As the world commemorates World Immunization Week from April 24-30, we celebrate how far we’ve come, while acknowledging what remains to be done. We remember the 1.5 million children that are still lost each year to diseases that can easily be prevented by vaccines and the millions of front-line health workers and volunteers operating in some of the most dangerous locations on earth to save lives in their communities. Universal immunization coverage is a top

The best things in communications happen when people come together to share what’s working, and what’s not, and to share across organizational boundaries. We witnessed the power of this reality as some of the best and brightest minds in brand engagement met last Friday at the United Nations Foundation in Washington, D.C., for the kickoff of the Global Issues Engagement Council. This informal meeting was an open discussion about encouraging cross-sector partnerships for social good.

We instinctively want to shield children from life’s harsh realities, especially today when we live in a time of increased negativity and uncertainty. I think if I could wrap my own children in emotional (and sometimes physical) bubble wrap, my parenting job would be a lot easier. But bubble-wrapped kids don’t turn into self-confident problem solvers, and our world needs creative solutions from even the youngest observers. So, how do we have important conversations with

By Vimlendra Sharan, Director, Liaison office for North America of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization For a world producing enough to feed its entire population, famines are a sad reminder of our inequitable growth models and governance failures. Despite the rigorous definition by the United Nations for declaring a famine (1 in 5 households in an affected area must be severely short of food; more than 30% of the population must be malnourished; and

To some, the world may seem to be filled with unsolvable problems, but, in fact, there are many areas where positive change is happening, including on global health issues. This month, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its annual World Health Statistics report, which monitors countries’ progress on health-related targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These global goals aim to create a world of dignity for all and include a goal on promoting health

By Seema Patel, Program Manager for Fuels, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Peter George, Director of Enterprise Development and Investment, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves A handful of innovative companies may soon transform how low-income consumers purchase and pay for cooking fuel. By providing energy services on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) basis, enterprises are leveraging technology-focused business models to overcome the affordability barrier previously faced by consumers unable to afford the upfront cost of household

During the upcoming Rotary International Convention in Atlanta, world leaders will gather to push for continued commitment and resources to #endpolio once and for all. Once polio is eradicated, it will be the second human disease in history to be wiped from the planet (following smallpox). We are closer than ever to reaching that goal. In 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) – whose partners include the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the U.S.

By Matthew Mulrennan, Director of the Ocean Initiative at XPRIZE The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 14 is to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.” To achieve this, we will need to create a new blue economy with sustainable start-up companies and innovations that can scale to solve the ocean’s grand challenges. Here are 14 breakthrough innovations that are putting us on a path to healthy, valued, and understood oceans. 1.