Schools for more than 168 million children around the world have been closed for an entire year due to lockdowns, a report from UNICEF says, noting that around 214 million children globally, or one in seven, have missed more than three quarters of their in-person learning. The most vulnerable may never return, it warns.
The Independent Audit Advisory Committee of the United Nations (IAAC) held its fifty-third session from 17 to 19 February.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today launched the Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative, with 15 leading airlines supporting the prioritization of the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines and other critical supplies.
Amid growing concerns over unilateral coercive measures and their unintended humanitarian consequences, several delegations stressed today that sanctions remain a relevant tool for the maintenance of international peace and security, as the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization opened its 2021 session.
At least 15 United Nations and associated personnel — 12 peacekeepers and three civilians — were killed in malicious attacks in the line of duty in 2020, according to the Standing Committee for the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service of the United Nations Staff Union.
The United Nations and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research hosted an online discussion on how to prioritize actions to recover more equitably from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 100 participants from 60 countries attended, including those responsible for $100 billion annually in global research investments.
The Independent Audit Advisory Committee of the United Nations (IAAC) held its fifty-second session from 8-11 December. Due to the ongoing challenges associated with the pandemic, the meetings were held virtually. The session was presided over by the Chair, Janet St. Laurent. All the other members of the Committee, namely Richard Quartei Quartey (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Bradley, Anton Kosyanenko and Agus Pramono were in attendance.
NEW YORK, Friday, 11 December (Department for Operational Support) — On 9 and 10 December, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+) as a Guest of the Chair.
The global security environment has entered a phase of heightened and extended volatility, with increased threats of civil unrest and a steady rise in instability across the globe, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres says in his report on the “Safety and Security of Humanitarian Personnel and Protection of United Nations Personnel”, released today.
Honduras deposited the fiftieth instrument of ratification to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, resulting in it being entered into force in January 2021. The Secretary-General said the Treaty is a commitment towards the elimination of nuclear weapons, which is the Organization’s highest disarmament priority.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered, at the informal meeting of the General Assembly Observance Ceremony in Commemoration of United Nations Day, today:
The General Assembly today concluded its high-level meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, with several Member States remembering how the Organization’s peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts lifted them out of conflict and put them back on the path to a better future.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on UN Day, observed on 24 October:
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the General Assembly meeting marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, in New York today:
In a high-level meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, world leaders in the General Assembly gathered in a virtual format today to adopt a declaration honouring the multilateral framework put in place by its founders in 1945 and pledging to better live out the promise to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
The World Meteorological Organization launched today FOCUS-Africa, an $8.2 million initiative funded by the European Commission to increase resilience and adaptation in Southern Africa over the next four years. It will deliver tailored services in agriculture and food security, water, energy and infrastructure.
The Independent Audit Advisory Committee of the United Nations (IAAC) held its fifty-first session from 22 to 24 July 2020. Due to ongoing challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the meetings were held virtually. The session was presided over by the Chair, Janet St. Laurent. All the other members of the Committee — namely Richard Quartei Quartey (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Bradley, Anton Kosyanenko and Agus Pramono — were in attendance.
The General Assembly established the United Nations Board of Auditors in 1946 as an important mechanism to promote accountability and transparency in the Organization.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the annual memorial service for fallen staff, in New York today:
An estimated 4.1 million girls will be subjected to female genital mutilation this year and if programmes and services stay shut for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that figure will reach 6.1 million by 2030, according to the United Nations Population Fund’s “State of World Population 2020” report issued today.
