Under-Secretary-General Movses Abelian speaking with the President of the 76th session of the General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, in the General Assembly Hall. Photo credit: UN DGACM

This year's observance of International Mother Language Day also occurs a few weeks after the launch of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032) and provides a further opportunity to highlight the extent to which languages and cultures are intertwined and interdependent. Cultures find expression through languages, and they feed languages, nourishing and enriching them.

Sridhar Venkatapuram

Global Health Justice: Now Is the Time

The recognition of the social injustices surrounding the pandemic is an important opportunity to understand the longstanding links between health and social and global justice.

Artist impression, National Holocaust Museum of the Netherlands (interior). Image by Opera Amsterdam and Studio Louter, National Holocaust Museum
Emile Schrijver

Holocaust Museums Commemorate Victims and Provide Perspective for the Future 

In the summer of 2023, Amsterdam’s Jewish Cultural Quarter will open the National Holocaust Museum in the former Teacher School and the Hollandsche Schouwburg. The new museum will not only deal with the history of the Holocaust proper, but it will also show the enormous effect that it had on Dutch society, Jewish and non-Jewish alike.

Jukka Salovaara

Online Harassment Is Not Gender-Neutral

Only through collective action between governments, the private sector and civil society can we achieve a future where people can discuss societal issues online free of abuse, regardless of their gender.

A participant using his Braille keyboard during the special event "The Art of the Possible", on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. United Nations, New York, 3 December 2018. UN Photo/Manuel Elías
Martine Abel-Williamson

Taking Control of Our Right to Read

Now is the time for the United Nations and similar entities to make funding and capacity-building support available so that more scientists and even ordinary people can invest time into developing creative solutions.

Manufacturing of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine "Covishield" at the Serum Institute of India (SII). ©Gavi/2020
Richard Hatchett

Prepare to Prevent: Developing Pandemic-Busting Vaccines Against “Disease X”

Vaccines are at the heart of how modern societies counter infectious disease threats. They are our most potent tool against pandemic risks and will be critical to any future response. The faster an effective vaccine is developed and deployed, the faster an incipient pandemic can be contained and controlled. 

Also featured

Brenden Varma

What I Learned in Iraq

Our message was that, although these elections were Iraqi-owned and Iraqi-led, the United Nations was standing with Iraq every step of the way.

Young girls in a child-friendly space supported by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in El-Gezira state, the Sudan, 2018. Photo: Fabienne Vinet
Virginia Gamba

Translating Hope into Action: 25 Years of Protecting Children from the Impact of Conflict

We have come a long way in ensuring that all children, including those affected by conflict, are better protected from the ravages of war. But we must do more.

The Himalayas, Langtang National Park, Gosainkunda, Nepal, 18 December 2017. Photo: Sergey Pesterev on Unsplash
Salina Dolmo Lama and Ashita Gurung

The Mira Rai Initiative: Mountain Preservation and Promoting Sustainable Tourism in Nepal

In order to preserve our mountains and further develop sustainable tourism, it is equally important to manage natural and human resources.

Martha Helena Lopez

Calling the United Nations System to Action on Disability Inclusion

When it comes to diversity and inclusion, we must challenge ourselves to push beyond our historical focus on gender and geography. We must address the inclusion of other underrepresented groups more intentionally in our workforce, including persons with disabilities.

Chronicle Conversations

A Chronicle Conversation with Fernanda Maciel and Tina Muir, 10 August 2021

The UN Chronicle speaks with elite runners Fernanda Maciel and Tina Muir about their passion for running and #TheHumanRace campaign to urge world leaders to honour their pledge to contribute $100 billion annually for climate action in developing countries.

Youth Issues

The UN Chronicle interviews youth environmental activist Aditya Mukarji

Lyubov Ginzburg of the UN Chronicle interviews fifteen-year-old environmental activist Aditya Mukarji on the problem of plastic pollution and the first-ever United Nations Youth Climate Action Summit. 22 September 2019, New York

Legacy Showcase

New Technologies: Where To?
Vol. LV Nos. 3 & 4 2018

New Technologies: Where To?

This issue focuses on new technologies and their potential benefits for humanity as well as their expanding use in advancing the 2030 Agenda. It explores the promise of our digital age, while posing important questions about where these technologies are leading us, and how their misuse could also lead to increased inequality and conflict.

Vol. LV No. 2 2018

2030 Agenda

This issue focuses on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity, which commits United Nations Member States to work towards a sustainable future for all. The articles, by Senior Officials of the United Nations system, examine the Organization’s lead role in advancing the 2030 Agenda, and in promoting peace, social equality and human rights.

Latest Reports

World Economic Situation and Prospects 2022

The global economic recovery is facing significant headwinds amid new waves of COVID-19 infections, persistent labour market challenges, lingering supply-chain challenges and rising inflationary pressures. After expanding by 5.5 per cent in 2021, the global output is projected to grow by only 4.0 per cent in 2022 and 3.5 per cent in 2023, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2022.

About the UN Chronicle

The UN Chronicle, produced by the United Nations Department of Global Communications, has served as the Organization’s flagship magazine since 1946, providing authoritative information and debate on the activities of the larger United Nations system. Learn more...

Construction of UN Permanent Headquarters in New York, 1 August 1950. UN Photo/ES