Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) released data examining the progress made toward the health-related goals of the Millennium Development Goals, also known as the MDGs. The MDGs, created by world leaders and the United Nations in 2000, set goals to alleviate poverty and improve global health by the end of 2015. These goals cover challenges ranging from reducing maternal and child deaths to turning the tide against malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. This shared […]

The United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up campaign is a global community of advocates changing policies and raising funds to support United Nations programs that help the hardest to reach girls living in places where it is hardest to be a girl. At the heart of this campaign are its Teen Advisors, girls who ensure that Girl Up succeeds in its mission: to support the empowerment of girls, by girls. Teen Advisors help carry out advocacy

According to the annual hunger report from the United Nations, the number of hungry people in the world has dropped to 795 million, which is 216 million fewer people than in 1990-1992. The State of Food Insecurity in the World report, released yesterday, states that 72 of the 129 countries monitored by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have met the Millennium Development Goal target of halving the proportion of undernourished people by the end

The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the world’s premier health policy meeting, which guides the global health priorities around the world. This year, the United Nations Foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO) once again partnered to produce World Health +SocialGood, a daily webcast that brought together health experts from the Assembly to discuss the top issues on the agenda. This hour-long live stream gave a global digital audience the opportunity to engage on major topics affecting health and well-being around

As emergency humanitarian aid efforts in Nepal enter their second month following two powerful earthquakes, an estimated 2.8 million people are living in the open and are in need of assistance and protection. The Government of Nepal estimates that over 200,000 houses have been destroyed and another 200,000 badly damaged. Shelter is an overwhelming and urgent need. Sleeping outside can have a devastating effect on health – particularly for the very young, the very old,

Just in time for Pride month, the United Nations Human Rights Office yesterday released a much-anticipated report on discrimination and violence against individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Mandated by UN Human Rights Council, the UN’s top human rights organ, the report notes significant global advancement in protecting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons since the UN’s first groundbreaking report on LGBTI violence and discrimination in 2011.

Every day, 3 billion people in the world cook their food on open fires or traditional cookstoves. They burn solid fuels such as wood, crop residues, dung, coal, and charcoal, producing smoke that kills more than 4 million people annually and sickens millions more. In addition to the enormous health toll, this cooking method carries an enormous ecological burden; the emissions from the combustion of unsustainably harvested wood fuel alone accounts for roughly 2% of

For World Environment Day on June 5, we delved into the United Nations photo archives to find 15 breathtaking reasons to protect our planet. Every year, the UN marks this day to encourage awareness and action for the environment. Now is the time to take bold action on climate change and to consume our resources with care, so the beauty captured in these photos can continue to be enjoyed for generations to come. This planet