The district of Tarim – in Hadhramout governorate, eastern Yemen - looks like a green oasis with palm trees, yet it is exposed to seasonal floods and extreme heat waves that impact farmlands and damage crops. Through a joint project funded by the European Union, UNDP worked with local authorities to respond to economic and agricultural needs across the country by engaging community members, the private sector, and civil society in decision making and planning.
Our UN teams are on the ground in 162 countries and territories, coordinating joint programmes and tackling a range of priorities and initiatives — from climate action and food security to gender equality and safety of civilians.
Historically, Thailand has severely punished people who have broken strict drug laws. However, since a change in the law in 2021, the legal system has shifted towards rehabilitation for people who use drugs.
UNICEF, in partnership with UN-Habitat, began joint rehabilitation works in several schools to provide children a safe environment to learn. Othayma’s school in Nashabieh town, rural Damascus, was one of them.
From legal protection to healthcare access to social inclusion and more, LGBQI+ people encounter numerous challenges that threaten their dignity and equality. When combined with aspects of race, income, age, ability/disability, LGBTQI+ people are often more vulnerable yet are often excluded from social policies and planning.
World Refugee Day on 20 June provides an opportunity to recognize the perils asylum seekers, stateless and displaced people around the globe face; celebrating their strength and resilience in extraordinary circumstances.
n June 2022, Kenya launched a “National Action Plan Against Hate Speech”, as part of its long-term “Roadmap for Peaceful Elections”, which was designed to curb and prevent disinformation and inflammation via social media and to inform peaceful counter-messaging. Having helped Kenya to develop this milestone plan, the United Nations was equally determined to help find innovative ways to support its implementation.
Djibouti seldom garners the kind of international attention usually given to its neighbors- Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. Yet the country’s experience living through cycles of drought and food insecurity offers immense lessons to the rest of the world.
Since 2019, five consecutive failed rainy seasons across the Horn of Africa have created a devastating drought that has affected millions of people in the region. Water sources have dried up, crops and livestock have been decimated, and people’s capacities to support themselves have been eroded. Compounding the hardship, food prices have rocketed, partly as a result of the war in Ukraine, making it too expensive for most refugees and local communities to afford even basics.