Countries must take steps to protect and support doctors, nurses and other medical workers -- key resources in the fight against coronavirus who are at risk of burning out as they continue to fight the pandemic, says Dr. Hans Kluge, World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe, as cases in the region reach record levels. "At the risk of sounding alarmist, I must express our very real concern," Kluge says.

Judge Iain Bonomy this week ordered Felicien Kabuga to undergo medical testing to determine if he is fit to travel to Tanzania to stand trial for genocide in Rwanda. Prosecutors at the United Nations allege that Kabuga financed weapons for ethnic Hutu militia members responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Tutsi people.

Five shipwrecks in the Mediterranean and one in the English Channel have claimed the lives of migrants in the past week, and governments must work together to prevent smugglers from taking advantage of people desperate to leave their countries, the International Organization of Migration says. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is pressing authorities in the UK to restart a program aimed at providing migrants with safe and legal ways to enter the country.

Women play a critical role in creating lasting peace, yet they continue to be excluded or marginalized in peace processes around the world, representing just 13% of negotiators, 6% of mediators, and 6% of peace agreement signatories since 1992, says Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women. There have been important changes in the 20 years since a United Nations resolution to include women in peace processes was adopted, but "gender equality is first and foremost a question of power, and wherever we look, power structures are dominated by men," says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Human activity that drives climate change and biodiversity loss is also increasing the risk of more frequent and more severe pandemics in the future, according to a report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Panel chair Peter Daszak says people should limit their consumption of meat to reduce biodiversity loss and decrease the risk of future pandemics.

Ongoing clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region have displaced 130,000 people in the last month and damaged 76 schools along with a maternity hospital, UNICEF says. Diplomats from the two countries are scheduled to attend talks in Geneva today, after three previous cease-fire agreements have failed.

UN agriculture agency calls for global response to the food security crisis

"When can we expect a vaccine for COVID-19? How will we ensure that it is safe? The WHO’s Top Scientist Explains"

The pandemic will push 47 mil more women & girls below the poverty line. Yet only 12% of the 206 countries analyzed in our #GenderTracker w/ @UN_Women have COVID-19 policies to address women's recovery needs: data.undp.org/gendertracker
#WomenPeacePower

@UNDP