The United Nations describes the Lake Chad region of Africa as “a region under pressure,” which is grappling with a serious humanitarian crisis. What is the situation? According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), communities across the Lake Chad region (specifically in northeast Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger) are struggling with “the compounded impact of climate change, deep poverty, and violent extremism.” Lake Chad, an important source of water and economic opportunities […]

While children everywhere face bullying, LGBTI youth often face higher levels of taunting, name-calling, and violence at school, home, and in their community. The United Nations notes that children who experience this kind of abuse have a higher risk of anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem, self-harm, depression, and suicide. They are also more likely to skip or drop out of school. According to a recent UNESCO report, a study from the United States found that 70% of

The Minister of Public Health for Chad, Ngarmbatina Odkimbeye Soukate, is the mother of four girls. This morning in Brussels, in a gathering of more than 45 government representatives from all continents and 400 parliamentarians and civil society participants, Minister Soukate declared, “If the world wants to advance, women have to decide.” Her passionate sentiment was the theme of She Decides, an international conference devoted to mobilizing political, financial, and practical support for global sexual and

Every year, U.S. public officials receive approximately 2 million more letters and calls from men than women. Research also suggests that women are less likely to write opinion editorials, speak up at town hall meetings, or consider running for office. The percent of U.S. women registered to vote in the 2010-2012 cycle was only 64.3%, and only 50% of registered women cast a ballot, a precursor to last November when almost half of all eligible

Note: This blog was co-authored by Ryan Kaminski, Senior Program Manager for Human Rights and Special Initiatives and Anna Mahalak, UNA-USA’s Manager of Youth Engagement. The top United Nations human rights body, the UN Human Rights Council, convened yesterday, March 6, 2017, for a high-level discussion on supporting the human rights of youth in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Recommendations from GenUN advocates – members of the United Nations Association of the United States of America

I went to Calvary Women’s Services in Washington D.C. on a February morning to coach, encourage, and learn from women like Grace, and I left recommitted to the United Nations Foundation’s work to help empower girls and women. In honor of International Women’s Day, a team of UN Foundation colleagues and I spent the morning with approximately 30 women at Calvary as volunteers for a women’s job search boot camp. We fielded questions about job seeking, participated

Today, the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, which raises awareness and funding to fight malaria, unveiled its very first virtual reality film, “Under the Net.” Here are five things you need to know about this powerful documentary: “Under the Net” premiered this week at the Cinequest Film and VR Festival in San Jose, California. It has been named Best VR Documentary, and will be honored on Sunday during the closing awards ceremony. The film features

I just returned from Guatemala where the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up team is focused on the UN’s vital work to empower indigenous girls and stop domestic violence in rural towns and villages. Thinking about the people I met there, I keep returning to one word: bravery. It takes bravery for girls to ask their parents to allow them to join the Espacio Amigable – “Safe Space” – program run by the UN in remote towns such

Engaging with the public is a key to global progress.  That is why I am inspired by what I am seeing this weekend as the Public Diplomacy and Government Communication Forum in Dubai, a first-of-its-kind gathering for public diplomacy professionals in the region, gets underway.  Public diplomacy is an ancient art and yet one that’s more relevant than ever. The world is more interconnected—and just plain connected, through technology and social media—than at any time in history. And today,