Category: Development

In its World Economic Situation and Prospect (WESP) report update, launched on Wednesday, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) said that as of mid-2020, the gross domestic product (GDP) in developed countries will plunge to -5.0 per cent, while the output of developing countries will shrink by 0.7 per cent.  “The global economic outlook has changed drastically… Read More

WHO’s latest World Health Statistics reveal that low-income countries reported the biggest gains in life expectancy, which rose by 11 years between 2000 and 2016. Other achievements during this period include a dramatic scale-up in access to services to prevent and treat HIV, malaria and tuberculosis. Child mortality was also halved thanks to better maternal and child healthcare. However, WHO… Read More

The UN Peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) told the UN Spokesperson’s Office on Wednesday that the appearance of cases within one of the camps in the capital was “not unexpected, given the rising number of cases confirmed within communities across the city.” “The UN continues to urge displaced people in the sites to follow prevention measures such as social… Read More

With a dramatic increase in the costs of supplies, shipment and care, the agency appeal is up from a $651.6 million request made in late March – reflecting the devastating socioeconomic consequences of the disease and families’ rising needs. The #COVID19 pandemic is a health crisis which is quickly becoming a child rights crisis.@UNICEF is appealing for US$1.6 billion to… Read More

“It lays bare our responsibility to promote solidarity as the foundation of our response – a solidarity based on the human rights and human dignity of all”, Secretary-General António Guterres explained. “And it highlights the crucial role of religious leaders in your communities and beyond”. Joined by leaders from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths, the UN chief cited previous… Read More

Some 80 troubadours – a medieval French term for wandering singers and poets who focused on courtly love – are now on the move to remote areas in eight provinces in Chad to raise awareness of the dangers of COVID-19 and what measures need to be taken to stop the spread of the deadly disease. These traditional custodians of information typically… Read More

“Over the weekend we saw signs of the challenges that may lie ahead”, he told journalists. Tedros was referring to reports that South Korea has shuttered nightclubs and bars after a confirmed case of COVID-19 led to thousands of contacts being traced. The Chinese city of Wuhan – where the new coronavirus first emerged – also identified its first cluster… Read More

“Our commitment to achieving the SDGs has not changed, but the urgency to act has”, said Mona Juul, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as discussion over the topic, “Joining Forces: Effective Policy Solutions for Covid-19 Response”, got underway online. She maintained that while working towards breakthroughs that will help the world overcome the health emergency, including a… Read More

“There is a risk that the hard-earned gains of the AIDS response will be sacrificed to the fight against COVID-19, but the right to health means that no one disease should be fought at the expense of the other”, said Winnie Byanyima, the head of UNAIDS, the UN agency dedicated to tackling the disease, and eradicating it by 2030.  Projections… Read More