Month: January 2021

Fewer protections, lower wages, and higher health risks: Homeworking in the COVID era

World Bank/Henitsoa Rafalia A father takes care of his young child while working from home in Madagascar.   The UN’s labour agency (ILO) called on Wednesday for greater recognition and protection for the hundreds of millions of people who work from home, accounting for almost eight per cent of the global workforce even before the COVID-19 […]

Humanitarians seek $1.3 billion to help millions in war-weary Afghanistan

OCHA Afghanistan/Fariba Housaini A woman walks in front of tents at an internally displaced persons (IDP) site in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan.    The UN and humanitarian partners in Afghanistan are seeking $1.3 billion to assist almost 16 million people in need of life-saving assistance as a result of decades of conflict, recurrent natural disasters, and the […]

Posted in Aid

Guterres to seek second five-year term as UN Secretary-General

UN Photo/Mark Garten The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, attends a virtual meeting marking the 75th anniversary of the first United Nations General Assembly which took place in London in January 1946.  António Guterres confirmed on Monday that he will be seeking a second five-year term as UN Secretary-General, which would begin in January 2022. Briefing correspondents […]

Vaccinating equitably ‘saves lives, stabilizes health systems’ – WHO chief

UNICEF/Panjwani Families receive vaccinations and counselling at a socially distanced Village Health and Nutrition Day in Gujarat, India.   Two billion doses of “safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines” have been secured by the international equitable vaccine alliance COVAX, and they will be ready for distribution as soon they are delivered, the UN health agency chief said on […]