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COVID-19 origins report inconclusive: We must ‘leave no stone unturned’ – WHO chief A digital illustration of the coronavirus shows its crown-like appearance. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention A digital illustration of the coronavirus shows its crown-like appearance. 30 March 2021 Health The report from a team of international scientists assembled by the World Health Organization (WHO) to examine how COVID-19 first spread to humans was published on Tuesday, and was described by the UN health agency’s chief as a welcome start, but far from conclusive. “This report is a very important beginning, but it is not the end”, said WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We have not yet found the source of the virus, and we must continue to follow the science and leave no stone unturned as we do.” He welcomed the findings of the 34-member team, which in January, visited the Chinese city of Wuhan where the first cases of the then new coronavirus came to light at the en

UN World Food Programme wins 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, as hunger mounts A UN World Food Programme (WFP) helicopter delivers much-needed supplies to people in Udier, South Sudan. UNICEF/Peter Martell A UN World Food Programme (WFP) helicopter delivers much-needed supplies to people in Udier, South Sudan. 9 October 2020 Peace and Security The UN World Food Programme (WFP), which provides lifesaving food assistance to millions across the world – often in extremely dangerous and hard-to-access conditions – has been awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. The agency was recognized “for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict”, said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. WFP is the largest humanitarian organization in the world. Last year, it assisted 97 million people in 88 countries. Its efforts

Countries face ‘critical moment’ in COVID response: UN health agency chief A volunteer guides and instructs girls in a town in Yemen, on the proper way to wash their hands.© UNICEF/Dhia Al-Adimi A volunteer guides and instructs girls in a town in Yemen, on the proper way to wash their hands. 2 October 2020 Health With strong leadership and comprehensive strategies it’s never too late for countries to change the trendlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite passing the tragic milestone of one million deaths this week amid regional surges in infections, said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday. To be sure, countries are also seeing some two million new COVID-19 cases each week, WHO Executive Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at his latest press briefing in Geneva. Varying country contexts Describing four varying national situations, he said those countries that jumped on the virus quickly have avoided large outbreaks. Others had large outbrea

UN Women/Pathumporn Thongking A healthcare worker checks the temperature of a patient at a hospital in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand.         1 August 2020 Expressing “appreciation for  WHO  and partners’ COVID-19 pandemic response efforts”, the emergency committee convened by the UN health agency’s chief,  made it clear  that there is not yet an end in sight to the public health crisis that has so far infected more than 17 million and killed over 650,000 people. The committee convened by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), held its fourth meeting on 31 July. Sustained effort needed In  its statement  following the meeting, published on Saturday, it highlighted the “anticipated lengthy duration” of the pandemic, noting “the importance of sustained community, national, regional, and global response efforts.”   After a

© UNHCR/Alissa Everett Samrawit, a 20-year-old Eritrean asylum-seeker braids her friend's hair at the UNHCR Emergency Transit Centre in Gashora, Rwanda.         30 July 2020 Law and Crime Prevention The UN commemorated  World Day against Human Trafficking  on Thursday spotlighting the essential – but often overlooked - role of first responders who identify the millions of victims worldwide, helping them secure justice, and rebuild their lives. “These are the people who work in different sectors - identifying, supporting, counselling and seeking justice for victims of trafficking, and challenging the impunity of the traffickers,” UN  Secretary-General António Guterres   said in his message  on the Day, which is observed annually each 30 July. ‘True shift’ needed Their role has only become more important in the context of  COVID-19 , particularly as travel restrictions have forced new dangers upon victims, who ar

UN News/Daniel Dickinson A park in Brooklyn, New York, has marked out circles in order to enforce social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.         30 July 2020 Although older people are among those at highest risk of COVID-19, the head of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) has reminded younger generations that they are “not invincible” when it comes to the disease. Evidence suggests that the spike in cases in some countries is partly due to younger people “letting down their guard during the northern hemisphere summer”,  WHO  chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus  said  on Thursday. “We have said it before and we’ll say it again: young people are not invincible”, he told journalists. “Young people can be infected; young people can die; and young people can transmit the virus to others.” He stressed that the world’s youth “should be leaders and drivers of change” during the  COVID-19  pandemic. Protect yoursel

WFP/Claire Nevill In Harare, Zimbabwe, a single mother of three relies on food assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP) during the COVID-19 pandemic.         30 July 2020 The World Food Programme (WFP) is urgently seeking more international support to prevent millions of Zimbabweans plunging deeper into hunger. The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated an already severe hunger crisis in Zimbabwe, UN humanitarians warned on Thursday. In an appeal for an additional $250 million to support emergency relief for millions of vulnerable people, the World Food Programme ( WFP ) said that by the end of the year, the number of food-insecure people in the southern African nation, is expected to surge by almost 50 per cent, to 8.6 million. Triple shock That represents around 60 per cent of the population, the agency said in a statement, blaming drought, economic recession and the  coronavirus  pandemic as the main drivers of the cr