Silhouette of a woman holding a mobile phone.

From misinformation about the use of disinfectants to combat the coronavirus, to false claims that the virus can spread through radio waves and mobile networks, unreliable information is hurting the global effort to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.  By dispelling rumours, fake news, and messages of hate and division, the United Nations is working to spread accurate information. To rally forces behind this effort, the UN is launching a new COVID-19 Communications Response Initiative based on science, solutions and solidarity to fight misinformation.

Boy walks along sandbars.

As the coronavirus pandemic has halted the travel industry, the United Nations works to cushion the economic impact of COVID-19 on small island developing States, which continue reeling from climate-related challenges. The sudden downturn in travel has left island economies heavily reliant on foreign visitors very worried about their finances. UNICEF, among other UN entities, supports the government responses in Vanuatu, Fiji and Solomon Islands to reach children most in need, while facing the additional demands of the ongoing preparedness and response efforts for COVID-19.

Girl holding a door at the entry of a mud hut.

The United Nations works around the clock to prevent the pandemic from wreaking havoc on refugees, migrants and other vulnerable populations already facing humanitarian crises.  In cramped camp settings, measures to avoid community transmission such as physical distancing and frequent handwashing, are difficult to implement. To prepare for a potential outbreak of the coronavirus in the camps, UNHCR and partners have started constructing isolation and treatment facilities. Refugees and internally displaced people themselves are also responding to the looming threat of COVID-19.

Reefs in shallow water.

As the world plans for a post-pandemic recovery, the United Nations calls Governments to seize the opportunity to “build back better” by creating more sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies. The UN is devising a blueprint for a healthier planet and society that leaves no one behind and actions are being taken to ensure a more resilient future. Secretary-General António Guterres proposed six climate-related actions to shape the recovery. While UNEP works closely to build scientific knowledge on links between ecosystem stability and human health.

A mural in Nairobi’s informal settlement of Mathare creating awareness of the importance of wearing masks to combat COVID-19

Youth in Nairobi slum use murals to educate the community about COVID-19

New health training facilities for aspiring midwives are helping Ghana build a future where better healthcare can be a reality for all its people.

 

Since the onset of the pandemic, WHO has been central the global response to the pandemic: by speeding up research and development, helping countries with their national plans, providing response supplies, as well as helping people protect themselves and others.

A variety of protective equipment individually wrapped in plastic.

Radiation is an effective and established tool to sterilize personal protective equipment (PPE) that is in high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, except for respiratory face masks as it weakens their filters, according to the UN atomic energy agency (IAEA). The IAEA reviewed findings from five institutions that tested the use of ionizing radiation to sterilize gear. Shortages in protective equipment for staff on the frontline continue to pose a problem in many countries.

Pregnant women wearing facemasks exercise with exercise balls.

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 limiting sexual and reproductive health services around the world. This May, UNFPA 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.

Boy sits in front of a computer.

UNRWA launches a rapid response distance learning plan, the “Education Cannot Wait” initiative for 118,000 Palestine refugee students in 169 schools due to COVID-19 closures.

Tall grass surrounded by trees

UNEP presents the new video showing the delicate relationship between humans, wildlife and the pathogens that circulate among them, in the context of COVID-19.

Two women carrying containers and fruit on their heads.

The Director-General of the UN labour agency describes the task before us of building a future of work which tackles the injustices that the pandemic has highlighted.

Girl scrubs a bench accompanied by her teddy bear.

To give parents a helping hand, UNICEF 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.

Hip hop artists wearing face masks.

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 UNESCO online campaign  #DontGoViral.   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 “infodemic” spreading misinformation about the virus.

Man walking along field with irrigation system.

L’Horta is an irrigation system declared by FAO as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). Located in the city of Valencia, it provides healthy food to a million and a half Valencians. Thanks to L’Horta, 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.