MSMEs are a key component of Uruguay’s production and employment capabilities, accounting for more than 99 percent of the private sector companies and more than 67 percent of the jobs. Their activities are mostly concentrated on services and commerce – two sectors badly affected by the coronavirus crisis.

“As I have tirelessly stressed, our recovery must be nature-based, or it will not last. We need to embrace a strategy that is advanced by the people for the people. So, where ECLAC is concerned, the Caribbean will remain a priority through our Caribbean First strategy,” Alicia Bárcena emphasized.

New technologies can help create workplaces that are fair, equitable and diverse, according to the World Economic Forum’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 4.0 Toolkit, released today.

As businesses emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, they have a unique opportunity to ensure that equity, inclusion and justice define the "new normal" and tackle exclusion, bias and discrimination related to race, gender, ability, sexual orientation and all other forms of human diversity.

This multi-country allocation will be channelled to NGOs at a country level and help address the most pressing humanitarian needs based on the in-country priorities in health (including mental health and psychosocial support), and water and sanitation outlined in the Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19. Focus will be given to gender issues, including gender-based violence, and the needs of people living with disabilities. 

The largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases was reported over the course of Sunday, registering more than 183,000 new infections in 24 hours, bringing the total to some 8.8 million cases worldwide, with more than 465,000 deaths.

“It seems that almost every day we reach a new and grim record”, said Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, addressing journalists on Monday at the UN health agency’s latest media briefing. 

Olympic athletes will help deliver important public health information, to inspire people to adopt or continue behaviours that will curtail the pandemic and provide information that promotes physical and mental health. The partnership kicks off today with Olympians around the world showcasing various exercises to stay healthy during this time.

Stocks of medication for HIV patients could run out in the next two months, because of higher costs linked to lockdowns and COVID-19 border closures, UNAIDS said on Monday.

With cases of COVID-19 continuing to rise globally, “Mr Bean’s Essential COVID-19 Checklist” is a reminder to people about the importance of washing hands, physical distancing and demonstrating kindness to their neighbours. The PSA features a cartoon sketch of Mr Bean comically tackling a pesky roller blind to finally reveal a number of essential tips to protect people against COVID-19.  

Los casos repuntan en países como Estados Unidos, Brasil, Rusia, India, Chile y México, y en América Latina en general no paran de subir. En naciones que habían logrado contener el coronavirus, como Alemania y Corea del Sur, este vuelve a resurgir. La agencia de salud de la ONU advierte que todos los gobiernos se enfrentan a un delicado equilibrio entre proteger a su gente y minimizar el daño social y económico: la clave está en ser creativos y mantener las intervenciones básicas de salud pública.

The budget-support loan will provide Panama’s government with rapid disbursement funds to finance emergency current expenses and generate a mid-term fiscal policy strategic framework to recover fiscal sustainability and ensure macroeconomic stability.

En el contexto actual, el yoga apoya el estado físico de las personas que, en general, se mueven menos por la limitación de las actividades fuera de casa y, sobre todo sirve como instrumento para mantener un equilibrio mental.

As the global outbreak of COVID-19 has upended lives across the world, a rise in conditions including depression and anxiety have been seen as people adapt to lifestyle changes.

“During my missions and the ongoing confinement, yoga has really helped me to stay calm, balanced and focused,” said Silke Von Brockhausen, who is currently based in New York at the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and has a career in helping the UN respond to global emergencies.

Jobs, livelihoods and the well-being of workers, families and businesses across the globe, continue to take a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic; with micro, small and medium enterprises in particular, suffering the dire economic consequences, according to a new policy brief released by the UN on Friday.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, and the related school closures, we have seen a rise in violence and hate online – and this includes bullying. Now, as schools begin to re-open, children are expressing their fears about going back to school,” said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General. “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that schools are safe environments for all children. We need to think and act collectively to stop violence at school and in our societies at large.”

“El mundo se encuentra en una etapa nueva y peligrosa, lógicamente son muchas las personas que están cansadas de estar en casa y los países desean, con razón, abrir sus sociedades y economías, pero el virus sigue propagándose con rapidez, continúa siendo mortífero y la mayoría de las personas sigue siendo susceptible a él”, explico el director de la Organización, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“The world is in a new and dangerous phase. Many people are understandably fed up with being at home. Countries are understandably eager to open up their societies and economies”, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists.

“But the virus is still spreading fast, it’s still deadly, and most people are still susceptible.”

Massive losses in working hours, equivalent to 305 million full-time jobs, are predicted for the second quarter of 2020, while 38 percent of the workforce – some 1.25 billion workers – is employed in high-risk sectors.

The Policy Brief, which is based on data and analysis from the International Labour Organization (ILO), warns that many of those people who have lost their jobs and livelihoods in recent months will not be able to re-enter labour markets any time soon.

Representatives from multilateral organizations were convened to a meeting of the Summit Working Group of the Organization of American States (OAS), in which they analyzed the main repercussions of the global health crisis on the agrifood chain and the measures applied by countries to bridge the ever increasing gaps.

Addressing the virtual meeting, the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, spoke about the impact of Covid-19 on food security, value chains and intraregional trade.

Against the backdrop of longstanding fragility, exacerbated by 18 months of a protracted political, economic, social and institutional crisis, the pandemic is “stretching this country’s already fragile health system and testing its meager social safety net”, Special Representative and head of BINUH, Helen La Lime, said.

The project includes the adoption of public policies that promote innovation, entrepreneurship and business productivity, all of which are considered essential to help the country recuperate from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.