U.N. News: COVID-19: U.N. relief chief urges G20 to step up to avert ‘cascading crises’ in fragile countries
“The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession are set to trigger the first increase in global poverty in three decades, pushing 265 million people to the point of starvation by the end of the year, the U.N.’s top humanitarian official warned on Friday. Mark Lowcock called on the world’s leading industrial nations, the G20, to step up support, as he released an updated $10.3 billion appeal to fight coronavirus spread in 63 low-income countries…” (7/16).

U.N. News: World off track in meeting 2030 Agenda, U.N. deputy chief warns, calls for solidarity in COVID-19 recovery
“The world was off track in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, even before the COVID-19 crisis erupted, but can get back on course by increasing investment in public services, showing solidarity on financing, and ‘reshaping’ how people work, learn, live, and consume. ‘We can turn this around, if we stay true to the 2030 Agenda,’ said Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, as she closed the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) — an annual stock-take of the world’s progress in reaching the SDGs, but ‘the road ahead is now even steeper,’ she added…” (7/16).

VOA News: U.N. Raises COVID-19 Appeal to $10.3 Billion
“The United Nations raised its appeal Friday to combat the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries to $10.3 billion, warning that inaction now could cost countless lives and trillions of dollars later. … In late March, the U.N. initially appealed for $2 billion for about 40 countries to cope with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. As the virus continued to spread, it raised that request in May to $6.7 billion. Only $1.64 billion of those funds have been received…” (Besheer, 7/16).