa was “a source of hope” for the world, highlighting the examples of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Decade of Financial and Economic Inclusion for African Women.
Many of today’s global leaders recognize our common threats—COVID, climate, the unregulated development of new technologies. They agree that something needs to be done about them. Yet that common understanding is not matched by common action.
It’s hard for most people to make friends and find their place in a new hometown. But it’s that much harder when you move to a whole new country. Four years ago, Juan Diego and his family fled the socio-economic crisis in their native Venezuela and made a new home in Costa Rica — a few of the nearly 40,000 migrants who have made that trek.
FGM is prevalent in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It has no health benefits, and, as the World Health Organization reports, it can pose serious threats to women and future newborns.
Millions of people around the world do not have access to quality education and are facing poverty, violence, and other forms of exploitation and abuse.
Having commenced my role as UN Resident Coordinator in China almost one year ago, it is a privilege to lead the United Nations in China in this new year and at this auspicious moment as the Games return to Beijing.
Today, on International Day of Education, let us take a moment to reflect on the value of learning, and consider, through the lenses of five stories of people from different regions, cultures, age groups, and abilities, how we could support the work of UN country teams established across 162 countries and territories around the world on making education accessible for all.
As news coverage of the eruption and tsunami that hit Tonga starts to fade away, the United Nations Coordination Specialist in the country has a message to the outside world: Tonga’s people are going to need sustained support responding to a disaster of this scale.
