Indonesia, like many of countries in South East Asia, had until recently been successful in mitigating the worst health impacts of COVID-19; some form of physical distancing measures have long been in place.
Since taking up my post here in October 2020, I’ve only met most of my colleagues on screen and have almost entirely avoided Jakarta’s notorious traffic jams. Still, the non-health impacts of the pandemic are stark.
On the occasion of the first anniversary of the Beirut blast, UN Country Team in Lebanon with diplomatic corps observe a minute of silence to honor the victims.
It is 5 a.m. and Ceferina, a 30-year-old migrant day labourer, or jornalera, begins her day in southern Jalisco, Mexico. She and her family live in a shelter and work in vegetable and sugar cane fields. They live and work alongside other jornaleras families from different parts of the country, mainly from the south of Mexico.
On August 4th, 2020, a devastating blast in a warehouse destroyed much of the centre of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Many neighbourhoods were destroyed, downtown Beirut looked like a war zone. Thousands were injured and some 200 people tragically lost their lives on that day and the days that followed. For many, their property and livelihoods were literally blown away.
Human trafficking is a crime that strips people of their rights, ruins their dreams, and robs them of their dignity.
The Blue Heart Campaign encourages everyone to get involved: raise awareness and inspire action to help
stop human trafficking and to fight its impact on society.
Roya sets the white fabric under the needle and presses the pedal of her sewing machine, adding finishing touches on the face mask she is making. Around her, rows and rows of other refugees are also churning out masks – much sought-after protection made necessary by the unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic.
The UN country teams continue their efforts to provide local and national authorities worldwide support in the fight against COVID-19. Today, we highlight some of those efforts.
The small mountain nation of Bhutan has so far managed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, despite sharing a border with China and India, two countries which have been badly affected by the pandemic. Bhutan is now on the way to vaccinating more than 90 per cent of the eligible adult population.
During this pandemic, I had the honour of delivering a commencement speech. In preparing for my remarks, I thought about the future young people face today and how I felt at that age, full of energy and aspirations, ready to take on the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on Jordan's infrastructure and resources, which, in turn, has substantially impacted Jordanian society and has brought additional hurdles to the refugee communities, especially for the women and girls in these communities. Today, we highlight three inspiring stories of resilience.
