With health systems stretched, movement restrictions in place and concerns about disease exposure in health-care settings, mothers and midwives are risking their own health and lives to bring new life into the world. The pandemic is around the world. This May, applauds midwives and celebrates mothers, and calls for partners and governments around the world to take every possible step to ensure their safety and health.
launches a rapid response distance learning plan, the 鈥淓ducation Cannot Wait鈥 initiative for 118,000 Palestine refugee students in 169 schools due to COVID-19 closures.
presents the new video showing the delicate relationship between humans, wildlife and the pathogens that circulate among them, in the context of COVID-19.
The Director-General of the describes the task before us of building a future of work which tackles the injustices that the pandemic has highlighted.
To give parents a helping hand, compiled the latest expert information on what is known about the COVID-19 virus, as well as tips to help keep it out of your home.
The song Protect your Life, by the Raised Fists collective of Niger, raises awareness of, and mobilizes against, the spread of COVID-19 across Africa. The song makes part of the online campaign . This crowdsourced creative content addresses the urgent need for culturally relevant openly licensed information in African languages to inform communities about how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and combat the 鈥渋nfodemic鈥 spreading misinformation about the virus.
L鈥橦orta is an irrigation system declared by FAO as a . Located in the city of Valencia, it provides healthy food to a million and a half Valencians. Thanks to L鈥橦orta, 6 000 family farms, including 10 fisheries, guarantee food reaches not only the Community of Valencia but also other communities and towns outside its borders. This irrigation system and use of water is an example of agriculture adapting to climatic conditions.
Although the spread of the coronavirus has been relatively slow in South and Southeast Asia, the United Nations and its partners are working to save the densely populated and disaster-prone region from the impact of COVID-19, which would bring further human suffering to vulnerable people like the Rohingya refugees. The spread of COVID-19 in the region has been comparatively slow, adopting early and aggressive physical distancing measures. In the coming weeks and months, each State will experience varying levels of transmission, and will need to calibrate its response accordingly.
COVID-19 has disrupted billions of lives and endangered the global economy. The (IMF) has announced a global recession, and the (ILO) expects workers will lose as much as $3.4 trillion in income by the end of 2020. Full or partial lockdown measures are now affecting almost 2.7 billion workers, representing around 81 per cent of the world鈥檚 workforce. The United Nations calls for a global response to match the scale of the crisis as countries roll out emergency stimulus packages to support livelihoods.
As COVID-19 continues its march around the world, the United Nations is working to reduce its negative impact on children, who are facing new health risks, disruptions to their education and increased exposure to domestic violence and hunger. Some of the figures best show children鈥檚 vulnerability: School shutdowns now affect over 91 per cent of the world鈥檚 students; over 117 million children in 37 countries could miss out on life-saving measles vaccines; and 32 per cent of children who show symptoms of pneumonia are not taken to a health care provider.
Despite the restrictions the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on their activities, United Nations peacekeeping missions continue to carry out their mandates while also helping countries in their coronavirus response. UN missions are supporting national authorities in their response to COVID-19, through capacity-building, logistics, awareness-raising, and the distribution of medical equipment, among other initiatives. The missions are also using radio and social media to provide information and counter misinformation about the crisis.
Countries must not forget routine lifesaving immunizations for diseases like measles, while racing to find a vaccine that will save millions of lives and end the聽COVID-19听辫补苍诲别尘颈肠.
For expectant mothers facing the outbreak of COVID-19, fear, anxiety and uncertainty may be clouding the otherwise happy moments of pregnancy. asks an expert midwife on how to best protect yourself and your baby. While many expectant mothers are fearful of going to appointments, it is important to find out what options are available from their healthcare professional and in their communities. After the child is born professional guidance and support should continue.
reports significant levels of lockdown-related disruption over 6 months could leave 47 million women in low- and middle-income countries unable to use contraceptives, leading to a 7 million additional unintended pregnancies. Other projections include an additional 31 million cases of gender-based violence, an estimated 2 million more cases of FGM over the next decade than would otherwise have occurred, and an estimated 13 million more child marriages over 10 years.
As the COVID-19 crisis pushes up levels of hunger among the global poor, and UNICEF are urging national governments to prevent devastating nutrition and health consequences for the 370 million children missing out on school meals amid school closures. The agencies are working with governments to support children who are out of school during the crisis. In 68 countries, governments and WFP are providing children with take-home rations and other alternatives to school meals.