By the end of 2020, COVID-19 had killed nearly 2 million people and left many millions more with lasting injury. It also led to larger crises in health, jobs, education, domestic violence, migration, and more. That’s a lot of fires to put out. But the United Nations is built to deal with many challenges at once.
In his first major speech of the year, the UN Secretary-General underlined the need for global cooperation to address today’s challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
As the world wraps up 2020, we recognize the continued coordinated efforts of the UN teams worldwide. Today, we highlight some of the work taking place across the globe.
A poet and composer named Jotamont wrote that the islands of Cabo Verde are “ten little grains of land” in the middle of the Atlantic—a small archipelago nation 500 kilometers off the west coast of Africa. The United Nations has stood with Cabo Verde country through its 45 years of independence.