International Federation on Ageing (IFA) hosted a virtual event in collaboration with the NGO Committee on Ageing Vienna and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection on 12 November 2020. The event aimed at reflecting on experiences and achievements as they relate to the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, with particular emphasis on the UNECE regional implementation strategy.

The global outbreak of COVID‐19 has heavily impacted the world of sport and access to physical activity, resulting in closure of gyms, stadiums, pools, dance and fitness studios, physiotherapy centers, parks and playgrounds. It has also led to the unprecedented postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic games and the cancellation of sporting events at all levels.

The 13th session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD is taking place this year on 30 November 2020 (in-person meetings: Opening and the election of the CRPD Committee members) and 1 and 3 December 2020 (virtual meetings: roundtable discussions, the interactive dialogue with the UN system and the closing).

In preparation for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2023), UNESCO has issued an open call for nominations to Indigenous Peoples to be part of the Global Task Force entitled “Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages”.

With the devastating impact of COVID-19, cities everywhere are facing key challenges in ensuring that the basic needs of people living in hardship are met. As cities implement actions to strengthen public services in the face of the pandemic, they must also provide equal access to technology, education, livelihoods and services that strengthen the health and well-being of all, with particular focus to the most vulnerable social groups to leave no one behind.

COVID-19 has presented extraordinary challenges for households, communities, and countries all over the world, disproportionately affecting wellbeing and rights of at-risk population groups. The mortality rate among older people has been higher overall, and for many older women and men, the pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities, ageism, discrimination, abuse and violence, and has disrupted income security.

The Permanent Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, and Ireland to the United Nations, as the Co-Chairs of the Friends of Vision Group,  are organizing a virtual High -Level Side Event titled, "2020 and Beyond: Accelerating Vision for Everyone” on 14 October 2020 at 8:30 am EST, in recognition of World Sight Day.

Assistant Secretary General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, Ms Maria Francesca Spatolisano, participated in the closing panel at the 2020 Mont Blanc Meetings, organized for the Social and Solidarity Economy Forum International, 1^st October 2020. The biannual meetings are attended by policy-makers, social and solidarity economy practitioners, academics and civil society with the aim of popularizing the social and solidarity enterprise model globally.

Empowering and Protecting Persons with Disabilities during and after COVID-19: A Conversation with the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility, October 30, 2020, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (ET). 

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the rights and health of older persons: as of September 2020, nearly 9 out of 10 COVID-19-related deaths reported in the UNECE region have been among adults aged 65 years and older. The region currently hosts more than 30 per cent of the world’s population aged 65 and above.