The following lists events that happened with or in collaboration with the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

and its agencies in the year 2021.

Leadership

Secretary General of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-ge ...

António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres ()

Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations

Amina Jane Mohammed ()

President of the General Assembly The president of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a yearly basis. The president is the chair and presiding officer of the General Assembly. Election ...

Volkan Bozkır Volkan Bozkır (born 22 November 1950, Ankara) is a Turkish diplomat and politician who served as the President of the United Nations General Assembly from 2020 to 2021. He served as Minister for European Union Affairs from November 2015 to May 2 ...

()

President of the Economic and Social Council

Munir Akram Munir Akram ( ur, منير اکرم) (born 2 December 1945) is a Pakistani diplomat currently serving for the second time as Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations. He had previously held the post from 2002 to 2008, during ...

(July 23, 2020 — Present) ()

United Nations Agencies

Director-General of the

Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...

(UPU) Bishar Hussein () Director-General of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

(WHO)

Tedros Adhanom Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ( ti, ቴዎድሮስ አድሓኖም ገብረኢየሱስ, sometimes spelt ti, ቴድሮስ ኣድሓኖም ገብረየሱስ, label=none; born 3 March 1965) is an Ethiopian public health official, researcher, and ...

() Executive Director of the

United Nations Population Fund The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies a ...

(UNFPA)

Natalia Kanem Natalia Kanem is a medical doctor who currently serves as the Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. In this capacity, she is among the highest-ranking women at the ...

() Executive Director of the

World Food Programme The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен� ...

(WFP)

David Beasley David Muldrow Beasley (born February 26, 1957) is an American politician and the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme. A member of the Republican Party, he served one term as the 113th Governor of South Carolina from 199 ...

() Secretary General of the

United Nations World Tourism Organization The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading internati ...

(UNWTO)

Zurab Pololikashvili Zurab Pololikashvili (born in Tbilisi on 12 January 1977) is a Georgian politician and diplomat, currently serving as Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization. From 2005 to 2009 he was Georgian deputy Foreign Minister, and he served as ...

() Secretary General of the

World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics. The WMO originated from the Intern ...

(WMO) Petteri Taalas ()

United Nations Department and Offices

High Commissioners for Human Rights for the

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nati ...

(OHCHR)

Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 201 ...

() Under-Secretary-General for the

United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services The United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) is an independent office in the United Nations Secretariat whose mandate is to "assist the Secretary-General in fulfilling his internal oversight responsibilities in respect of the r ...

(OIOS) Heidi Mendoza (

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

)

International Observances

International Years

* International Year of Fruits and Vegetables * International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour *

International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development The International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development was proclaimed by the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 for 2021. The stated goal was to "promote sustained and inclusive economic growth, foster innovati ...

* International Year of Peace and Trust

International Decades

* United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) * United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) * United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) * Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace (2019-2028) *

United Nations Decade of Family Farming Endorsed in December 2017, the United Nations Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 seeks to place family farming at the center of national public policies and investments. In declaring this decade, the United Nations General Assembly recognized the ...

(2019-2028) * International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development" (2018-2028) * Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018-2027) * United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025) * Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (2016-2025) *

International Decade for People of African Descent The International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015–2024,

(2015-2024) * United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All (2014-2024)

Events

January

* 11 January: Secretary General António Guterres wrote to the UN

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

about his intentions to seek a second five-year term as Secretary General to begin on January 1, 2022. * 14 January: 13 members of the 15 member World Health Organization (WHO) sponsored international team studying the origins of the virus that causes COVID-19 have arrived in

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city an ...

, China.

February

* 4 February: The

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals f ...

finds former

Lord's Resistance Army The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), also known as the Lord's Resistance Movement, is a rebel group and heterodox Christian group which operates in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the ...

commander

Dominic Ongwen Dominic Ongwen (born 1975) is a Ugandan former child soldier and former commander of one of the brigades of the Ugandan guerrilla group Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). He was detained in 2014 and in 2021 the International Criminal Court convict ...

guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. *22 February: An attack on a

(WFP) convey visiting a WFP-run school feeding program in

Rutshuru Rutshuru is a town located in the North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is headquarters of an administrative district, the Rutshuru Territory. The town lies in the western branch of the Albertine Rift between Lake ...

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

kills three. The deaths include WFP staff members and the Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Luca Attanasio Luca Attanasio (23 May 1977 – 22 February 2021) was an Italian diplomat who served as the ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2017 until his murder there in 2021. Early life Attanasio was born on 23 May 1977 in Saronno, ...

l. *23 February: British Natural Historian David Attenborough speaks to the Security Council warning about the risks of climate change. British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

chaired the meeting as the United Kingdom held the rotating presidency. *24 February: The first COVID-19 vaccines produced and distributed by the UN program

COVAX COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX, is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Hea ...

arrives in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. The 600,000 shots mark the wave of vaccines distributed to low and middle income countries. * 25 February: The United Nations steps up its response to a new outbreak of Ebola, in Western Africa. The

(WHO) has deployed 65 experts to Guinea, flown in

vaccines A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.< ...

, and given $1.25 million to strengthen Ebola countermeasures in Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire,

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ), ...

, Liberia,

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

and

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

March

* 30 March: The report from the WHO sponsored team studying the origins of COVID-19 is published. Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom, Dr. Tedros Adhanom commented on the report saying, "I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough. Further data and studies will be needed to reach more robust conclusions.”

April

* 20 April: The

(WFP) receives permission from the Government of

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

to provide school meals for over 185,000 students by the end of 2021 and 1.5 million students by the end of the 2022-2023 school year. *22 April: More than 250,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Syria under the UN COVAX initiative.

June

* 3 June: The UN launches the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network), to fight transnational corruption. * 7 June: Abdulla Shahid, the Foreign Minister of

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

is elected President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, garnering 143 votes over former Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul's 48.

July

* 1 July: The Reading Instruction Competence Assessment for California teaching credential candidates to teach special education classes, is administered using three subtests.

Upcoming Events

November

* 1–12 November: The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP 26.

References

{{Reflist

External links

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