Today, October 24, 2016, is United Nations Day. Every October, United Nations Association chapters around the United States engage their communities by hosting events to celebrate the founding of the United Nations and elevate awareness of global issues. This year, our network of campus and community chapters have banned together to host a record 160 UN Day events! Our theme for 2016 is “One Humanity, Shared Responsibility” which brings awareness to the worst refugee crisis […]

At the UN Foundation, we are committed to helping steer the world away from climate catastrophe. Every day, we collaborate with the United Nations, governments, businesses, and civil society to advocate for government policies, technological innovation, and financing at scale to prevent runaway climate change and improve the lives of the world’s poorest through deployment of climate solutions like renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, including for those who don’t yet have access to electricity

Editor’s Note: This post was updated on December 19, 2016 to reflect more recent information. The ongoing battle to retake Mosul, Iraq from ISIL has left as many as 1 million people out of reach of humanitarian aid in Mosul city, where the UN is concerned by reports of food and water shortages. More than 100,000 people are currently displaced by the fighting, according to the United Nations. Hundreds have sought medical attention for respiratory

Last month in Montreal, governments, the private sector, and foundations came together to make a powerful investment for a better world. Most of these investors will never see a direct return on investment to themselves; this venture will pay dividends to families and communities around the world. The nearly $13 billion pledged to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is not just a demonstration of generosity. This investment is expected to drive

By Jordie Hannum, Executive Director of the Better World Campaign  In a six-week span from August to September – approximately the length of time of baseball’s playoffs – the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spearheaded efforts to turn an open piece of land in Uganda into the Bidibidi refugee settlement – a settlement the size of the city of Pasadena, California. Over the summer, a massive surge in refugees fleeing renewed violence and food insecurity in South

The holiday season is officially upon us. Once we turned the calendar to November 1, Amazon and dozens of retailers started reminding us that it was time to shop, shop, shop! Yes, that means Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping deals abound, but it also means one of my favorite days of the year: #GivingTuesday – a global day to give back. This year, #GivingTuesday will fall on November 29, kicking off the holiday giving season

The last two years have been remarkable in terms of global climate action. In 2014, hundreds of thousands of citizens around the world took to the streets in rallies for the People’s Climate March. Later that year, bilateral commitments from the world’s two largest emitters – the U.S. and China – set the global level of ambition higher for climate action. From Pope Francis to Leonardo DiCaprio and many others, we’ve seen a new set

On the first-ever “One Health Day” on November 3, global health and development organizations are asking people around the world to learn more and help spread the word about “One Health,” a public health approach that emphasizes the health connections between humans, animals, and ecosystems. Read more to find out why. Animals, the Environment, and our Health: What’s the Connection? According to the World Health Organization, “About 75% of the new diseases that have affected

As conflict in and around Mosul, Iraq continues, recent reports of ISIL abducting, executing, and using civilians as human shields is a sobering reminder of the dangers that threaten civilians caught in conflict. For example, 90% of people killed or injured by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas are civilians, according to the United Nations. From Iraq to Yemen, Syria to South Sudan, and in communities around the world, civilians too often face