Date: May 25, 2021
Time: 10 a.m. EDT I 2 p.m. GMT I 10 p.m. CST
RSVP
Table Talks are bi-monthly community calls for young people anywhere to get involved with food systems action.
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Date: 3 June 2021
Time: 9:30 a.m. EDT I 1:30 p.m. GMT I 9:30 p.m. CST
RSVP
Hear from TikTok & Instagram leaders along with UN Food Systems Summit Youth Leaders & walk away with tools for meaningful change!
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A young soldier from the United Kingdom says he must stay on his “A-game” on patrol with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, to keep himself, colleagues and Malians safe in one of the most dangerous UN postings anywhere in the world.
Trooper Jack Drake, who just celebrated his 25th birthday on tour, is a part of a 300-strong British reconnaissance contingent which arrived in the West African country in December 2020. Its role in the mission known as known as MINUSMA is to gather information about local conditions and protect civilians in trouble spots around its base in Gao in northeastern Mali.
Trooper Drake spoke to UN News ahead of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers which is marked annually on 29th May. Read more...
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The small mountain nation of Bhutan has so far managed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, despite sharing a border with China and India, two countries which have been badly affected by the pandemic. Bhutan is now on the way to vaccinating more than 90 per cent of the eligible adult population. Gerald Daly, the UN Resident Coordinator there, says that volunteers, and preventative government action, have been key to the country’s success.
“Bhutan has been exemplary in the way it has responded to COVID-19. Practically the entire eligible adult population of more than 530,000 people (anyone in Bhutan with no history of allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccines is eligible) have received the first dose. The initial batch of AstraZeneca doses were a gift from India, and the UN assisted with advocacy and cold chain support.
One of the features of Bhutan is the fact that there are so many communities living in remote geographical areas. The government coordinated its approach and reached out to all of these remote communities often by helicopter, with vaccines, which were then often distributed on foot by health workers, sometimes walking from village to village, through ice and snow. Read more...
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A video conversation with academics
By: Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
Despite Africa’s wealth and diversity, the continent's human capital has neither been fully harnessed nor meaningfully incorporated into development strategies. In this conversation, experts discuss the historical roots of the current situation and prerequisites necessary for Africa to unleash the potential of this rich human capital.
The conversations also highlights the importance of the UNESCO’s Cultural Conventions and African Union frameworks and strategies as drivers for sustainable development, the renewal of the curriculum and educational systems at different implementation levels, the link between cultural heritage and sustainable development, the use and teaching of languages as being of strategic importance for the development of societies; and the role of new actors like the diaspora, the youth, local communities and African civil society organizations (CSOs) in all aspects of Africa’s development. All of this shall be done through the scope of the various cultural conventions and working instruments that the continent and its partners have adopted over the years.
The High-level conversation, organized as part of the ongoing 2021 Africa Dialogue Series, offers valuable insights into the role of culture in unleashing human potential.
Follow daily at: www.un.org/osaa/ads2021
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COVID-19 has exposed and accelerated existing gender inequalities. The impact on women and girls has been severe and disproportionate. As we begin to recover from the pandemic, we must put gender equality at the heart of that process. To make this happen, we all need to play our part.
Act For Equal! Join Generation Equality and show people everywhere that, together, we’re standing up for gender equality.
HOW CAN YOU #ACTFOREQUAL
USE YOUR VOICE
Share the campaign placards and help us draw attention to the issue.
WRITE
Ask your government or major companies to act - download an example letter you can use here.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Influence the Generation Equality Forum – link to Public Conversations platform.
SHARE THE CARE LOAD
Make sure you are sharing care-giving equally in your family. Check out this unpaid care calculator as a first step to re-balancing roles in your home.
DONATE TO A WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION
In your local community. Our Action Coalitions have found that a key gap in advancing gender equality is a lack of funding for grass-roots women’s rights organizations and movements. Research and invest in these organizations, or in women’s funds, which exist to fuel them. You can also donate to UN Women’s work.
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Understand the extent of the problem and learn how we can fix it:
- Read this summary of the current status of women’s rights
- Unpack how gender inequality affects women’s everyday lives.
- Visualize the data on women’s representation across the world.
- Read this book by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, or this book by Melinda Gates.
- Check out this UN Women report on gender equality in the wake of COVID-19.
HOW ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES CAN #ACTFOREQUAL
COMMIT FOR EQUAL
Become a commitment maker via the Action coalition process.
USE YOUR VOICE
Share our campaign content and help us draw attention to the issue and encourage other businesses to join you and #ActForEqual.
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Be creative and help refugees
The theme of the 2021 art contest is “Together through sport”. It sheds light on the power of sport to bring people together and create a sense of hope.
This year, you can send an illustration and enter #dreamball design contest. The best designs will be turned into footballs made by an ethical manufacturing company and sold to support sporting activities for refugees!
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The future of the world depends on good food. It’s that simple.
Good food keeps us healthy. It helps us reach our potential. It strengthens our communities, powers our economies, and protects our planet.
But not everyone gets good food every day – and the way we produce and market food is harming our environment. This has to change.
That’s why the UN Secretary-General has called for the historic, first-ever Food Systems Summit this year.
WE NEED ACTION
Here's what you can do today:
Join us in inspiring action
What does good food mean to you? Perhaps it’s special moments with the ones you love, a treasured childhood memory, or a traditional recipe handed down for generations. Tell us today by recording and sharing a video.
Become a Food Systems Hero
We need people like you to become a Food Systems Hero and commit to learning, sharing, gathering and acting for food systems transformation. Ahead of the Summit, we'll send you ways to get your community involved in the global movement for safe, sustainable and equitable food systems.
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To promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
Sustained and inclusive economic growth can drive progress, create decent jobs for all and improve living standards. Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, one in five countries – home to bil- lions of people living in poverty – were likely to work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration. A continued lack of decent work opportunities, insuf- ficient investments and under-consumption lead to an erosion of the basic social contract underlying democratic societies: that all must share in progress. Learn more...
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Open Call: Present your research idea to help transform agri-food systems at the World Food Forum.
How can we sustainably feed a growing global population? How can we reduce the alarming levels of food loss and waste? How can we safeguard the environment for future generations? All while facing new and more complex threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The goal of the World Food Forum (WFF) Innovation Lab is to bolster innovation for sustainable development in support of ending hunger. Led by global youth, it engages the leaders of tomorrow, elevates the innovators and innovative solutions that are already making a difference, and aims to inspire the world to confront the threats that our agri-food systems face today.
More information |
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The United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library is pleased to announce that it has migrated its website to a new platform in line with the most up-to-date UN standards. Some of the benefits include achieving technical efficiencies and better content integration with the main UN website.
You will notice that the look and feel of the website is different – it has been aligned with the current UN guidelines for web publishing and branding. The content and information provided on our website remain the same and is continuously updated. As before, you can find the following information and features on our website, which is available in the 6 official languages of the UN:
- Library services (reference and research assistance, training courses and resources)
- Library resources (information about various databases and journals we subscribe to)
- Links to useful research tools for UN documentation
- Single search box to discover and access UN materials in the UN Digital Library, as well as books in the library collections, e-books, e-journals, journal articles, and open access papers
- Access to our popular Ask DAG knowledge base and our research guides
- UN Member States on the Record
- UN Depository Library Programme
- Library News blog
Visit the website here
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The world’s indigenous peoples call 22 per cent of the global land surface home. They live in areas where you find about 80 per cent of the planet’s biodiversity and much of the world’s non-commercially exploited land and many of its remaining mineral and forest resources, major rivers, fossil fuels and sources of renewable energy.
While often described as the custodians of our Earth’s precious resources, they are frequently denied their rights to lands, territories and resources, according to a new UN DESA publication released today.
The latest volume of the State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples entitled “Rights to Lands, Territories and Resources”, examines these continuing obstacles along with some of the major risks and reprisals that indigenous human rights defenders face for protecting and defending their land, including increasing criminalization, harassment, assault and killings. But the new publication also offers solutions and ways forward.
Read the full report.
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Leaving no village behind
Around the world, four out of every five people facing extreme poverty live in rural areas. In cities, 5.3 per cent of people suffer extreme poverty, while this share climbs to 18 per cent for rural residents. The upcoming World Social Report 2021 examines the urban-rural divide and offers solutions to ensure that no village is left behind.
Read more...
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This week UNCTAD's latest Global Trade Update showed that trade in goods during the first quarter of 2021 was higher than the pre-pandemic level, but trade in services remained substantially below averages. Read more. And in Français, Español.
UNCTAD also told the story of women in rural Namibia who profit from biodiversity-friendly trade ahead of World Biodiversity Day. The sustainable use and trade of indigenous plants has created valuable economic opportunities for 2,500 Namibian women and their communities. Read more in English, Français, Español.
As the world marked Biodiversity Day 2021 on 22 May the role of trade in helping combat biodiversity loss has never been greater. Trade must be part of the solution to biodiversity loss. Unsustainable trade is behind the biodiversity crisis threatening our existence. But done sustainably, international commerce can help protect our planet’s precious resources. We explored here.
Thought leadership and opinion
Many are unaware of what encompasses the creative economy and its importance for prosperity, but we need creative thinking and innovation for a full COVID-19 recovery, writes UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Isabelle Durant in a piece published in Intellectual Property Magazine.
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Date: Wednesday, 26 May 2021
Time: 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. EDT
Register
Leading voices in the fields of forest and ocean ecosystem restoration and management will discuss practical solutions and ways to reform these systems to minimize their effect on the environment, in the context of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-cutting issues such as financing, governance, gender, data and statistics will be part of the discussion.
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Episode 3 : Follow the Money
Date: Wednesday, 26 May
Time: 12:00 to 1:30 P.M. EDT
Register for the discussion
Watch Episode 3 (free and at your own pace)
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Date: Tuesday, 1 June 2021
Time: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Register
Deadline: 25 May 2021
The President of the General Assembly will convene a high-level thematic debate on the ocean and Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water on Tuesday, 1 June 2021, at United Nations Headquarters in New York. With the support of the Governments of Portugal and Kenya – co-hosts of the 2nd United Nations Ocean Conference, as well as H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Oceans, this gathering will serve as a drumbeat to generate momentum towards the Conference in Lisbon, when public health safety measures allow.
More information
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Date: Thursday, 3 June 2021
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. EDT
Register
The High-level Dialogue on Energy, to be held in September 2021, represents the first global gathering on energy under the auspices of the General Assembly since the UN Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy held in Nairobi in 1981. It presents a historic opportunity to provide transformational action in the first years of the SDG Decade of Action and support the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The engagement of stakeholders from a broad range of sectors, including non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, local and regional governments, the private sector and philanthropic organizations will be critical for the successful outcomes of the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy.
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Date: Thursday, 3 June 2021
Time: 3 PM CEST ( 9 AM EDT)
Register
Faith and community leaders have been recognized as pivotal in protecting the environment and working towards climate action. Their responsiveness is crucial, especially at the local level and with other faith actors.
The webinar will host indigenous activists, telling their stories and journeys to change.
More information
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Listening to the diverse voices of small businesses – from cafes to farmer cooperatives, digital start-ups, and veterinary surgeries - is a key component of the Summit process to identify bold, new solutions for improving food systems.
The UN Food Systems Summit competition ‘Best Small Business: Good Food for All’ will identify the best small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from across the world transforming food systems for a better tomorrow. The competition will uncover not only the small businesses and their employees who are leading the charge for more sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems, but also the ways in which they can be supported to scale up their trades sustainably.
Application deadline: 4 June 2021
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Date: Friday, 4 June 2021
Time: 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. EAT
Where: Live on UNEP YouTube
Join us in a conversation on #GenerationRestoration and add your voice for change!
Youth from different sectors, media personalities, entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders will participate in a virtual event and call to action for our ecosystems. Speakers will share experiences and individual actions they take in their daily lives to protect the planet. The livestream event will also feature interactive dialogues and social media moments.
The protection and restoration of our ecosystems is crucial to ensuring the livelihood of current and future generations. Young people around the world have taken action in protecting the environment. Their ideas, perspectives, and solutions are addressing major global challenges and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. As we celebrate World Environment Day, we must not forget that everyone, no matter who they are or what they do, has a role in ensuring a healthy planet. The UN Environment Programme, working in partnership with the UN Department of Global Communications, will hold a virtual youth-led event to commemorate World Environment Day under the theme Reimagine, Recreate, Restore.
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Date: 8 June 2021
Register
The second fully virtual celebration of United Nations World Oceans Day, on 8 June 2021, will highlight the theme of The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods.
Produced by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations, in partnership with the non-profit organization Oceanic Global, and presenting partner Blancpain, this year’s annual event will shed light on the wonder of the ocean and how it is our lifesource, supporting humanity and every other organism on Earth.
More info
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Date: Thursday, 10 June 2021
Time: 10 - 11:30 a.m. EDT
Register
The United Nations Department of Global Communications Outreach Division is pleased to invite your high school to participate in the 12th Annual Global Student Conference on slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.
High school students will have an opportunity to interact with youth from across the globe and learn more about the history of the transatlantic slave trade and its impact on the modern world. In advance of the conference, students will be asked to research either an enslaved person of African descent who fought for justice, a site of memory in their country, or a project related to this year’s theme: “Ending Slavery’s Legacy of Racism: A Global Imperative for Justice.”
The theme reflects the global movement to end injustices whose roots lie in the slave trade. The theme highlights the importance of educating about the history of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery, to bring about an acknowledgment of slavery’s impact on the modern world, and action to address its long-lasting effects. The theme guides the Programme’s development of educational outreach and remembrance to mobilize action against prejudice, racism and injustice.
Select students will be invited to present their project at the conference. Teachers and students are asked to register for the conference no later than 28 May 2021.
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Mandated by the General Assembly since 1981, the RAF Fellowship provides an opportunity for exceptional young journalists from developing countries and economies in transition to gain unique, in-depth exposure to the UN, its daily work and its people, through exclusive trainings, briefings and interviews with top UN officials, diplomats and more. RAF Fellows benefit from a more nuanced understanding of the UN and related issues, gain access to a diverse international network of journalists, and can expect a positive impact to their careers.
This year’s programme will be conducted entirely online in Sep-Oct 2021, during the opening session of UNGA 76. The programme invites applications from working journalists aged 22-35 from an eligible Member State, with a demonstrated passion for covering UN priority issues in the areas of peace and security, sustainable development, human rights, and climate action.
Deadline for applications: 15 June.
Website
Application Form
Contact: leminh.nguyen@un.org
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UpLink and 1t.org, in collaboration with Salesforce and supported by the UN Decade on Ecosystems restoration, have launched the #GenerationRestoration Youth Challenge. The Challenge is a global call for impactful and inspiring solutions by ecopreneurs and young change-makers to conserve and restore ecosystems of all types, including intact and degraded terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, such as forests, grasslands, peat, etc.
Submissions are open until 15 June 2021
Learn more about the scope of the Challenge, assessment criteria and how to submit your solution here
The best 10-20 submissions will be invited to a 4-month accelerator programme by 1t.org to help scale and advance their impact. This will include targeted support, access to networks and community, as well as social media and communications for increased public exposure.
Do you have any questions? Contact Gianluca Gygax (gianluca.gygax@weforum.org) for more information.
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Date: 30 June - 2 July 2021
Register
More info
The Generation Equality Forum, which will be held in Paris from June 30 to July 2, is a multi-actor and intergenerational gathering: it encourages all participation.
Become actors and actresses of the Forum by registering now!
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The United Nations and the Government of Italy have announced that the Pre-Summit gathering for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit will be in Rome, Italy, on 26-28 July 2021.
Under the leadership of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi, the Pre-Summit event will bring together the efforts and contributions of a global engagement process to shape ambition to transform food systems. The three-day event will bring together youth, smallholder farmers, indigenous peoples, researchers, private sector, policy leaders and ministers of agriculture, environment, health, and finance among others to deliver the latest evidence-based and scientific approach from around the world, launch a set of new commitments through coalitions of action, and mobilize new financing and partnerships. The Food Systems Summit will take place in September alongside the UN General Assembly in New York.
More information
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Civil Society Corner
Disclaimer: Announcements listed under this section are initiatives of civil society organizations associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Publication in the Weekly Announcements does not mean endorsement of these initiatives by the United Nations.
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Are you interested in high quality, on-line SDG education programs at no cost and with a flexible schedule? If so, you should be a part of the great education transformation that is taking place at this time! Through the Global NGO Education Committee (GNEC) and Rutgers Preparatory School, the Innovation Academy is offering a variety of programs that address both global and local challenges that should be of interest to you. It provides NGOs a virtual platform for online courses and programs from top schools and other organizations, designed for every grade level, from world-class educators. For the first time, NGOs now have a virtual site to post and access educational materials and from which to globally engage students and educators. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity to expand your knowledge, be connected, and be inspired by NGO leaders and educators. For more information, contact Dr. Kevin Merges at: ia@rutgersprep.org or Dr. Rose Cardarelli at: rcardarelli@email.wm.edu.
https://innovation.academy
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All DGC-associated CSOs are eligible for one vote in the Board Elections of the Global NGO Executive Committee. If none of your representatives receives an emailed ballot with login credentials from noreply@eballot.com this week, please designate a voter among you and request a ballot ASAP via the form at http://globalngoexec.org/elections
Also: meet the candidates there through their statements and pictures!
Voting in the 2021 GNEC Election will qualify those who missed the Biennial Review deadline for a time-limited second chance. Don’t miss this opportunity!
Please contact us at gnecelections2021@gmail.com if you have any questions.
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Date: Wednesday, May 26 2021
Time: 8 a.m. EDT
Watch LIVE at: https://youtu.be/1fEjSE35Ruk
A digital ceremony organized in observance of the United Nations' International Day of Vesak, reflecting on the spirit of the Buddha's teachings.
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Date: Thursday, 27 May 2021
Time: 1 PM - 3:30 PM EDT
RSVP
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Date: May 25, 2021
Time: 10 a.m. EDT I 2 p.m. GMT I 10 pm CST
RSVP
Table Talks are bi-monthly community calls for young people anywhere to get involved with food systems action.
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Taking Actions to Address Climate Change,
Promote Sustainability, and Protect Human Rights
A Youth Empowerment Summit ( Summer, 2021; 2021-2022 Academic Year)
The Youth Empowerment Summit is a year-long global program that engages international youth from primary grades through college in the design and implementation of interdisciplinary, informed action projects focusing on Sustainable Development Goals #11-13. Working with peers, experts and community leaders, participants will
research topics of their choice, share their ideas with other groups, then design and implement outreach projects.
The program will help young people develop a sense of social responsibility and gain 21st century citizenship skills essential to meet the challenges of our diverse, multicultural societies, both locally and globally.
Learn more about the summit here
Registration
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The Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights will organize its 20th Specialization Course in International Criminal Law for Young Penalists on “Human Rights, Criminal Justice and International Law” online on July 5-9, 2021.
The Course addresses young scholars from across the globe, including recent law graduates, practitioners, academics and students, pursuing higher education or careers in the fields of international criminal law and international relations. Professor William A. Schabas, Professor of International Law at Middlesex University, chairs and coordinates the course, assuring the highest quality of education administered by some of the most erudite academics and researchers in the field of international criminal law. This year’s confirmed instructors include President Piotr Hofmański, President of the International Criminal Court, Aminata Touré, former Minister of Justice and former Prime Minister of Senegal, and Paolo Pinto de Albuquerque, former Judge of the European Court of Human Rights.
The deadline for submitting your application is May 30, 2021. For more information on the course, please visit the Siracusa Institute’s website .
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Date: 3 June 2021
Time: 9:30 a.m. EDT I 1:30 p.m. GMT I 9:30 p.m. CST
RSVP
Hear from TikTok & Instagram leaders along with UN Food Systems Summit Youth Leaders & walk away with tools for meaningful change!
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A workshop of the Interconnected Justice Series
Date: Tuesday, 8 June 2021
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 AM PT ( 1:00 - 2:30 PM EDT)
RSVP
Racism and white supremacy have become central talking points in North America when addressing the roots of systematic injustice in our society. Hear from Cooperation Circle members about their experience in tackling these topics in community organizing and interfaith spaces.
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On Women's History Month, we launched the call for civil society to submit your #GenderEquality stories. We acknowledge the everyday action you take for gender equality and appreciate its impact on a community. Please share your story with us to highlight them on our website and social media platforms.
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Everyday around the world, civil society takes action on climate change that inspires others and benefits the planet. These stories of positive impact provide hope for the future.
As the world confronts the pandemic and embarks on recovery, there is growing recognition that the recovery must be a pathway to a green and sustainable society. Since there are many challenges ahead, good ideas should be widely exchanged. This is why the United Nations now calls for civil society organizations to share your stories.
UN Department of Global Communications will highlight the achievements of civil society on behalf of the climate, the planet, and global well-being through social media posts and on our website*. We know your actions will inspire others. Working together, we can make a difference.
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