This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

The General Assembly comprises all 193 UN Member States and although its resolutions are non-binding, they represent “the conscience of humanity”.

That’s the message from General Assembly President Dennis Francis, who also encourages people who believe the UN is ineffective to instead engage with the global body.

UN News’s Dianne Penn asked Mr. Francis how he is ensuring that countries will work together to address his priority areas of peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability. 

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

The UN’s reproductive health agency has rushed to support women and girls, helping them to maintain their dignity amidst the chaos of displacement.

More than 2,000 pregnant women are among the refugees and UNFPA is also making sure that hospitals and health facilities can assist them, especially with some 230 women set to deliver next month.

UN News’s Dianne Penn spoke to Emmanual Roussier, Humanitarian Coordinator for UNFPA’s Emergency Response in Armenia, about its work there.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

The UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency has rushed to support women and girls, helping them to maintain their dignity amidst the chaos of displacement.

More than 2,000 pregnant women are among the refugees and UNFPA is also making sure that hospitals and health facilities can assist them, especially with some 230 women set to deliver next month.

UN News’s Dianne Penn spoke to Emmanuel Roussier, Humanitarian Coordinator for UNFPA’s Emergency Response in Armenia, about its work there.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

Manuel and Patricia Oliver visited the UN this week for a tour and briefing, part of their cross-country road trip visiting communities affected by mass shootings.  

Their son Joaquin, 17, was murdered in Florida’s Parkland high school shooting in February 2018 but lives on through their non-profit Change the Ref, which uses art and non-violent creative confrontation to raise awareness about mass shootings.

Dianne Penn spoke with the Olivers, who came to the UN through the Non-Violence Project Foundation, a non-governmental organization that has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

John McKenna, US Country Director, began by providing an example of how art, activism, non-violence and peace, are linked here at UN Headquarters in New York. 

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

That is just one of the recollections of American politician and activist Andrew Young, a former US Ambassador to the UN and friend of the man who was affectionately known as Madiba, his Xhosa clan name.

Mr. Young was US Ambassador in the late 1970s, when Mr. Mandela was still serving out a lifetime sentence for treason before being released in 1990 after 27 years in prison.

Mr. Young, 91, was back at the UN on Thursday for the official commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day.  He spoke to UN News’s Dianne Penn. 

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

This exchange of technology and skills is known as South-South cooperation, and triangular cooperation, when supported by developed countries or partner agencies. 

The UN’s High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation met this week to examine how the process can help accelerate recovery from the pandemic and achieve a more sustainable future for all. 

Dima Al-Khatib is the recently appointed Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), which is hosted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). 

She spoke to UN News’s Dianne Penn about some of the key issues discussed at the meeting, including the need for increased funding. 

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

That’s the opinion of renowned American lawyer and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a non-profit working to end mass incarceration in the United States, which mainly impacts people of colour and the poor.

He was at UN Headquarters on Thursday for an event to examine how museums can deal with the colonial past and include the voices of people of African descent.

Mr. Stevenson spoke to UN News’s Dianne Penn about what inspired his fight for justice, how slavery is linked to past atrocities such as lynchings and present-day violations such as police brutality, and why wider engagement by cultural institutions is needed to usher in a “new era” of greater inclusion.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.