"It is young people who can tip the balance to the right side in the fight against climate change," reminded Manal Bidar, a young activist from the city of Agadir, Morocco, who is committed to climate action.
Children returning to schools, workplaces re-opening, and vaccines all seemed to point to a return to normal but like 2020, 2021 has been a year of hope, loss, and uncertainty for people around the world. Stories of innovative ways to connect, protect our planet from climate change, and ways we, as a society, have joined forces to protect each other from the pandemic that has ravaged all our lives.
“Persons with disabilities are capable and equal. It is time the world understands that,” says Antonio Palma, a UN Volunteer at the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Guatemala.
Disabled people in Haiti who have been driven from one temporary shelter to another as result of an earthquake, fire and mounting gang violence have been finally able to find a safe home, just ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities marked annually on 3 December.
One year ago, the combined impact of the Eta and Iota storms caused widespread devastation in Guatemala and other Central American and Caribbean countries, affecting nearly 9.3 million people and displacing around 1.7 million people across the region.
The UN has been working with Uruguay for more than 70 years. Over several decades, Uruguay has actively taken part in developing global agendas, and it tends to be one of the first nations to ratify international treaties and agreements regarding the promotion and protection of human rights.
In Southeast Asia, economic development over the past decade has lifted millions of people out of poverty, while dramatically increasing their demand for energy. Millions do not have adequate access to electricity. Today, we highlight three stories of women in the region who harness solar power to empower themselves, their families and their compatriots.
In Thailand as around the world, information and communications technologies (ICT) skills are important in almost every area of life—and that includes environmental campaigns such as Supakarn’s. Now, during the pandemic, technology is vital for people to communicate and access health information, not to mention school and jobs.
"Investments in closing the digital gender divide yield huge dividends for all. The United Nations is committed to working with girls so that this generation, whoever they are and whatever their circumstances, can fulfil their potential." - UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.
