As the world marked the fourth International Day of Education on 24 January, we need a renewed engagement to transform education and build a better future for our children in line with the promises of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is well established that the key to a better future for children in any country lies in quality education. It is no different for Lesotho, a demographically young lower-middle-income country where nearly 40 percent of the population is under 18.
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.
The Panama Canal Museum opened its doors to commemorate Human Rights Day and the 20th Anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, which embodies the world’s commitment to tackle racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Teams are intensifying their efforts across the globe to tackle COVID-19 and the latest variant: Omicron. They are also helping countries as they face multidimensional challenges like an increase in gender-based violence and political unrest.
Children returning to schools, workplaces re-opening, and vaccines all seemed to point to a return to normal but like 2020, 2021 has been a year of hope, loss, and uncertainty for people around the world. Stories of innovative ways to connect, protect our planet from climate change, and ways we, as a society, have joined forces to protect each other from the pandemic that has ravaged all our lives.
During the pandemic, violence cases against women increased significantly in Honduras. The country has the highest femicide rate in the Latin American region.
“Persons with disabilities are capable and equal. It is time the world understands that,” says Antonio Palma, a UN Volunteer at the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Guatemala.
Everyone should have access to hygienic, safe, and sustainable sanitation. Yet 3.6 billion people still live without safely managed sanitation, threatening health, harming the environment, and hindering economic development.
The UN has been working with Uruguay for more than 70 years. Over several decades, Uruguay has actively taken part in developing global agendas, and it tends to be one of the first nations to ratify international treaties and agreements regarding the promotion and protection of human rights.
