While the prospect of vaccines in 2021 provides hope in defeating this virus, UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s message that ‘there is no panacea in a pandemic’ is clear. Robust public health measures centred around the scientifically proven steps that prevent the spread of COVID-19 remain the most practical response. To its credit, China has set a good example by adopting this approach, as I have witnessed firsthand.
Life can be hard in the rural villages of southern Niger. Sometimes, like last year and the year before, insects destroy the crops. And not least of all, there’s the weather. The mercury can soar past 40 degrees in the hot season, and the rains can come hard and fast in the wet season. One day, recalls Asma Abdou, “A heavy rain started to fall at 4:00 in the afternoon. At 7:00, I put the children to bed under a mosquito net”—that’s to protect them from insect-borne diseases such as malaria.
In December 2020, we marked a big milestone: 100 UN country teams (or UNCTs) now have websites that are all connected under one web hosting environment. Under this one umbrella, 100 country teams can now share news with partners.
The fight against COVID-19 continues and so does the work of our UN country teams worldwide. Teams are delivering medical and personal protective equipment, aiding authorities in national vaccination roll-outs, and helping with overall recovery and response. Today, we highlight some of those efforts.
Asia and the Pacific is a dynamic and prosperous region. How is it possible that nearly two billion people experience such food insecurity? This figure is just one of the findings of the latest annual report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition.
In rural and border communities, an innovative mobile campaign combines birth registration with food and hygiene supplies, bringing them to families’ doorsteps.
COVID-19 threatens the health and nutrition of almost two billion people in Asia and the Pacific alone. The pandemic is devastating already fragile circumstances for billions worldwide. UN teams across the globe are aiding to address some fundamental challenges to people’s safety, and health and food security. Today, we highlight some of the coordinated efforts.
