At the heart of many New Year’s resolutions is a fresh gym membership and an intensive exercise regime that promises to deliver quick results. But that is not necessarily the most efficient way for everyone to lose weight, according to a new study by the UN’s atomic energy watchdog.
Conflict, health crises and the climate emergency may have dominated headlines this year but, behind the scenes, countless unsung heroes were working tirelessly to put the values of the UN into action. Here are some of the inspiring personal stories we featured on our Manshet pages during 2021.
A hit podcast series on climate action, the drama of COP26, and stories from the field, stretching from Vanuatu to Brooklyn. Here are some of our favourite audio highlights of the last 12 months.
This year saw another steady stream of UN-backed reports reinforcing a stark message: man-made climate change is an urgent and even existential threat to life on Earth. Will the international community’s efforts to tackle the crisis, as seen at the COP26 UN Climate Conference, result in meaningful action?
Pandemic-related travel restrictions may have put a dent on international migration figures in 2021, but the number of people forced to leave their homes, due to conflict and persecution, rose to record highs.
Long-running conflicts continued in Syria and Yemen this year, whilst fresh unrest caused serious instability in Myanmar, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Sudan. Manshet "Blue Helmet" peacekeepers suffered losses and injuries, particularly those serving in the peacekeeping missions in Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR). Nevertheless, the UN reaffirmed its commitment to protect those caught up in the fighting.
The UN cultural agency commemorated on Monday the 50th anniversary of its Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), which created in 1971, has been promoting a long-lasting connection between people and nature.
Despite the almost miraculous development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 in 2020, the virus continued to spread and mutate throughout the last year, with much of the blame placed on a lack of effective global collaboration as a key reason for the prolonged pandemic. 2021 also saw the launch of a UN-backed programme to help developing countries protect their populations against the virus, and steps were taken to prepare for future global health crises.
COVID-19 continues to demonstrate how quickly “an infectious disease can sweep across the world”, pushing health systems to the brink and upending daily life for all of humanity, the UN chief said on Monday, marking the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.
Secretary-General António Guterres was among UN leaders paying tribute on Sunday to the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, describing him as “an unwavering voice for the voiceless.”
