The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are perhaps the most ambitious undertaking for global peace and prosperity since the formation of the United Nations. Achieving the goals requires that the UN system work together within and across countries like never before.
It is a sunny day on the Nakai Plateau in central Lao People’s Democratic Republic, or Lao PDR. Noi has just returned from the market, where she bought a new shirt for her 3-year-old son, Seng. Seng has grown much taller in the two years since Noi left for Thailand in search of better wages.
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.
Information and communications technology (ICT) is like a fast-moving train. New technologies are always being developed. Anyone who boards that train goes further, faster — at least in terms of education and economics and opportunities.
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.
Mongolia needs a significant amount of financial resources to meet its nationalized Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the financing gap has further widened due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
The aim of the UN-backed COVAX scheme is to get two billion vaccine doses into the arms of around a quarter of the population of poorer countries by the end of 2021. What are the main challenges that need to be overcome, if this historic global effort is to be achieved?
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.
It's your first year of university and your best friend is kidnapped for marriage by a group of men. What do you do? That's the question that drives ‘Spring in Bishkek’, a mobile game that has been launched with the support of Spotlight Initiative in Kyrgyzstan.
"I am vaccinated. I am protected. I protect others. " That's the message you can read on the vaccination record card Machad, a health worker in Benin, received. Machad is proud to be among the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
