COVID-19 travel and movement restrictions are not stopping the movement of people fleeing conflict, human rights abuses, violence and dangerous living conditions, while the economic consequences of the pandemic are likely to lead to an increase in smuggling of migrants and trafficking in person flows from the most affected countries to more affluent destinations, according to a report launched by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today.

In  global  emergencies  like  the  coronavirus  (COVID-19)  pandemic,  open  science  policies  can  remove obstacles to the free flow of research data and ideas, and thus accelerate the pace of research critical to combating the disease.• While global sharing and collaboration of research data has reached unprecedented levels, challenges remain. Trust in at least some of the data is relatively low, and outstanding issues include the lack of specific standards, co-ordination and interoperability, as well as data quality and interpretation. •To strengthen the contribution of open science to the COVID-19 response, policy makers need to ensure adequate data governance models, interoperable standards, sustainable data sharing agreements involving public sector, private sector and civil society, incentives for researchers, sustainable infrastructures, human and institutional capabilities and mechanisms for access to data across borders

En esta guía se presenta información sobre la higiene personal y las medidas básicas de prevención y control de infecciones, así como sobre la forma de cuidar de la manera más segura posible a la persona sospechosa de tener COVID-19 o ser portadora del virus y de evitar que la infección se propague a otros miembros del hogar. Esta ficha será de gran utilidad para el público en general como herramienta para la lucha contra la COVID-19.

En esta guía se presenta información sobre la higiene personal y las medidas básicas de prevención y control de infecciones con el propósito de evitar que la infección se propague. Esta ficha será de gran utilidad para el público en general como herramienta para la lucha contra la COVID-19.

Talking to children about Coronavirus is not always easy. But Dr Ranj Singh has built a career on communicating with the very young about illness, medecine and hospitals in his BBC TV show Get Well Soon. So for this episode of World Vs Virus. we asked him to join a Zoom call to take questions from three children, Asal, 6, Ella, 9, and Luke 11.

The Special Advisory Commission on Management Issues (SACMI), a special mechanism that advises the General Directorate of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and is comprised of nine member countries, expressed broad, unanimous support for the hemispheric agency’s strategy to overcome the challenges of the pandemic. Among other things, the Institute is strengthening actions to support its member countries as well as implementing austerity and flexibility measures across all of its operations.

Durante una reunión virtual sostenida con  los países miembros de la Conferencia de Ciencia, Innovación y Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones (TICs) Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), presentó un panorama del sistema científico y tecnológico actual en América Latina y el Caribe y sus principales desafíos. Señaló que la infraestructura digital se encuentra particularmente rezagada en comparación a otras regiones y que, por ello, el desarrollo y adopción de soluciones digitales debe considerar los elementos estructurales de los países y los factores habilitantes. “Se debe fortalecer la integración regional, las capacidades en la industria de la salud, y la economía digital”, indicó. 

Tax revenues in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) increased to 23.1% of GDP on average in 2018, according to the new edition of Revenue Statistics in Latin America in the Caribbean published today. However, these gains are now under threat as a result of the region’s deteriorating fiscal outlook, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic crisis.

Measures implemented by governments to curb the COVID-19 pandemic have led to drug trafficking routes by air being disrupted, along with drastic reduction or increased interdiction in trafficking routes over land. Some drug supply chains have been interrupted and traffickers are looking for alternative routes, including maritime routes, depending on the types of drugs smuggled. These are some of the findings from a report on drug market trends during COVID-19, launched today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

With economies stumbling and unemployment soaring, UN ramps up plans for social and economic recovery alongside WHO-led health response.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is hurting us all. But the most devastating and destabilizing effects will be felt in the world’s poorest countries. In the poorest countries we can already see economies contracting as export earnings, remittances and tourism disappear. Unless we take action now, we should be prepared for a significant rise in conflict, hunger and poverty. The spectre of multiple famines looms.

With 1.5 billion children globally out of school due to COVID-19, many parents with access to technology and internet are increasingly turning to online education technology, smart toys, and video games to keep their kids learning at home. Kids are using Zoom for classes and video calls, YouTube for education and leisure, online EdTech to learn, and videogames for entertainment. Many parents are turning to online education technology, but is it safe?

The initiative, which is being implemented within the framework of the AGRO-INNOVA project, is geared towards agricultural producers and workers in the field as well as those involved in distribution, transportation, agroindustry operations, supply centers, wholesale markets and local fairs.

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens education progress worldwide through two major shocks: the near-universal closing of schools at all levels and the economic recession sparked by pandemic-control measures, says The World Bank.

The COVID-19 crisis is severely disrupting youth’s access to education, employment and participation in public life. While it may be too early to fully anticipate the long-term impact of the crisis, increasing levels of youth unemployment and other repercussions may significantly delay their transition to an autonomous life. At the same time, the crisis may encourage unexpected innovation and new opportunities to boost intergenerational solidarity.

In keeping with measures being taken around the world to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the OECD has taken the decision to postpone OECD Week 2020 – made up of its annual Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) and public OECD Forum – from late May to a date to be agreed in due course.

La protección del tejido social, el empleo y la reactivación de la economía requieren una respuesta rápida y oportuna por parte de las autoridades. Como aliado incondicional de sus países miembros, CAF -banco de desarrollo de América Latina- aprobó un préstamo de largo plazo bajo la Línea de Crédito Contingente Regional de Apoyo Anticíclico para la Emergencia generada por el COVID-19 en Panamá por hasta USD 350 millones.

The COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying inequalities experienced by the world’s one billion people with disabilities, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in launching a report issued on Wednesday that calls for a disability-inclusive recovery and response to the crisis.

Roughly half of the global population is living under mobility restrictions, international border crossings have been closed and economic activity has declined drastically, as many countries have opted for the closure of nonessential businesses.

Drug trafficking relies heavily on legal trade to camouflage its activities and on individuals being able to distribute drugs to consumers. The measures implemented by Governments to counter the COVID19 pandemic have thus inevitably affected all aspects of the illegal drug markets, from the production and trafficking of drugs to their consumption.

With most informal workers having no other means of support, they face an almost unsolvable dilemma: to die from hunger or from the virus, the briefing says. This has been exacerbated by disruptions in food supplies, which has particularly affected those in the informal economy.