This is an overview of the perspective of the Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General for the Transforming Education Summit: Leonardo Garnier, originally from Costa Rica, outlines the genesis of the current crossroads in education, with particular emphasis on the Latin American and Caribbean region.
Celebrated annually on 8 September, International Literacy Day promotes the importance of literacy as a fundamental human right and aims to advance global efforts towards a more literate, equal, and inclusive society. In recent years, digital literacy has become an increasingly important part of the education and learning process; providing a generation of learners the writing, reading and technical skills to navigate our digital world.
So far, 10 African countries have pledged their support for the Education Plus initiative: Benin, Cameroon, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda.
Our UN teams are on the ground in 162 countries and territories, coordinating joint programmes and tackling a range of multi-faceted priorities and key initiatives on a daily basis — from climate action to gender equality and food security.
Our UN teams are on the ground, working with governments and key stakeholders to bolster countries’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping ensure a smooth recovery.
The Ukraine crisis may pose a threat to food security and living standards in Africa, but it could also provide incentives to boost intra-African trade. Those were the key messages from Hanan Morsy, Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), during a recent online presentation to over 100 UN officials from all over the continent. Many UN Resident Coordinators chimed in with observations from the field.
Our UN country teams and their partners around the world, including host governments, are continuing to work together in tackling the multifaceted impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and recovering better together to accelerate progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. We are also responding to other challenges, focusing on providing support to those most vulnerable. Below are some highlights of our work in March 2022.
The virtual platform Mujeres Emplea connects women with job offers and entrepreneurial opportunities in the public and private sectors. It also provides free training tools and promotes a listing of current offerings of child and adult care services.
With less than a decade left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on gender equality and women’s empowerment, the commitment is yet to translate into action on the ground. The Eighth Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, which was held in Kigali, Republic of Rwanda, from 3 to 5 March 2022, offered Africa a unique opportunity to engage all stakeholders on accelerating actions towards achieving SDG 5 by 2030.
