News headlines in 2021, page 3

France should consider the economic and development benefits of partnership with people of African descent, the head of a Working Group appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said in a statement on Monday. 

The UN cultural agency commemorated on Monday the 50th anniversary of its Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), which created in 1971, has been promoting a long-lasting connection between people and nature.

Despite the almost miraculous development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 in 2020, the virus continued to spread and mutate throughout the last year, with much of the blame placed on a lack of effective global collaboration as a key reason for the prolonged pandemic. 2021 also saw the launch of a UN-backed programme to help developing countries protect their populations against the virus, and steps were taken to prepare for future global health crises.

COVID-19 continues to demonstrate how quickly “an infectious disease can sweep across the world”, pushing health systems to the brink and upending daily life for all of humanity, the UN chief said on Monday, marking the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.

Authorities in Myanmar must investigate a recent deadly attack against civilians in Kayah state, the UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement on Sunday.

Secretary-General António Guterres was among UN leaders paying tribute on Sunday to the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, describing him as “an unwavering voice for the voiceless.”

Somalia has been riven by decades of conflict and extreme weather events but, says Adam Abdelmoula, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, there are signs of progress amidst a host of ongoing challenges.

Many migrant domestic workers in Lebanon are denied basic human rights, and suffered abuse at the hands of their employers. Since the worsening economic crisis in the country their plight has, if anything, worsened.

In the wake of recent developments in northern Ethiopia, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday urged warring sides to seize the opportunity to bring an end to more than a year of fighting in the Tigray region.

MADRID, Dec 23 (IPS) - Now it comes to the scary water crises, as it is estimated that, globally, over two billion people live in countries that experience high water stress.