This month, the United Nations is holding a global conference in Sendai, Japan on disaster risk reduction. What is disaster risk reduction, and why is it so important to not only saving lives, but ending poverty? To learn more, I recently talked to Jo Scheuer, the Chief of Profession for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction in the UN Development Programme’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support. His takeaway message: Disaster risk reduction is about more than […]

On March 18, the UN Foundation is teaming up with our partners to host an important discussion around the world’s next health goals, and how we can work together to measure progress toward our new goals. Health Measurement in a Post-2015 Environment Wednesday, 18 March, 20158.15 – 10.00 ET / 13.15 – 15.00 CET Featuring Tim Evans, World Bank Group Jennifer Adams, United States Agency for International Development Ties Boerma, World Health Organization Lola Dare, Centre

Photo/Stuart Ramson “Women’s rights are human rights,” said then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1995 at a United Nations conference in Beijing. As a mother and advocate for children’s health, I can’t separate women’s rights from a mother’s rights. In the 20 years since the Beijing Declaration and this historic statement, the world has seen amazing progress in the advancement of mother’s rights and their ability to protect their children through the development of life-saving

WHO/T. Jasarevic Amal is a five-year-old Syrian girl who loved having tea parties with her cousins. In 2013, she was diagnosed with cancer – a tumor in the nervous system – and is being treated at the Children Hospital in Damascus. The crisis in Syria, which enters its fifth year this month, has devastated Syria’s health system and led to severe shortages in treatments for ailments from heart disease to cancer. “It is really disturbing

This month the crisis in Syria enters its fifth year, and right now, over 100,000 children from Syria have been forced to flee their homes and are living as refugees in Iraq. At the same time, conflict in Iraq has displaced millions of people, leaving even more children in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. I recently spoke with Jeffrey Bates, Chief of Communications and Strategic Partnerships for UNICEF Iraq, to ask him about what the

At an event for Data2X a few months ago, our partner Pali Lehohla, Statistician-General of South Africa, wisely said, “If you think information is expensive, try ignorance.” It’s true: How can we fix a problem if we can’t identify or understand it? Without solid data as a foundation, we can’t create smart policies and guide impactful and cost-effective investments for global development. As the world turns its attention to the post-2015 development goals, it’s critical

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we honor the women in our lives and our world who inspire us most – the women who push us to dream bigger, reach higher, and work harder. There are so many female visionaries, political leaders, CEOs, and changemakers who have helped make progress for girls and women around the world. And today, I’d like to introduce you to a few more who you may not have heard of

(Photo credit: Jiro Ose/UN Foundation) Tens of millions of people around the world have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict, disaster, and other humanitarian emergencies. Food, shelter, water, and medicine are all essential to their lives: So is energy. Quality energy solutions are required for lighting, heating, and safety, particularly for girls and women. Yet often in refugee camps or other emergency settings, reliable, safe, and quality energy is unavailable. Kerosene lamps,

March 20 is the International Day of Happiness, and one thing that has become clear over recent decades: Happy people need a happy planet. Right now, the health of our planet is threatened by climate change. According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, scientists are now more certain than ever that climate change is real, it’s caused by human activities, and it’s already affecting us. If we’re going to live in a