Month: September 2020

As historic virtual debate wraps, ‘our political leaders demonstrated their commitment to multilateralism,’ says UN Assembly President

UN Photo/Loey Felipe Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, delivers closing remarks to the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-fifth session.     For the first time in the history of the United Nations, global leaders were not able to meet in person for the General Assembly’s annual debate, but […]

Illicit capital robbing Africa and its people of their future: UN trade and development chief

Unsplash/Jason Leung UNCTAD’s Economic Development in Africa Report 2020 states that illicit financial flows rob Africa of $89 billion each year.     Every year, an estimated $88.6 billion, which is equivalent to 3.7% of Africa’s GDP, leaves the continent in the form of illicit capital, according to UN trade and development agency UNCTAD’s Economic Development in Africa Report […]

Pacific small islands and ‘Big Ocean’ nations at UN Assembly make the case for climate action, shift to clean energy

UNDP Tuvalu/Aurélia Rusek The low-lying island nation, Tuvalu, in the Pacific Ocean is particularly susceptible to higher sea levels caused by climate change. Facing constant threats from climate change and wary of the possible spread of COVID-19 to their shores, Pacific Island leaders on Friday touted their own environmental action plans and called for more […]

Impact on workers of COVID-19 is ‘catastrophic’: ILO

ILO/KB Mpofu Martha Maocha runs a detergent manufacturing company but has recently started making hand sanitising gel which protects against COVID-19.    COVID-19 has had a “catastrophic” impact on workers, the head of the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday, with lost working hours higher than originally forecast, and equivalent to 495 million full-time jobs globally in the second quarter of the year.  The bleak news from ILO Director-General Guy […]

LIVE: UN ‘only as strong as its members’ Guterres tells UN75 event, looking to the future

© UNDP India The Indian Government is ensuring that youth volunteers are a part of the conversation and action in meeting their sustainable development goals. On Monday the UN marks the 75 years of the Organization with a High-level meeting featuring many world leaders. The theme is, “The future we want, the United Nations we […]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Shortsighted and ‘stupid mistake’ not to support affordable COVID vaccine for all, says Guterres

UN News/Ben Dotsei Malor – UN News’ May Yaacoub interviews UN Secretary-General António Guterres.     The march of COVID-19 which has “put us on our knees”, should be a lesson in humility for world leaders, and a lack of solidarity on the part of some richer nations towards developing countries, means we will all pay a heavy […]