28 September 2020 – When South Africa went into a total coronavirus lockdown in March, Grace had no choice but to let four employees of her peanut distribution business go. “I have managed to retain only one of them,” says the 43-year-old entrepreneur, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “That’s how badly my business has been …
28 September 2020 – Protect the Progress: Rise, Refocus, Recover, 2020 highlights that since the movement was launched 10 years ago, spearheaded by then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, there has been remarkable progress in improving the health of the world’s women, children and adolescents, with under-five deaths reached an all-time recorded low in 2019, and more than 1 billion children …
The bleak news from ILO Director-General Guy Ryder coincided with an updated mid-year forecast from the UN body. Lower and middle-income countries have suffered most, with an estimated 23.3 per cent drop in working hours – equivalent to 240 million jobs – in the second quarter. Previously, the ILO had suggested a 14 per cent average drop in global working …
24 September 2020 – The pandemic is the first in history in which technology and social media are being used to both inform people and keep them connected, but also to undermine global response to the crisis and jeopardize measures to contain the disease, they explained. “Misinformation costs lives. Without the appropriate trust and correct information, diagnostic tests go unused, …
Pretoria, 22 September 2020 – A bold targeted fiscal expansion, led by the advanced economies, is the only way to build a fair and resilient economic recovery from COVID-19, according to UNCTAD’s Trade and Development Report 2020 launched globally today, including in South Africa. Public-debt-to-GDP ratios will increase substantially in 2020 and, if the past is any guide, they will …
Addressing the largely empty General Assembly Hall in New York, Mr. Guterres characterized the pandemic from the podium as “not only a wake-up call” but “a dress rehearsal” for challenges to come. “In an interconnected world, it is high time to recognize a simple truth: solidarity is self-interest. If we fail to grasp that fact, everyone loses”, he said, delivering …
