The Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa decimated health systems in affected countries, including routine immunization activities. Now Sierra Leone is grappling with a measles outbreak that started last year and has continued to grow, with more than 1,000 suspected cases of measles in the country.  Working with the Measles & Rubella Initiative, a global partnership to stop measles and rubella (of which the UN Foundation is a founding partner), and with financial support from […]

Dadam Ben tries to light the fire in the conventional cookstove in Ganeshpura village in District Mehsana in Indian State of Gujarat. Across the developing world, people cook over open fires or simple stoves that burn solid fuels like wood, animal dung, and coal. Cooking this way emits small particles, carbon monoxide, and other noxious fumes at levels up to 100 times higher than recommended health limits. As a result, the simple act of cooking

Continuing in our weekly series on important global news stories in the support of the United Nations and the causes it champions, here is a list of stories to get your week started. Check the UN Foundation blog for more from us on UN peacekeeping, the Paris Climate Agreement signing ceremony, the measles outbreak in Sierra Leone, and other important issues.  “No place for rapists in peacekeeping,” by Peter Yeo, LA Times: In this op-ed,

There is no place for rapists in peacekeeping. This was the title of my op-ed in the Los Angeles Times this week, which addressed sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations Peacekeeping – a topic I will address today in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In 2015 and 2016, a number of high-profile and disturbing cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers were brought to light, particularly in the Central African

Today, April 13, marks the one year anniversary of the official launch of a groundbreaking new U.S. State Department role, Special Envoy for Protection of the Human Rights of LGBTI persons. The announcement paralleled significant progress, but also challenges, regarding the advancement of the human rights of LGBTI people around the world.  At the United Nations, this includes: Passage of two successful LGBTI human rights resolutions at the UN’s top human rights organ, the UN

Being pregnant can be an uncertain and stressful time for anyone, but imagine being pregnant in the midst of the largest humanitarian crisis of our time. That’s the reality for the more than 16,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan who are pregnant at any one time. These women face a greatly increased risk of injury or death – 60% of preventable maternal deaths occur in humanitarian settings, often because they face barriers to accessing essential maternal

This Earth Day, on April 22, representatives from around the world will come together at the United Nations to sign the Paris Climate Agreement, which was adopted last December. This is expected to be the largest single-day signing in the history of international accords. Climate change affects all of us, and it’s up to all of us to take action to ensure a healthy planet for generations to come.  To learn more about the climate

Editor’s Note: This post is part of the blog series, “Her Goals: Our Future,” which highlights the connections between girls and women and the Sustainable Development Goals. Guest blogger views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the UN Foundation. A friend’s daughter recently returned to graduate school now that her youngest child is a toddler, and she remarked that it was the first time in years she felt and had been viewed

Video is one of the most compelling and immersive mediums of storytelling, and one that is powerful in stimulating people to act. Over the past several months, organizations such as UNICEF, GOOD Magazine, and the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign have created moving, and motivating, videos that tell the story of global challenges and global solutions. Here are five inspirational videos. Shot@Life Supports United Nations’ Efforts to Provide Global Childhood Vaccines Often related to distance and