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As countries fight their own battles against the same virus, WHO’s presence has never been more essential. works to connect the best minds from around the world to solve this crisis together. The Organization’s work is focussed on promoting the roles of evidence-based science, guided by the United Nations’ principles of neutrality, impartiality, human rights and equity. WHO is working to gather data and continue . 

Women are at the heart of care and response efforts for the pandemic.

WHO is uniting across borders to speed up the development of tests, treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19, while continuing our work to promote health and serve the vulnerable. Now more than ever the world needs WHO.

Profiles of two women facing each other.

The persistence of obstetric fistula, one of the most serious injuries that can occur during childbirth, is a tragic sign of social injustice and inequity in developing countries.  This failure of health systems could grow greater in times of COVID-19. This International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, the theme is:  "End gender inequality! End health inequities! End Fistula now!". Efforts to end fistula should continue. Universal access to quality maternal health care, preventive measures, and increased attention to affected women and girls should be a priority right now.

When a 45-year-old Russian seafarer aboard a large cargo ship began to show signs of suffering a stroke, in mid-April, the ship’s captain was immediately alerted. Global Voyager Assistance, a remote medical assistance provider, confirmed the stroke diagnosis. But the ship was more than 220 km from the nearest port, and the port authorities rejected initial appeals for emergency medical assistance, due to COVID-19 restrictions in place. Despite repeated requests from the vessel’s captain, the seafarer’s national trade union and that of the country the ship was headed for, the ship could not enter port. The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) called on two UN agencies, the International Maritime Organization () and the International Labour Organization (), to intervene urgently.

It may seem obvious to an adult, but to a child it may not be so clear that they aren’t to blame if they get sick with COVID-19.

Dr Vicente Estrada, a Spanish infectious disease doctor, has dedicated his career to studying and fighting HIV. But when Madrid, where he lives and works, became a hotspot for COVID-19, Dr Estrada and his colleagues pivoted their work to help find a treatment for the disease that is taking a devastating toll on many countries around the world. Through the leadership of the World Health Organization, Dr Estrada and hundreds of other doctors around the world are now working together to find an effective treatment for COVID-19 through WHO’s Solidarity Clinical Trial.

Several countries in Asia and Europe, where the COVID-19 outbreak appears to have peaked, are gradually reopening their economies. Without a vaccine or effective treatment, policymakers will be balancing the benefits of resuming economic activity against the potential cost of another increase in infection rates. They face difficult choices, in part, because the costs of erring in either direction could be very large. Given this, authorities are adopting a gradual and sequenced approach to reopening, along with the adoption of further prevention and containment measures. 

 

Without vaccines, we are at risk of serious illness and disability from diseases like measles, meningitis, tetanus and polio. In today' interconnected world, infectious diseases easily cross borders, infecting anyone who is not vaccinated. Get vaccinated on time, every time.

, , and the  have issued guidelines on the safe reopening of schools amidst ongoing closures affecting nearly 1.3 billion students worldwide. The  caution that the widespread closures of educational facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic present an unprecedented risk to children’s education and wellbeing, particularly for the most marginalized children who rely on school for their education, health, safety and nutrition. The guidelines offer practical advice for national and local authorities on how to keep children safe when they return to school.

’s Pata Pata, is a fresh take on Miriam Makeba’s 1967 hit song. Once called the “world’s most defiantly joyful song”, Pata Pata has been re-recorded by Kidjo to spread information about COVID-19, with a focus on hundreds of millions of people in remote communities around the world. put out a call to the global public, asking people to submit videos of themselves dancing to the song in their homes and gardens, while observing various COVID-19 lockdown, containment and curfew rules. The response was overwhelming.

Impact of COVID-19 epidemic hits Indonesia’s small seaweed processors

How radio is lending Malawi’s farmers a hand in the fight against COVID-19

Boy sits with a radio and a notebook.

While schools are reopening in some corners of the world after pandemic-induced closures, the United Nations and its partners are helping children continue their learning through all possible means, including the Internet, radio and television. Among those efforts, has issued a call to support learning and knowledge-sharing through  â€“ materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or under an open license that permits no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others.

Silhouette of a woman holding a mobile phone.

From misinformation about the use of disinfectants to combat the coronavirus, to false claims that the virus can spread through radio waves and mobile networks, unreliable information is hurting the global effort to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.  By dispelling rumours, fake news, and messages of hate and division, the United Nations is working to spread accurate information. To rally forces behind this effort, the UN is launching a new COVID-19 Communications Response Initiative based on science, solutions and solidarity to fight misinformation.