Happy World Oceans Day! Before joining the UN Foundation, I worked with the ocean nonprofit Oceana, so June 8 holds a special place in my heart (and on my calendar!) Every year the United Nations marks this day to raise awareness of the importance of the planet’s oceans to our lives – a message that is incredibly important as we face the threat of climate change. As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “The oceans are […]

MAMA (the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action) uses mobile phones to deliver relevant health information directly to new and expectant mothers, so they have the knowledge they need to take charge of their health and the health of their children. In 2014, MAMA and local implementing partner ARMMAN launched the mMitra program in India, a country which has the highest burden of maternal, child, and newborn deaths in the world. In many areas across India,

On June 26, 1945, delegates from 50 nations came together to sign the United Nations Charter – a historic moment for global peace and progress. To mark the UN’s 70th anniversary this year, over the coming week, we will be sharing 70 facts about the UN and the work it does around the world. Here are 10 facts to get us started! 1. The UN has six official languages – Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and

On June 26, 1945, delegates from 50 nations came together to sign the United Nations Charter – a historic moment for global peace and progress. To mark the UN’s 70th anniversary this year, over the coming week, we will be sharing 70 facts about the UN and the work it does around the world. You can find the first 10 facts here, and check out the list below for 10 more. 1. London was the site of

Pope Francis is a man of many firsts: The first pope from Latin America – or for that matter, from the Global South. The first Jesuit pope. And since this morning, Francis is the first pope to release an encyclical specifically focused on the environment and climate change. While previous popes have spoken about the importance of caring for creation, through his encyclical, “Laudato Si’ (Praised Be You), On Care for Our Common Home,” Pope

On June 26, 1945, delegates from 50 nations came together to sign the United Nations Charter – a historic moment for global peace and progress. To mark the UN’s 70th anniversary this year, over the coming week, we will be sharing 70 facts about the UN and the work it does around the world. You can find facts 1-10 here and facts 11-20 here, and check out the list below for 10 more. The United Nations

A few months ago at a college interview panel, a human rights professor asked me, “What do you think is the most important issue facing women and girls in developing countries today?” I knew what the answer was supposed to be: access to education. It’s always education. Educated girls get married later and raise fewer, similarly education children, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty and discrimination. But with this in mind, I answered, “birth registration.”

Established in 1958 for Rwandan refugees, Nakivale Refugee Settlement has been in operation thanks to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for more than 55 years. Located in southwest Uganda, it is home to more than 74,000 refugees and asylum-seekers and coordinates with several global partners to serve this vulnerable population, including Medical Teams International, American Refugee Committee, the World Food Programme, Samaritan’s Purse, Nsamizi, and Windle Trust Uganda, among others. It works in cooperation with

In recent years there has much global regret about the low levels of women’s employment in many parts of the world. Some of this hand-wringing is justified – women’s participation in the labor force is good for the economy (and thus we have a series of estimates of the rises in GDP growth possible by closing gender gaps in labor force participation and in wages), and it is often good for women’s autonomy and empowerment.