While significant progress is being made in the global AIDS response, people who use drugs as well as people in prison are being left behind.
Globally people who use drugs and people in prisons remain particularly vulnerable and disproportionately affected by HIV. People who inject drugs are 35 times more likely to acquire HIV than adults in the general population and people in prison are more than six times more likely to be living with HIV than adults in the general population. In many countries, prisons remain a high-risk environment for the transmission of infections including HIV, TB, viral hepatitis and now COVID-19.
According to the UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2020, people who use drugs accounted for one-quarter up to almost one-half of new adult HIV infections in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (48 per cent) in different regions of the world.
As a co-sponsor of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime is working to achieve universal access to comprehensive HIV services for people who use drugs as well as people in prisons, towards the global goal of ending AIDS by 2030. By implementing the UNODC’s Strategy 2021-2025 and the new Global AIDS Strategy in synergy we will magnify their impact on these key populations.
On 2021 World AIDS Day, let us commit to ending inequalities and ending AIDS by ensuring that evidence-based HIV prevention, treatment, care and support reach all those who need it.
UNAIDS issued a stark warning today that if leaders fail to tackle inequalities the world could face 7.7 million* AIDS-related deaths over the next 10 years. UNAIDS further warns that if the transformative measures needed to end AIDS are not taken, the world will also stay trapped in the COVID-19 crisis and remain dangerously unprepared for the pandemics to come.
“This is an urgent call to action,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “Progress against the AIDS pandemic, which was already off track, is now under even greater strain as the COVID-19 crisis continues to rage, disrupting HIV prevention and treatment services, schooling, violence-prevention programmes and more. We cannot be forced to choose between ending the AIDS pandemic today and preparing for the pandemics of tomorrow. The only successful approach will achieve both. As of now, we are not on track to achieve either.”
The warning comes in a new report by UNAIDS launched ahead of World AIDS Day (1 December) entitled Unequal, unprepared, under threat: why bold action against inequalities is needed to end AIDS, stop COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics.
The 90–90–90 targets were missed, but not by much. At the end of 2020, 84% of people living with HIV knew their HIV status, 87% of people living with HIV who knew their HIV status were accessing antiretroviral therapy, and 90% of people on treatment were virally suppressed.
The Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare is an occasion to pay tribute to those who lost their lives or suffered from these heinous weapons; to assess our progress in preventing their use; and to renew our commitment to achieve a world free of chemical weapons.
The only appropriate tribute to the victims of chemical warfare is to rid the world of chemical weapons once and for all.
Any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and a clear violation of international law. Identifying those responsible and holding them to account is of paramount importance. We have a responsibility, particularly to the victims, to ensure accountability for the use of these heinous weapons.
The United Nations supports all efforts to uphold the norm against chemical weapons, and to relegate these dreadful weapons to history.
On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory -- including East Jerusalem -- continues to pose a significant challenge to international peace and security. Persistent violations of the rights of Palestinians along with the expansion of settlements risk eroding the prospect of a two-State solution.
As the international community strives to re-start Israeli – Palestinian dialogue, I am encouraged by recent engagements between senior Israeli and Palestinian officials. However, containing the situation is not sufficient.
The overall goal remains two states living side-by-side in peace and security, fulfilling the legitimate national aspirations of both peoples, with borders based on the 1967 lines and Jerusalem as the capital of both states.
I call on the parties to avoid unilateral steps that would undermine the chances for a peaceful resolution of the conflict based on international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. I further call on the parties to engage constructively to end the closure of Gaza and improve the living conditions of all Palestinians under occupation.
I commend the generous donors who support UNRWA and call for Member States to provide timely and predictable funding to allow the Agency to conduct its vital work.
Together, let us reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the Palestinian people in their quest to achieve their inalienable rights and build a future of peace, justice, security, and dignity for both Palestinians and Israelis.
Each and every year, on this International Day, the international community reaffirms its solidarity with the Palestinian people in its hopes for a future imbued with peace and freedom.After more than one and a half years of the pandemic, the full import of that solidarity is clear to see. The health crisis has indeed compounded the existing difficulties of economic and social life for the Palestinian people, as characterized by very high rates of unemployment and poverty and the heightened risk of increased numbers of out-of-school children due to COVID-19.It is urgent, therefore, to reaffirm that solidarity so as not to be deprived of the resources of youth and their potential to foster mutual understanding and build peace.Such is the commitment that UNESCO has upheld in the field, with support of its Office in Ramallah, particularly in its actions in favour of education for Palestinian people.Our Organization, in the face of the pandemic, has joined forces with the Ministry of Education to ensure educational continuity through distance learning. It has also stepped in to support and monitor the children of Gaza and the West Bank with a view to stemming the risk of them dropping out of school.The diversity of such actions adds to the conviction, at the heart of our common action, that the Palestinian education system must be strengthened so as to enable more girls and young people from rural areas to have access to a quality education. That active solidarity with the Palestinian people is also reflected in UNESCO’s commitment to promoting and supporting both their culture and the people that produce it. The ongoing renovation of the Riwaya Museum in Bethlehem and the work under way to create a national film institute demonstrate our commitment to the promotion of cultural expressions and interactions and to fostering mutual understanding through culture.Designing inclusive quality education programmes, fostering intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding and protecting freedoms of expression, therefore, are what will enable Palestinian youth to equip themselves with the skills needed to meet present and future challenges.
Special Meeting at UN Headquarters in New York – 29 November 2021
H.E. Mr. Cheikh Niang, Chairperson Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations) - H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid President of the General Assembly - H.E. Mr. Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez President of the Security Council (Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations) - Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Chef de Cabinet, Speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations - H.E. Mr. Riyad Mansour Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, reading out a message from H.E. Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine. - Video messages of solidarity by Ms. Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Laureate, Ms. Hanan Hroub, Palestinian winner of “Global Teacher Prize”, Ms. Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International Secretary-General and H.E. Ms. Tarja Halonen, Former President of Finland and Former co-chair of the International Women’s Commission for a Just and Sustainable Palestinian-Israeli Peace.
- Mohammed El-Kurd, Palestinian activist, representative of civil society. Introduction of Intergovernmental Organizations’ Speakers – Chairperson H.E. Mr. Peter Mohan Maithri Pieris Chair of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories (Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations) H.E. Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed Permanent Observer of the African Union, reading out a message from H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chair of the African Union Commission H.E.Mr. Maged A. Abdelaziz Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations, reading out a message from H.E. Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States H.E. Mr. Agshin Mehdiyev Permanent Observer of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, reading out a message from H.E. Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation H.E. Mr. Yashar T. Aliyev Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations, reading out a message on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries
FORUM: “Orange the World: END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN NOW!” International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2021. Context
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is the most pervasive violation of human rights globally. According to the latest estimates, nearly 1 in 3 women aged 15 years and older, around the world have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner, non-partner sexual violence or both at least once in their lifetime, indicating that levels of VAWG have remained largely unchanged over the last decade.1 These numbers do not reflect the impact of COVID-19 and would be even higher if they included the full continuum of violence that affects women and girls including sexual harassment, violence in digital contexts, harmful practices and sexual exploitation across different contexts, geographic locations, in public and private settings, in contexts of peace or in contexts of conflict as well as in humanitarian or crisis settings with a disproportionate impact on the most marginalized women and girls.
However, VAWG is neither natural nor inevitable. It can and must be prevented and there is a growing body of evidence and practice demonstrating that it is possible to prevent and reduce VAWG through comprehensive, inclusive strategies and interventions that tackle the root causes, transform harmful social norms, and empower women and girls including through survivor-centred essential services across policing, justice, health and social sectors.
In this context, the UNiTE campaign under its 2021 theme “Orange the World: END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN NOW!” will commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of VAWG by highlighting the universal nature of VAWG and acknowledging the particular challenges related to COVID-19, humanitarian and conflict situations as well as celebrating the success stories, showcasing the groundbreaking and transformative work that is being carried out despite the impact of the pandemic and often in highly complex humanitarian settings around the world, to show that VAWG can be prevented and inspire scale up and greater investments in the proven solutions.
Objectives of the Event
The commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women” will have the following
objectives:
1. Highlight the pervasive nature of VAWG across all countries and regions around the world in contexts of peace and conflict, in humanitarian and crises settings as well as in development settings and in the developed world.
2. Remind the world that violence against women is neither natural, nor inevitable and can be prevented and showcase success stories to inspire all actors to scale up what works.
3. Build on the momentum created by the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action during the Generation Equality Forum, reemphasize commitments, amplification of the specific actions outlined in the GBV Action
1 World Health Organization, on behalf of the United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence Against Women Estimation and Data (VAW-IAWGED), Violence Against Women Prevalence Estimates, 2018 (Geneva, 2021).
2 Coalition and promote further action to deliver progress toward the SDGs through the Gender-Based Violence Action Coalition Blueprint.
4. Call for greater investment in long-term, comprehensive, and inclusive approaches that can be adapted to rapidly changing contexts such as the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative.
5. Honor women’s rights organizations, feminist, youth and girl led organizations and acknowledge their crucial leadership role in EVAW.
6. Activate UN system wide social mobilization under the umbrella of “Orange the World: END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN NOW!” and inspire further action across all spheres of society everywhere.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 working modalities, the event will be prerecorded and broadcast live through Zoom and on
UN Women’s YouTube channel. The event will be hosted by a youth leader and will consist of two segments:
Segment 1will consist of opening remarks from the Secretary General followed by interventions aligned with the key messages of the 2021 UNiTE campaign2 by UN Women’s Executive Director, the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences and Leaders and Commitment Makers from the Action Coalition on GBV including youth leaders and civil society/women’s rights organizations. The Center for Women’s Global Leadership will also be invited to make a statement to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the 16 days of activism.
Segment 2 will consist of inspiring success stories of initiatives that have demonstrated impact in reducing or eliminating violence against women and girls from around the world including through the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. The interventions and success stories that are presented in this segment will be aligned to the four actions of the blueprint of the Action Coalition on GBV: (1) Creating enabling policy, legal and resource environments; (2) Scaling up evidence-driven prevention programming; (3) Scaling up comprehensive, accessible and quality services for survivors; and (4) Enabling and empowering autonomous girl-led and women’s rights organizations to exercise their expertise.
Representatives from UN agencies will also be invited to make statements in support of the GEF and the Action Coalitions Global Acceleration Plan. Accessibility will be ensured through interpretation and closed caption in six United Nations languages. The event’s safety will be maximized through a digital registration process.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified. This is the Shadow Pandemic growing amidst the COVID-19 crisis, and we need a global collective effort to stop it. More needs to be done to prioritize addressing violence against women in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. As countries implemented lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, violence against women, especially domestic violence, intensified – in some countries, calls to helplines have increased five-fold.
On this occasion, the UN Chamber Music Society will dedicate this concert to organizations committed to helping to eliminate violence against women: Violence Against Women aims to bring about societal change to members of the Palestinian society, especially women, by providing the right to a decent life, equality and equal. Headquartered in Nazareth, the organization is committed to eliminating violence directed against women must be eliminated, as well as the conditions for women's oppression. HACEY Health Initiative works to improve the health and productivity of women and girls in Nigeria and underserved populations in Africa. Their programmes integrates health and economic empowerment programs, and addresses the root causes of gender-based violence by expanding opportunities to finance, counseling, and psycho-social support to women and girls across Nigeria.
Opening remarks will be delivered by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications. The concert will feature special performances from musicians of Daniel Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, including violinist Yamen Saadi; the Karajan Trio of the Berlin Philharmonic, Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and the Trio Joubran. Founded in 2016, the UN Chamber Music Society is dedicated to promoting the United Nations' goals and values at large - through the universal language of music.
Every 24 seconds a life is cut short because of a road traffic collision.
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a time to reflect on the tragic deaths of millions of people.
This year’s theme highlights the importance of reducing traffic speeds to prevent death and serious injury – in particular of young women and men at the start of their adult lives, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users such as children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
I urge every country, company and citizen to support local and global efforts to make roads safer, especially in low- and middle-income countries where more than 90 per cent of the world’s road fatalities occur. I also encourage all Member States to accede to United Nations road safety conventions and implement whole-of-society action plans – and urge all donors to scale up much-needed financial and technical contributions through the United Nations Road Safety Fund.
As we look ahead to next year’s High-level meeting of the UN General Assembly to improve road safety, let us remember that every one of us has a role to play in keeping roads safe.
Today and every day, let us commit to make roads safer for everyone, everywhere.
***** Toutes les 24 secondes, une vie est fauchée dans un accident de la route.
La Journée mondiale du souvenir des victimes des accidents de la route est l’occasion de réfléchir sur la mort tragique de millions de personnes.
Avec le thème retenu cette année, nous réaffirmons qu’il est crucial de réduire la vitesse au volant pour prévenir les décès et les blessures graves, en particulier chez les jeunes femmes et les jeunes hommes, qui sont à l’aube de leur vie d’adulte, les piétons et les autres usagers de la route vulnérables comme les enfants, les personnes âgées et les personnes handicapées.
J’exhorte chaque pays et entreprise ainsi que chaque citoyen et citoyenne à soutenir l’action menée aux niveaux local et mondial pour rendre les routes plus sûres, notamment dans les pays à faible revenu et à revenu intermédiaire, où sont enregistrés plus de 90 % des décès liés à des accidents de la route dans le monde. J’encourage également tous les États Membres à adhérer aux conventions des Nations Unies sur la sécurité routière et à se doter de plans d’action mobilisant l’ensemble de la société – et j’exhorte tous les donateurs à accroître leurs précieuses contributions financières et techniques dans le cadre du Fonds des Nations Unies pour la sécurité routière.
Alors que nous préparons la réunion de haut niveau de l’Assemblée générale visant à améliorer la sécurité routière, prévue l’année prochaine, rappelons-nous que chacun et chacune d’entre nous a un rôle à jouer pour ce qui est d’assurer la sécurité routière.
En ce jour et chaque jour, engageons-nous à rendre les routes plus sûres pour tous et pour toutes, partout dans le monde.
On this 25th anniversary of World Television Day, we celebrate a truth that holds around the globe: TV has evolved to become much more than it used to be. TV is now available at all times, at home and on the go, across all screens – large or small – live or streamed; offering both collective and feel-like-me experiences. TV is also measurable, connected, personalised and targetable.
World Television Day is not so much a celebration of the tool, but rather the philosophy which it represents. Television represents a symbol for communication and globalization in the contemporary world.
Join the Conference on the Future of Television
08 - 11 Nov 2021.
New York, USA
"Conference focus on new advertising platforms, TVtech, innovations"
“FOR EVERY CHILD A LEGAL IDENTITY, FOR EVERY CHILD ACCESS TO JUSTICE”. The African Union, jointly with UNICEF, have launched the No Name Campaign: For Every Child a Legal Identity, For Every Child Access to Justice, identifies birth registration as a key element for the access to child friendly justice.
Celebrate children's rights at the world's biggest cultural gathering!
Music, dance, poetry and more on Expo's central stage: - Opening Performances - Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra & Circus Zambia - UAE's Commitment to the Future - HE Hessa bint Essa - Visions for the Future: Performances from Around the World – Abby Chams, Gitanjali Rao, Emirates - Youth Symphony Orchestra ft. Elli Choi, Vazquez Sounds, Expo Mascots - Announcement – Ted Chaiban, HE Reem Abdulla Al Falasi - Closing Remarks - HE Reem Abdulla Al Falasi - Musical Performance - YARA
Organized by UNICEF in partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE Ministry of Community Development.
