“I can tell you, perseverance pays,” says Bernadette Gomina, who ran unsuccessfully for the legislature in 2005 and 2010. She was elected in 2015 and reelected in 2020. “[Women parliamentarians] face issues at many levels: [lack of] finances, discriminatory behaviours and mindsets, but us women … we have our part to play; we must change our mindsets and get to work, together, to change this situation.”
Twenty young Beninese women, ages 16 to 24, who have dropped out of school, will learn to sew masks and make liquid soap, and will then take trainings on COVID-19 preventive measures, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, and the basics of leadership and women's entrepreneurship.
United Nations country teams around the world continue to provide medical, logistical and socio-economic support to local authorities, coordinating resources to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Through stronger coordination, these teams are mobilising local, regional, and global partners to provide life-saving medical supplies to vulnerable communities, combat misinformation on vaccine efficacy, and ensure equitable distribution of vaccine through the COVAX programme.
The pandemic has presented a complex set of challenges, especially for seniors like Marco Antonio. he To support the country’s seniors, the Chilean National Service for Older Persons (SENAMA) , created a national phone line 800-400-035, named FONO Mayor COVID-19.
For Sister Juliet Lithemba, the past year has been “nothing short of grace and mercy from above,” as she explains it. The 77-year-old resident of Mt Royal Convent of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa, located in Lesotho’s Leribe district, didn’t know much about COVID-19 until her convent home and fellow sisters were infected by the deadly virus.
When I met Akuvi Sossah, 52, mother of four, at a medical centre in a suburb of Lomé, the capital city of Togo, in early April, she proudly showed me the confirmation code that her son had helped her obtain after she registered on her mobile phone for COVID-19 vaccination.
Across the Caribbean, young women and single mothers are getting the support they need to weather the pandemic and achieve their potential. Here, we visit UN projects in Trinidad and Tobago and, further north, in Saint Lucia.
We are living in unprecedented times. COVID-19 continues to devastate health systems, cripple economies, and exacerbate inequalities across the globe. As I write these words, the Caribbean region remains a hotspot of a disease, which is highlighting a simple reality: global crises require global solutions. This pandemic is our opportunity to strengthen regional collaboration and global solidarity to address our shared challenges and move forward. This can only happen if we are courageous and dedicated enough to seize the opportunities presented to us.
As a 42-year-old man, who has worked for almost three decades in local construction, Jonathan acknowledges that it wasn't strange that women that walk passed a construction job site were victims of all kinds of personal attacks - insults, hisses, catcalling – and other forms of harassment.
Despite a sore arm, Jemimah Katama, a nurse, is delighted to have received a COVID-19 vaccine. As lead coordinator at Kenyatta National Hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control department, she knows better than most how important the immunization can be.
2030 Agenda and the SDGs
COVID-19
Help us improve your experience.
We are revamping the UNSDG website to make it clearer, more accessible and easier to navigate.
Can you share your feedback through a 7 question anonymous survey to support the process?
