United Nations Human Settlements Programme

The stakes are clear: digital transformation can either widen divides or bridge them. Through its work with UN agencies and the Resident Coordinators, the Joint SDG Fund has been investing in digital transformation across the world, shaping interlinked policies and channeling investments to country-led initiatives.

UNICEF, in partnership with UN-Habitat, began joint rehabilitation works in several schools to provide children a safe environment to learn. Othayma’s school in Nashabieh town, rural Damascus, was one of them.

The King Hamad Youth Empowerment Award recognizes young people’s efforts to become effective, productive citizens, who contribute to the welfare of their communities and environment and help advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  

Droughts have become an urgent global issue. Aggravated by human-induced climate change and desertification, they threaten all types of countries, negatively impacting food security and socioeconomic development. And prospects are not reassuring as droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population by 2050.

Our UN teams are on the ground, working with governments and key stakeholders to bolster countries’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping ensure

“Li Beirut” is an international flagship initiative launched from Beirut by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, in the aftermath of the Beirut explosions, to support the rehabilitation of schools, historic heritage buildings, museums, galleries and the creative industry.

Adisa's schedule to make sure water is available at home required her to travel some 1.5 kilometres to fetch from a stream. After a hectic day, walking to get water was another strenuous task. Today, Adisa, a 28-year-old mother of five, no longer rushes from work.

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.

In January, tropical storm Eloíse killed at least 6 people in Mozambique. That number might seem low, but the true impact is much greater. The storm also displaced 18,000 people and has affected a total of 250,000. It also caused considerable damage to 76 health centres and 400 classrooms.

When the disaster struck the heart of Beirut, Lebanon was already reeling from civil unrest, economic and financial hardship, increasing poverty and unemployment compounded by political tensions and a soaring number of COVID-19 cases. This has been further exacerbated by the heavy burden of Syrian and Palestinian refugees.   

Together with governments and partners, UN country teams worldwide are working to help protect the safety and security of communities, particularly those facing humanitarian crisis. Teams are stepping up their effort to obtain more essential lifesaving supplies and shelter for those most at-risk. We highlight some of the coordinated efforts.

Born into the privilege and comforts of a high-caste Brahmin family in Nepal, Ratna Khawas’s life changed drastically when she got married to someone outside her social class, in 1968. She and her new husband moved to his home village in Belbari, where there were no toilets or handwashing facilities. That shock set her on what became a lifelong quest to improve sanitation for her and her neighbours. 

Last week, the world celebrated the International Day of the Girl Child. Progress for adolescent girls has not kept pace with the realities they face today, and COVID-19 has reinforced many of these gaps. Data shows women and girls are especially vulnerable in the face of COVID-19. UN teams across the globe recognize the urgency to protect and support women and girls, especially right now, and are taking every measure to do so.

UN teams worldwide are uniting with governments, implementing partners and the private sector to fight COVID-19 together. We highlight some of the global responses as of 29 May 2020.

Learn how UN teams across the globe are working together to tackle COVID-19. Here, are some of the coordinated response efforts as of 22 May 2020.