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On Our Path to Global COVID-19 Recovery, We Must Focus on Literacy

Three classmates in Bangladesh read together from a children’s book provided by the non-profit organization Room to Read.
Students in Zambia raise their hands to answer questions posed by their teacher.

As we find ourselves in the greatest education crisis of our generation, literacy interventions can act as an antidote to the long-term effects of COVID-19.

A World in Crisis Needs International Cooperation

Reconstruction in Beira, Mozambique, two years after Tropical Cyclone Idai. June 2021. Photo by Chris Huby for UNDRR
Children and teachers in Bangladesh playing an educational game on risks and how to deal with disasters. November 2019. Chris Huby for UNDRR

Despite the clear evidence that investing in disaster risk reduction (DRR) brings great benefits, only a small fraction of international cooperation is being channeled to support such efforts.

The Pandemic Accelerant: How COVID-19 Advanced Our Mental Health Priorities

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.
Dr. Michele Nealon, President, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

There is no health without mental health, and we must address physical and mental wellness in equal measure.

Celebrating the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

Judges of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, 2021. ITLOS Photo
Judge Albert Hoffmann, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. ITLOS Photo

Our oceans have never played a more significant role in all spheres of human life and endeavour as they do today. It is only through sound governance of the oceans that we will continue to reap the benefits of this common good while preserving it for generations to come.

The Centrality of Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes

The UN Secretary-General's Youth Envoy launches a Peacebuilding Fund-supported project to strengthen the participation of young women in local and national peace processes, 27 January 2020. Source: Peacebuilding Fund, South Sudan.

When young people engage and interconnect within all three layers of negotiations—inside, around and outside the room—they have more positive influence in the development of agreements than if they are simply provided a seat at the table.

Unsafe and Disrespectful Health Practices Continue to Harm the Most Vulnerable Women and Newborns

Yeshihareg Nega provides skin-to-skin care to her preterm baby at Felege Hiwot Hospital in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 25 March 2021.
Helga Fogstad, speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2019 Women Deliver Conference in Vancouver, Canada. Credit: Women Deliver

Providing respectful care means meeting the needs of communities and individuals, and taking women’s views and preferences into full account.

Survivors Can Play a Key Role in Combating Human Trafficking

Photo credit: Kat Jayne/Pexels
The theme for this year's World Day against Trafficking in Persons (30 July 2021) is "Victims' Voices Lead the Way". Image credit: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

It is high time that we take to heart the wisdom expressed in the theme of this year's World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and let “victims’ voices lead the way”.

In the Fight to End Human Trafficking, Let Survivors Lead the Way

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash.
The author, Ozark Henry. Photo courtesy of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

We must listen to survivors who managed to escape their abusers and successfully found their way back into society, as they can provide us with unique insights into this crime.

Celebrating the International Day of the Tropics—Towards a Better Global Future

Agricultural land in Indonesia. Photo by Pexels/Julien Pannetier
A young girl at a market on Inle Lake, Myanmar. Photo by Dr. Mark Ziembicki.

Armed with appropriate training and investment, tropical countries will be able to leapfrog traditional development pathways towards a more sustainable future.

When Pushkin Comes to the Rescue: Multilingualism as a Principle for Harmonious Cooperation

Monument to A.S. Pushkin by M.K. Anikushin. Installed in 1959. Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation. oraswet / pixabay
Winner of the 2018 Pushkin poetry translation competition, Kaiss Jarkass, UN Arabic translation service. Russian language program. UN Secretariat. New York, 2018. © Kaiss Jarkass.

This multilingual dedication to the genius of Russian literature marks Russian Language Day 2021, revealing the hope that Pushkin’s legacy will continue to bring people and nations together, while increasing interest in Russian history and culture.