Somewhere in Kenya, an early morning in July: A woman organizes a once-in-a-lifetime “ceremony” for her 11-year old niece: The girl’s genitals will be cut off as part of her cultural transition into adulthood. A few hours later, a telephone rings in an office in Nairobi. The phone is connected to the number 1195, the national helpline for gender-based violence. One of the girl’s relatives has called in to report the incident anonymously.
In the midst of a global pandemic, we find women on the front lines everywhere, as heads of government, legislators, healthcare workers, community leaders, and more. UN Women presents five examples.
As part of its work towards ending child marriage and gender-based violence in Niger, the Spotlight Initiative partners with young women activists in Niger to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child.
School closures in Myanmar resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have affected millions of students. The UN country team is working with the country’s authorities to ensure that the education system is made more resilient, and children’s schooling is protected as much as possible.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP), which provides lifesaving food assistance to millions across the world – often in extremely dangerous and hard-to-access conditions – has been awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.
To track the UN response efforts, the UN development system established centralized data collecting and reporting systems: the new COVID-19 data portal and UN INFO. These systems allow teams to collect, analyze and report on key indicators of their work related to the SDGs and COVID-19 response, including the number of people served.
The United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been compiling a series of personal accounts highlighting the extraordinary work of individuals during COVID-19 response and recovery; marking UN75.
To mark its 75th anniversary, the United Nations engaged in a dialogue with thousands of young Ivorians about the future they want for their country and the world.
One million lives have been lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with local and national authorities, partners and civil society, UN teams continue to fight COVID-19 with the same continued ferocity and commitment. Today, we highlight some of their efforts across the globe.
