Press Releases

New York, 11 December 2020 Mountains are home to stunning biodiversity. Mountain regions host more than a quarter of terrestrial plants and animals and 30 per cent of key biodiversity areas on land. At a time of accelerating…

New York, 10 December 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced two fundamental truths about human rights. First, human rights violations harm us all. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on vulnerable…

New York, 9 December 2020 Genocide is the most heinous of crimes, encompassing all it touches in a tsunami of hate and destruction. It is an assault on our most fundamental shared values. Today, as we remember and honour the…

New York, 9 December 2020 In recent years, anger and frustration have erupted at corrupt leaders and governments. In some countries, people have taken to the streets with demands for social justice and accountability. Amidst…

New York, 7 December 2020 International aviation plays a key role in human affairs. It lets us discover our world’s wondrous geographic and cultural diversity. It enables us to learn about and benefit from each other. And it…

New York, 5 December 2020 Every year on 5 December, the world observes International Volunteer Day. This year, we are highlighting the important contributions of volunteers to the response to COVID-19. Around the world…

New York, 3 December 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has affected communities and societies at their very core, deepening pre-existing inequalities. Even under normal circumstances, the one billion persons living with disabilities…

New York, 2 December 2020 This year’s global protests against systemic racism have brought renewed attention to a legacy of injustices all over the world whose roots lie in the dark history of colonialism and slavery. But…

New York, 2 December 2020 President Bollinger, Dear friends, I thank Columbia University for hosting this gathering — and I welcome those joining online around the world. We meet in this unusual way as we enter the last month…