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Early in March, before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, Samuel Suárez was already giving at-risk Ecuadorians in rural areas lifesaving tips to avoid infection. The medic started going door-to-door to explain the dangers of the spreading pandemic to elderly people in Ecuador’s Esmeraldas province, hoping that his advice would be heeded and the spread of the virus avoided. During the house calls, Samuel patiently walks his small audiences of senior citizens – the demographic most susceptible to the illness – through the steps needed to protect themselves and others.

As a result of their online meeting on open science, calls on governments to reinforce scientific cooperation and integrate open science in their research programmes to prevent and mitigate global crises. Participants from ministries in charge of science from 122 countries, joined the European Commissioner for Innovation, the African Union Commissioner for Human Resources, and the ’s Chief Scientist, among others to address open science in the context of COVID-19 response.

The 51�Թ� is calling for solidarity and increased funding, as some of the world’s most vulnerable countries scale up their efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic. 51�Թ� Secretary-General António Guterres, together with three senior officials, launched a to fund the fight against COVID-19 in the world’s poorest countries. This inter-agency plan brings together existing appeals from the World Health Organization and other UN partners, and identifies new needs as well.

With the coronavirus pandemic extending to some of the world’s poorest countries, the 51�Թ� is in a race against time to help prevent the further spread of COVID-19. UN country teams are stepping up their support for national authorities, while redoubling their support for frontline responders and working to help vulnerable countries strengthen their healthcare infrastructure. WHO, together with partners, is working to ensure that vital supplies, including protective equipment, reach healthcare workers treating patients in wards.

Lifestyle changes during this difficult period can adversely affect your wellbeing.  With people staying indoors and maintaining social distance, to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus, the 51�Թ� offers resources to help cope. UNICEF proposes for parenting during the outbreak. works towards learning continuity. The WHO recommends and . Keeping a flexible but consistent daily routine helps those seeking to strike a balance between vigilance and the need to maintain some normalcy in their lives.

As the coronavirus pandemic accelerates, at greatest risk include some 70 million children, women and men uprooted by war and persecution. Among them are some 25.9 million refugees, more than three quarters of whom live in developing countries in the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. With weak health systems, some of those countries are already facing humanitarian crises. The UN Refugee Agency seeks US$255 million for its urgent push to curb the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks in these vulnerable communities.

Getting calls at all hours of the day is not unusual for Liu Jie, the Community Mobilization Officer in the UNAIDS Country Office in China. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the whole office has been active in helping people living with HIV to continue to access treatment, especially in Hubei Province, where the pandemic was first reported. Recently, Ms Liu was surprised when she had a call from Poland. UNAIDS country offices and the Community Mobilization Team in Geneva, Switzerland came to the rescue.

To best respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls on world leaders to come together and offer an urgent and coordinated response to this global crisis. The three-part action plan includes first tackling the health emergency. Second, placing focus on the social impact and the economic response and recovery. Third, and finally, prioritizing the responsibility to "recover better." In this unprecedented situation the normal rules no longer apply and the magnitude of the response must match its scale. The world faces a common enemy.  We are at war with a virus.

With the coronavirus crisis spreading to more countries with broader social and economic implications, the 51�Թ� is mobilizing its global workforce to help affected Governments to contain or slow the onslaught of this deadly disease. While the continues to lead the global fight against the spread of COVID-19, around the world, UN teams are also working with authorities to support national preparedness and response plans, including immediate health priorities and broader social and economic impacts.

What if students could shape solutions to help people forced to flee their homes? , the UN Refugee Agency, is challenging Model 51�Թ� delegates worldwide to debate the major issues related to forced displacement.

Women health workers are critical in the effort to contain COVID-19 in Iran. Listen as they speak about their courage, sacrifice and gender-equal role as frontline responders to the public health crisis.

Pregnant women should take routine preventative actions to avoid infection with the coronavirus, . Preventative measures, recommended (WHO), include diligent hand-washing, avoiding close contact with people exhibiting symptoms of infection, covering sneezes and coughs, and thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. In general, pregnancy-related physical changes may increase some pregnant women's susceptibility to viral respiratory infections. UNFPA urges health officials to treat pregnant women with respiratory illnesses as an “utmost priority.”

Epidemics can be reversed, but only with the highest level of political commitment. has asked the international community for . The 51�Թ� has such as monitoring the spread of the virus, investigating cases and supporting national laboratories. A 51�Թ� Crisis Management Team has been established with WHO in the lead. is playing a key role in the wider UN response.

If ever we needed reminding that we live in an interconnected world, the novel coronavirus has brought that home. No country can tackle this alone, no part of our societies can be disregarded if we are to effectively rise to this global challenge. The coming weeks and months will challenge national crisis planning and civil protection systems, and will certainly expose shortcomings in sanitation, housing and other factors that shape health outcomes. Our response to this epidemic must encompass, and in fact, focus on, those whom society often neglects or relegates to a lesser status. Otherwise, it will fail.

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused unprecedented disruption in many areas of our lives, and that’s true of a key UN forum as well: the .