News stories by Samira Sadeque, page 6

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 25 (IPS) - The current coronavirus pandemic is having a profound affect on children in conflict zones -- with girls especially being at higher risk of violence and sexual health concerns.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 19 (IPS) - In marking the sixth annual International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, experts reiterated how crucial it is to keep accessible services to survivors, as they are being affected in complex ways due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the coronavirus does not discriminate, its impact does. And the needs of survivors of sexual violence in conflict "cannot be put on pause, and neither can the response" during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 18 (IPS) - The multi-dimensional impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in Latin America could lead to a "hunger pandemic" if not addressed with urgency. 

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 12 (IPS) - Global poverty, which is increasing because of the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis and ensuing worldwide lockdowns, is shifting and a dramatic increase in middle-income developing countries in Asia is expected.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 10 (IPS) - The combination of rife insecurity, food insecurity and more than 7.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance has left the Sahel a region in crisis, with the global coronavirus pandemic expected to exacerbate the situation.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 05 (IPS) - Governments have made the media "a scapegoat" across Asia, targeting journalists who are simply reporting on the failures or shortcomings of their leadership during the coronavirus pandemic, press freedom experts have warned.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 03 (IPS) - World leaders gathered on Tuesday to pledge $1.35 billion in aid for Yemen, which currently undergoing what many is the world's "worst humanitarian crisis", with Saudi Arabia announcing a contribution of $500 million. 

UNITED NATIONS, May 29 (IPS) - Unless global leaders act now, the COVID-19 pandemic will cause unimaginable suffering and devastation around the world, the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres said yesterday, May 28. He painted a picture of hunger and famine at historic proportions, with some 60 million people pushed into extreme poverty and half the global workforce -- 1.6 billion people -- left without work, and $8.5 trillion in global output lost.

UNITED NATIONS, May 26 (IPS) - A future repetition of the current COVID-19 pandemic is preventable with massive cooperation on international and local levels and by ensuring biological diversity preservation around the world, experts recently said.

UNITED NATIONS, May 22 (IPS) - Today, May 22, marks the International Day of Biological Diversity. Experts say that conservation efforts have actually strengthened under the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's International Day of Biological Diversity falls amid the coronavirus pandemic and the slow easing, in some nations, of a global lockdown. While the lockdown has forced most people to stay at home, there have been reports of more wildlife being spotted - even in once-busy city centres.