UNDP and UNEP join forces to help recreate national parks in Pakistan. In 2020, the government of Pakistan launched the 'Protected Areas Initiative', which aims to increase protected areas, such as national parks, wetlands and wildlife reserves, to cover 15% of the total land area. country by 2023. In the last two years, the coverage of protected areas has already increased to 13.9% and it seems that progress is assured. To this end, Pakistan is adding 7,000 jobs to manage and work in the parks, a key boost after job losses due to COVID-19. UNEP's Protected Planet Report 2020 concludes that to be fully effective, jobs in protected areas must come from and benefit local communities, and fully include women at all levels of planning and implementation. Côte d'Ivoire is one of the first African countries to vaccinate with the COVAX Facility February 28, 2021 Côte d'Ivoire on February 28 became the second country in Africa to receive the vaccine through the COVAX Facility, after Ghana. Our UN team on the ground is proud to have supported the authorities in this effort. The country has received more than half a million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which were transported by UNICEF around the world. The UN Resident Coordinator, Philippe Poinsot , also welcomed the efforts of all partners who have contributed to this enormous global and national effort with meticulous planning around logistics, preparation and distribution, supported by the family of the United Nations system, committed to leaving no one behind. Vaccination will begin on Monday, February 28, prioritizing health workers and other most exposed risk groups.
The UN team has repurposed more than US$12 million to help Côte d'Ivoire address the multiple impacts of the pandemic.The UN unites to provide food security to those most in need in Malawi February 16, 2021 Social Protection for the Sustainable Development Goals (SPA4SDG) is a joint United Nations program that aims to adapt Malawi's social protection system to meet emergency food needs. and reduce the vulnerability of people most at risk of food insecurity by 2022, while strengthening the social protection system for all vulnerable households CZ Leads throughout the life cycle. The program combines the advancement of an innovative Shock-Sensitive Social Protection (SSSP) prototype with strengthened financial structures and the transformation of existing policies into legal frameworks to improve the existing social protection system so that be more robust, comprehensive and sustainable, without leaving anyone behind.'Listen to Her' short film about domestic violence sparks emotion and action in India December 28, 2020 Ayesha is a graphic designer at a leading firm. During the pandemic, she was locked in her house with her husband and her young son. Her part-time assistants have been arrested. So Ayesha has a lot to do. On a busy morning, she usually receives repeated missed calls from an unknown person. She finally answers, only to discover that it is the wrong number. But what she hears next horrifies her... That's the opening scene of a short film by acclaimed director and actress Nandita Das, titled 'Listen to Her'. The film creatively confronts the issues that many women are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic: an unprecedented increase in their workload and, at times, domestic violence.
Produced with the support of UNESCO , UNFPA , UNICEF , UN Women and the South Asia Foundation (Madanjeet Singh Foundation), the film inspires viewers to speak their minds and publishes helpline numbers for survivors can seek help. “This pandemic has taught us that our lives are deeply intertwined. I wanted to tell a simple story of an overburdened woman and an abused woman, both impacting each other,” says actress, director and social advocate Nandita Das. U.N. officials say the film strikes a chord in a way that a standard public service announcement might not. “The film poignantly depicts the ironic reality of what it means for women to 'stay home, stay safe' amid the pandemic,” says Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF Representative in India. In fact, “staying home, staying safe” is impossible for many women, adds Susan Jane Ferguson, UN Women India Representative: “Preventive lockdowns meant women and girls were confined to spending more hours with their perpetrators with very limited support systems or no services to turn to.” At some point, the pandemic will end, and so should gender inequality. So says Eric Falt, Director and Representative of UNESCO in New Delhi, and adds: “There must be a redefinition of masculinities, where men share responsibilities with women with dignity, respect and non-violence.” A group of Indian women, dressed in brightly colored traditional clothing, sit on the ground and talk. Caption: Gender-based violence has increased in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: © UN Women/Ganganjit Singh The pandemic is prompting some people to evaluate not only how to deal with the immediate problems women face, but also how to create true gender equality.