The stakes are high as education policymakers from more than 100 countries gather in Paris, France for urgent talks on how to rescue education systems in some of the world’s low-income countries.

Sport is all about participation. It has the power of bringing together individuals, communities and countries, often bridging cultural, ethnic and national divides. But as COVID-19 has ravaged through our world, it has taken a heavy toll on both professional and recreational sports. 

When the outbreak of a new virus in Wuhan, China made world news back in December 2019, few people imagined we were about to face the global crisis that COVID-19 has unleashed. And even those who did, predicted that richer countries would remain relatively unscathed by the virus, with their well-funded health infrastructure with highly trained and experienced personnel and cutting-edge facilities. Developing and least developed countries, on the other hand, were expected to be hit the hardest. 

For centuries, indigenous peoples worldwide have suffered from epidemics and pandemics brought to their communities by outsiders. This danger only intensified with increased global travel, trade and transportation. In the colonial era, epidemics served as a deadly tool of conquest, leading, in some cases, to the annihilation of entire indigenous populations. Today, they continue to threaten indigenous peoples across the world.

While COVID-19 has wiped out important development gains in mere months, with extreme poverty rising for the first time in decades, the pandemic could spark the transformations needed to achieve stronger social protection systems, the UN Secretary-General said on Tuesday.  

UNESCO estimates that over 1.5 billion students in 165 countries are out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has forced the global academic community to explore news ways of teaching and learning, including distance and online education.

UNESCO estimates that over 1.5 billion students in 165 countries are out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has forced the global academic community to explore news ways of teaching and learning, including distance and online education.

UNESCO estimates that over 1.5 billion students in 165 countries are out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has forced the global academic community to explore news ways of teaching and learning, including distance and online education.

UNESCO estimates that over 1.5 billion students in 165 countries are out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has forced the global academic community to explore news ways of teaching and learning, including distance and online education.

UNESCO estimates that over 1.5 billion students in 165 countries are out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has forced the global academic community to explore news ways of teaching and learning, including distance and online education.