Thanks to our supporters and partners, the United Nations Foundation is able to help the UN empower girls and women, improve the health of women and children, expand access to sustainable energy solutions, and much more. Today we are kicking off a new “Supporter Spotlight” blog series to highlight the people who make our work possible. Our first featured supporter is Andrea Riley from Lincoln, Nebraska, who is a Champion Leader for our Shot@Life campaign, […]

“Ordinary Yemeni families are struggling for the very basics – water, food, fuel and medicines. Hundreds of civilians have been killed.  Hospitals and schools are shutting down – some of which are direct targets of the fighting.” – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at a press briefing yesterday on the crisis in Yemen. Recent conflict in Yemen has killed hundreds and injured thousands, including children. Many families have been forced to flee their homes. Some

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on the What to Expect blog. It’s simple: Healthy babies begin with healthy mothers. And being a healthy mother begins with the ability to safely plan your family. This week, as we mark the International Day for Maternal Health and Rights, I am reflecting back on my own experience of becoming a mother. Almost a year ago today, I held my son for the first time. I remember being completely

Today the UN Foundation blog continues our series, “5 Days, 5 Facts, 5 Reasons to Act” with a focus on girls’ education. FEATURED FACT: If we want to drive progress in the world, we need to make sure girls are in the driver’s seat of their own lives. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written, “There is no more valuable investment than in a girl’s education.” Here’s why: When girls are educated, they are more

Our blog series“5 Days, 5 Facts, 5 Reasons to Act” today highlights progress in the fight against malaria, a Millennium Development Goal priority. FEATURED FACT: Thanks to global efforts to fight malaria, such as distributing bednets that protect families from the mosquitoes that carry the disease, malaria mortality rates have decreased by 47% worldwide and by 54% in sub-Saharan Africa since 2000. However, despite major progress, malaria still remains a major global health threat. Every

Our blog series “5 Days, 5 Facts, 5 Reasons to Act” today highlights improvements in maternal health, an important aim of the Millennium Development Goals. FEATURED FACT: Healthy mothers mean healthy families. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), “When mothers die, their families are much more vulnerable, and their infants are more likely to die before reaching their second birthday.” Most maternal deaths are preventable, and the UN and partners have mobilized to expand access to

Our blog series “5 Days, 5 Facts, 5 Reasons to Act” concludes today with a focus on global progress in reducing extreme poverty. FEATURED FACT: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called the Millennium Development Goals “the most successful global anti-poverty push in history.” According to the UN, in 1990, close to half of the people in developing regions lived on less than $1.25 a day, and by 2010, only 22% of the developing world was

We are just months away from the United Nations Post-2015 Summit in September, when world leaders will come together to adopt a new set of global goals to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). There is clear consensus that successful implementation of the new global goals in 2016 will be rooted in reliable, accurate, and timely data. Strong data will help to show us where we need to focus our interventions – such as ensuring

Photo: Jonathan Torgovnik/Getty Images Reportage Last week, we attended the Cartagena Data Festival in Colombia, where more than 450 participants from many disciplines joined forces in a three-day event focused on solving critical gaps in global development data and creating opportunities for improved data collection for the post-2015 development agenda. The proposed Sustainable Development Goals include a commitment to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.” To monitor progress toward this goal and