On Thursday, October 6, the United Nations Security Council nominated António Guterres to serve as the next Secretary-General to succeed current Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon starting on January 1, 2017. The UN General Assembly will next need to approve the recommendation. Guterres has deep experience as a leader, a diplomat, and a humanitarian. He served as the head of the UN Refugee Agency from 2005-2015 and is the former Prime Minister of Portugal, which means he […]

How do we turn the Sustainable Development Goals from aspirations on paper to achievements around the world? The answer is action. We need people around the world taking action in their communities and holding their governments accountable for keeping the promises they made. But in order to have action, we need awareness. People must know about the global goals before they can embrace them as their own. Journalists are on the front lines of raising

By the UN Foundation’s Natalie Africa and Jonathan Rich Each year, thousands of people from around the world who work on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) related issues descend on Stockholm, Sweden for one week of meetings and events. Stockholm World Water Week, as it’s known, took place last month under the theme, “Water for Sustainable Growth,” a fitting theme given the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, which call for “access to water and

  In many countries, particularly where HIV is common, tuberculosis (TB) has become widespread as it is extremely infectious and remains in the air for hours. TB spreads particularly fast in areas with poor living conditions and through people with weakened immune systems from HIV/AIDS. South Africa, which is home to the largest number of people living with HIV, also has one of the greatest burdens of TB in the world. In July, I met

“Achieving its 17 Sustainable Development Goals will depend, in large part, on whether we can make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon message on World Habitat Day By 2030, 6 in 10 people will live in urban areas, according to the UN. That means that urban areas pose significant challenges and opportunities for sustainable development. Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals calls to “Make cities

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17 is an annual moment to renew our global commitment to end poverty – a commitment 193 world leaders made last year when they adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. Here are four things to know about the fight against poverty. We are making progress. Extreme poverty has decreased by more than half since 1990. According to the World Bank, nearly 1.1 billion people have moved

Aditi, Hiba, Tuong Anh, and Temawelase want to grow up to be a teacher. They are all 10-year-old girls from different corners of the world – Bangladesh, Jordan, Vietnam, and Swaziland – but share the same dream for their future. They represent the more than 60 million 10-year-old girls around the world – the vast majority of them living in developing countries – who are considered the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) generation. Why? Because if

The damage done by Hurricane Matthew reminded us all of the devastating power of extreme weather, from the destruction of entire communities in Haiti to deadly flooding in North Carolina. Acting on climate change to reduce the potential for more such disasters is ever more urgent. Fortunately, the world is responding. Just this month, there has been much good news: Much earlier than expected, the Paris Agreement on climate change will enter into force. This

In the midst of mounting interest in gender data comes the 6th Global Forum on Gender Statistics which is taking place in Helsinki from October 24-26. Over 200 participants will attend the Global Forum, including representatives from United Nations agencies, other international organizations, civil society, academia, and national statistics offices. Data2X will be at the Global Forum and took the opportunity to sit down with Francesca Grum, the Chief of Social and Housing Statistics at