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Editor’s Note: This post was written by Girl Up Teen Advisor Sophie Tegenu, and originally appeared on the Girl Up blog. This post launches a new blog series, “Her Goals: Our Future,” which over the coming months will highlight the connections between girls and women and the Sustainable Development Goals. 17 is a magic number. Apollo 17 went to the moon; Michelle Obama was born on January 17; John Lennon met Paul McCartney when he […]

Today the world celebrates International Women’s Day, so I want to share some of the stories we’re reading about the challenges and opportunities facing girls and women. The United Nations has made empowering girls and women a key priority, and last year world leaders gathered at the UN and adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, which include a commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. These stories are examples of how girls and women are changing

Today is International Women’s Day, a moment when the world comes together to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women everywhere. It’s an opportunity to reflect on our progress – and draw attention to the challenges that still face girls and women around the globe every day. That’s particularly true this year, as the world gets to work to achieve the new global goals for sustainable development, one of the most comprehensive

Interested in connecting with the ideas on the forefront of global change? One of the best ways is to follow the concepts – and their authors and advocates – that are making headlines and headway this year. They have caught my attention for their unique approach to advocacy, journalism, and public engagement.  Last week I posted a list of some of the people I am following. This week I am introducing 26 concepts (and their creators,

This weekend I will be heading to Austin, Texas for the SXSW Social Good Hub (SXgood Hub, for short) to connect with innovators who are driving change around the world. This is the third year that SXSW and the United Nations Foundation are coming together to host a two-day program to highlight ways that music, film, and interactive content inspires people to take action for social change. Whether or not you are able to be

Children in the primary school in Sitalapati village, Sindhuli district, Nepal, on September 14, 2015.Photograph by Prashant Panjiar This post is part of the blog series, “Her Goals: Our Future,” which highlights the connections between girls and women and the Sustainable Development Goals. *** The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development maps out a bold vision for the future: a world that is healthier, more equitable, more prosperous, more peaceful, and more sustainable for everyone. But

Last week, the United Nations Statistical Commission agreed to the indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals. So what exactly is an indicator, and why does it matter? To learn more, I talked to Jenna Slotin, the United Nations Foundation’s Post-2015 Initiative Director and Interim Program Manager for the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data.  Our conversation covered a lot of ground, but one thing became clear: the importance of data to achieving the global goals and

March 15 marks a tragic milestone: five years of conflict in Syria, which has left more than 13 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and forced more than half of Syrians to flee their homes. Behind these numbers are real people who have had to leave everything behind. United Nations agencies and other humanitarian aid organizations are working to provide food, shelter, medicine, clean water, and other vital aid to families in need. These

Five years of conflict in Syria have devastated families across the country, and more than half of Syrians have fled their homes. Earlier this month, the United Nations Foundation visited Zaatari camp in Jordan, where more than 80,000 refugees reside. There we saw the life-saving and life-changing work of United Nations humanitarian agencies that provide vital aid, including the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). UNFPA supports the Women and Girls’ Comprehensive Center, a clinic that provides