'After major setbacks to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Pacific needs fairer access to financing as it fights to overcome climate challenges,' writes Simona Marinescu, UN Resident Coordinator in Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau.
The UN Secretary-General’s final day in Suriname began on a small plane and ended at a podium. A 90-minute flyover from Paramaribo into the Central Suriname Nature Reserve revealed to António Guterres the astounding beauty of the Amazon but also spotlighted the threats the rainforest is facing from mining and logging activities, and climate change.
Our UN teams are on the ground, working with governments and key stakeholders to bolster countries’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping ensure a smooth recovery. They tackle a range of multi-faceted priorities and key initiatives on a daily basis—from climate action to gender equality and food security—and utilize innovative approaches to problem-solving to better serve communities. Below are some highlights of their work this month.
We are living in unprecedented times. COVID-19 continues to devastate health systems, cripple economies, and exacerbate inequalities across the globe. As I write these words, the Caribbean region remains a hotspot of a disease, which is highlighting a simple reality: global crises require global solutions. This pandemic is our opportunity to strengthen regional collaboration and global solidarity to address our shared challenges and move forward. This can only happen if we are courageous and dedicated enough to seize the opportunities presented to us.
Europe and Central Asia have the opportunity to place women and youth at the centre for a greener, more equitable and more sustainable recovery from COVID-19 – in other words, a recovery process that is anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This was a key message from the United Nations Deputy-Secretary-General Amina J Mohammed as she chaired the first Regional Collaborative Platform in Eastern Europe, a new mechanism bringing together UN entities working at the regional level for sustainable development.
A poet and composer named Jotamont wrote that the islands of Cabo Verde are “ten little grains of land” in the middle of the Atlantic—a small archipelago nation 500 kilometers off the west coast of Africa. The United Nations has stood with Cabo Verde country through its 45 years of independence.
