In 1948, there was a call for the creation of a "World Health Day" to mark the founding of the World Health Organization. And since 1950, World Health Day has been celebrated annually on 7 April. Each year a theme is selected for World Health Day that highlights a priority area of concern for WHO World Health Day gives all of us a worldwide opportunity to focus on key public health issues that affect the international community. It is celebrated every year on 7 April, under the … [Read more...]
UN WOMEN, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director
March 2, 2015 by
Message of the Executive Director: We call on countries to “step it up” for gender equality Message of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, for International Women’s Day 2015. In 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, world leaders committed to a future where women are equal. One hundred and eighty nine countries and 4,000 civil society organizations, attended the conference. Women left Beijing with high hopes, with a well-defined path towards … [Read more...]
ECOSOC Youth Forum – Feb 2.3
January 31, 2015 by
Youth will take centre stage at the United Nations on 2 and 3 February during the annual Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, exploring the role of young people in the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event will give the world’s youth a powerful platform to engage in dialogue with decision-makers on development issues most important to them. “In order to arrive at an inclusive and people-centred post-2015 … [Read more...]
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A MMITRA MOM
January 10, 2015 by
I joined mMitra program, of ARMMAN and MAMA, in September and since then I have had the opportunity of meeting several of our young pregnant subscribers. They hope for a healthy baby and a fulfilling motherhood like any of us, but their circumstances put them at risk. Although they come from varied backgrounds, the fact that they do not have access to health information and services binds them together. The story below is an archetype based on several different women in the program that captures … [Read more...]
DESA, Preparing for a year of Global Action in 2015
January 3, 2015 by
Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) 2015 is expected to be a historic year for global sustainable development. A number of milestone events are expected to set in motion crucial actions that will benefit both the people and the planet. With UN DESA playing a leading role in these efforts, DESA News met with Mr. Wu Hongbo, UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General, to learn more about upcoming events as well as gains made during the past year. “Critical, busy and … [Read more...]
Road to Dignity by 2030: Blueprint towards sustainable development
January 1, 2015 by
“[We] have an historic opportunity and duty to act, boldly, vigorously and expeditiously, to turn reality into a life of dignity for all, leaving no one behind” In an informal briefing to the 193-Member Assembly on 4 December 2014, the UN chief presented his synthesis report, The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet, alongside the President of the General Assembly, Sam Kutesa who also addressed delegates, describing the process of … [Read more...]
Child Rights for 25 years, ‘better or worse’ today?
November 22, 2014 by
Kurdish refugee children from the Syrian town of Kobani in a makeshift classroom at a refugee camp in the border town of Suruc on November 18, 2014. OSMAN ORSAL/REUTERS Twenty-five years since the United Nations ratified its Convention on the Rights of the Child, have the lives of the world’s children improved? A new report tried to answer that question and found some gains among ongoing and long-standing challenges. Examining the quality of life for children in 190 countries, the report … [Read more...]
