Roya sets the white fabric under the needle and presses the pedal of her sewing machine, adding finishing touches on the face mask she is making. Around her, rows and rows of other refugees are also churning out masks – much sought-after protection made necessary by the unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic.
Lerato — not her real name — is a 20-year-old first-year student at the local university. She hunkers down on her chair a few metres from where I’m sitting with her head fixed to the floor. She looks sad, tired and dejected, avoiding any eye contact, as if ashamed of what we were about to talk about.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Mireia Villar Forner of Spain as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Colombia, with the host Government’s approval.
On 1 July, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Vladanka Andreeva of North Macedonia as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, with the host Government’s approval.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Dmitry Shlapachenko of Ukraine as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan, with the host Government’s approval. He will take up his post on 5 July.
Dorys Yessenia Reyna, 41 years old, is a high school teacher, mother, entrepreneur and a religious leader. She’s committed to supporting women and girls who face violence in their lives and homes. Sadly, she has her own experience in this area.
The UN country teams continue their efforts to provide local and national authorities worldwide support in the fight against COVID-19. Today, we highlight some of those efforts.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Susan Ngongi Namondo of Cameroon as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uganda, with the host Government’s approval.
Many years ago, as a little girl, Heni Dwi Windarwati was out walking with her parents when a stranger approached them on the street. “He walked towards me, seemingly out of the blue, and kissed me on my forehead. I remembered not feeling scared because my parents did not react strongly to it,” she remembers. Her parents explained that the man had a severe mental health condition and did not mean any harm. Years later, this interest in mental health inspired her to get a doctorate in psychiatric nursing.
World Environment Day, which fell on 5 June, marked the official launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global push to revive natural spaces lost to development. In the lead-up to the Decade’s launch, we are looking back on some of our most popular restoration-related stories, including this piece originally published in September 2020.
