Press Releases

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…

New York, 1 December 2020 With the world’s attention focused on the COVID-19 crisis, World AIDS Day is a reminder of the need to maintain focus on another global pandemic that is still with us nearly 40 years after it emerged…

New York, 30 November 2020 More than one hundred years after the first large-scale use of chemical weapons in battle, they continue to inflict terror, suffering and death. Recent years have seen the erosion of the taboo…

New York, 30 November 2020 I am pleased to join you for the 13th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Later this week, we will also observe the…

New York, 29 November 2020 As the United Nations marks its 75th anniversary, the question of Palestine remains distressingly unresolved. The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the Palestinian economy and undermined the already…

New York, 25 November 2020 Violence against women and girls is a global human rights challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed this issue as a global emergency requiring urgent action at all levels, in all spaces…

New York, 20 November 2020 The COVID-19 crisis hit African economies well before the pandemic spread across the continent, with falling demand for African commodities and products, disruptions in trade and travel, reduced…