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The high-level week of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly recently finished, bringing people – from heads of state to heads of companies and from leaders of nongovernmental organizations to grassroots advocates – to the UN to discuss the world’s biggest challenges, ranging from climate change to the crisis in Syria to inequality. A year after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, it’s clear that there is a lot of work […]

When people think of the United Nations General Assembly, they often picture heads of state speaking from the podium in the General Assembly hall. Yet the most inspiring people are often the ordinary citizens who have shown extraordinary courage in speaking out for human rights, justice, and equality. At the opening of the 71st session of the General Assembly, the UN made sure we did not just speak about people around the world, but with

*This post is co-authored by the UN Foundation’s Ryan Kaminski.  Last week, the United Nations held its highest-level meeting ever on LGBT human rights as thousands of global luminaries, grassroots advocates, and business leaders crossed an eye-catching new rainbow pathway leading into UN Headquarters, embodying the diversity and resilience of the global LGBT community. At the UN for the start of the UN General Assembly, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden addressed a packed chamber as

Worldwide, 62 million girls are not in school, and girls continue to fall significantly behind boys in completing secondary school. There are numerous reason for these disparities. There are also many solutions to help more girls go to school, including expanding access to reproductive health information and services. Research shows access to contraceptive information and services can help girls prevent unintended pregnancies, stay in school, and achieve their educational and employment goals. The Universal Access

Solutions Summit event at the United Nations, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016. (Photo/Stuart Ramson for UN Foundation) This September’s opening of the 71st session of United Nations General Assembly was a powerful reminder that we live in critical times. A year after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN is on the cusp of electing a new Secretary-General, the United States is nearing the final inning of a presidential election, and issues ranging from

Last week at the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened a special event for nations to formally join the Paris Agreement on climate change, the first international accord to unite all nations to take bold action to address climate change.  This is the end point of a three-stage process: The agreement was reached in Paris last December and signed at the UN on Earth Day. Now, to enter into legal force, it must be formally

October 1 is the United Nations’ International Day of Older Persons. It is important to mark this event for several reasons, not the least among these being the large rises in the absolute and the relative numbers of the old – however one defines this category: those aged above 65 or 70 or 75. Even the ‘oldest old’ (aged 80+) is no longer a small number in those parts of the world in which people

The world is facing grave problems that need attention and action. At the same time, there are stories of progress around the globe that remind us that change is possible when we work together with determination. Alongside the United Nations, each of us can help build on these gains to create a world where no one is left out. Here are five good news stories from September. The Americas are declared free of measles On

There is good news out of the Americas. Last week, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), declared the Region of the Americas the first in the world to have eliminated measles. It’s a historic moment that was made possible because of incredible work from many partners, including the Measles and Rubella Initiative, of which the United Nations Foundation is a founding partner. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases the world has