Latest stories
?gata returns to school in Brazil during the pandemic
Everyone stayed inside their homes in 2020 because of the pandemic and in-person learning at school in the small city of Vigia, in Pará, Brazil was suspended. For students like ?gata Melo, 8 years old, not only did she lose contact with her teachers, she lost an entire year of school.
Only together can we end this pandemic and recover
One full year into the COVID-19 pandemic, our world has faced a tsunami of suffering. So many lives have been lost. Economies have been upended and societies left reeling. The most vulnerable have suffered the most. Those left behind are being left even further behind.
Radio provides solace during COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, radio broadcasts into homes, workplaces and hospitals have provided essential updates on health measures and provided solace to scores of people cut off from their loved ones.
Serbian woman promotes rights of people with disabilities during COVID-19
Mónika Zsúnyi is 26 years old and lives in Temerin, Serbia. She holds a MSc degree in Applied Mathematics, she is engaged in 3D modeling and loves to read. Living with a cerebral palsy, she is also very active in promoting rights of people with disabilities in Serbia.
During the pandemic, students rely on solidarity
Isolated, abandoned, depressed. Those are the words used to describe how students feel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of them must study online with very little social interaction. Unprecedented solitude leads to psychological suffering, in addition to growing impoverishment.
Teenage caregiver in Belgium receives COVID-19 vaccine
Yente Thomas is 17 years old and has become one of the first teenagers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Belgium, a country which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yente volunteers in a residential care home and was therefore included in the first phase of the country’s vaccination strategy, along with the care home’s elderly residents.
2 million COVID-19 deaths: “Our world can only get ahead of this virus one way - together”
Our world has reached a heart-wrenching milestone: the COVID-19 pandemic has now claimed two million lives. In his video message, Secretary-General António Guterres encourages global solidarity to save lives, protect people and help defeat this vicious virus.
Brazilian college student organizes care package deliveries in hometown during COVID-19
Estephany Oliveira, 22, a college student whose studies were interrupted by COVID-19, considered those who might be more at risk during the pandemic. She founded Solidarity Laranjal with her friends to deliver food to impoverished and isolated families in Northern Brazil.
COVID-19 drives global surge in volunteering
At the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers have demonstrated an exceptional display of solidarity across the world. Responding to calls for help from their local communities, they are everyday heroes.
Stronger health systems and Universal Health Coverage must be a priority
Nearly a year into the pandemic, we face a human tragedy, and a public health, humanitarian and development emergency. For the first time since 1945, the entire world is confronted by a common threat, regardless of nationality, ethnicity or faith. But while COVID-19 does not discriminate, our efforts to prevent and contain it do. For that reason, the pandemic has hit the poorest and most vulnerable in our societies hardest.
Deliv’rue delivers meals “at home” for homeless people
Since early November, hundreds of volunteers have mobilized to cook and deliver meals to homeless persons in Montpellier in the south of France. The group’s name, Déliv’rue, is a pun on “Deliveroo” a popular home delivery service (“Rue” means street in French). It seeks to bring food, comfort and a connection with the city’s most least fortunate.
Youths become the voice of favelas with UNICEF project
To help Palmeirinha, a favela in the northern zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, Lays dos Santos, 21, started a youth-driven Eu Vivo Favela (I Live Favela) group to assist the community.
Joint Statement on Data Protection and Privacy in the COVID-19 Response
A Joint Statement on Data Protection and Privacy in the COVID-19 response was issued after endorsement by the undersigned UN System Organizations. Developed by the UN Privacy Policy Group, an inter-agency group on data privacy and data protection, the statement supports the privacy protective use of data and technology by the UN in fighting the current pandemic. The joint statement is based on the as well as the recommendations in the Secretary-General’s Data Strategy on data protection, privacy, and human rights.
COVID-19: an unprecedented news story for journalists
For journalists across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented news story. The relentless news cycle, an ‘infodemic’ of misinformation, let alone the personal challenges of a pandemic which affects each and every one of us, have made this one of the most unique stories reporters will likely ever tell.
Monica and Friends cartoonist shares trusted information on COVID-19
It is essential to share reliable and easy to read information so that people can protect themselves against COVID-19 in the right way. "This is why Turma da M?nica (Monica and Friends) is collaborating with the United Nations," said Brazilian cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa in an interview with the United Nations Information Centre for Brazil (Unic Rio).