By Sanjay Banka, Managing Director of Banka BioLoo and a Steering Committee Member for Sanitation and Water for All Sanitation facilities in many developing countries, such as India, are alarmingly poor. According to the World Health Organization, 2.4 billion people do not have basic sanitation facilities such as toilets or latrines. Of these, 946 million defecate in the open. Of the nearly 1 billion who defecate in the open, India is home to 600 million […]

This Pride Month, the United Nations Foundation has partnered with Gap Inc. to raise awareness and support for the United Nations’ Free & Equal campaign, which is dedicated to advancing equal rights and fair treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people around the world. LGBTI people are often among the most persecuted, marginalized, or at risk for violence and discrimination. All over the world, LGBTI people are routinely subject to discrimination simply

As these girls line up at a feeding center in Mogadishu, Somalia, people in Yemen, northeastern Nigeria, and South Sudan are also receiving food aid as millions struggle with hunger. No one should go to bed hungry, yet conflict and, in some places, factors like drought and environmental threats, have meant that 20 million people aren’t getting the food they need. Famine has been declared in parts of South Sudan and threatens Somalia, Yemen, and

Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals is happening in many forms. It is not exclusively because of those who hold positions of power – it can come from anyone, anywhere, who takes even one step toward building a more sustainable future. I saw this first-hand in Guatemala, where I was proud to see the extraordinary work of individuals striving to improve life for their families, communities, and country.  Señora Antonia Batz is one of these

This World Refugee Day, New York City native Christopher Swain will swim two miles from the Statue of Liberty to Manhattan Island in New York’s polluted Hudson River to call attention to the needs of the 65.6 million people around the world who have been forcibly displaced from home by war and persecution. Christopher is not a stranger to swimming in dirty waters. In fact, as the first person in history to swim the entire

The scale of human suffering in the world today is unprecedented. Millions of people have been forced from their homes by violence and persecution; millions more are fleeing natural disasters, drought, and famine. The map is dotted with an ever-growing number of refugee camps, tent cities, temporary settlements, and emergency shelters, all of them full of people who are enduring the worst ordeal of their lives. Today, on World Refugee Day, we bear witness to

On World Refugee Day, June 20, the world turns its focus on the growing plight of refugees and displaced persons. More than 65 million individuals around the world today have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict and violence, and while many individuals and organizations hope to provide aid and relief through food, shelter, and medicine, a crucial resource is often overlooked – safe and reliable energy, light, and fuel for cooking. Last

By Kimberly Richter, UN Foundation Public Affairs Summer 2017 Intern At a recent policy hackathon in London presented by Dell and the United Nations Foundation, a group of 30 policymakers, entrepreneurs, academic leaders, and civil society members proved that innovation is a critical component of sustainable development. The event challenged participants to answer the question: How can public policy promote entrepreneurship and advance the Sustainable Development Goals? Each of the five teams was given 60

By Jeff Morgan, Supply Chain Director for Mars Global Chocolate Cocoa beans are the most important ingredient in chocolate, and without a consistent and ongoing supply of quality cocoa, chocolate products wouldn’t be possible. As the Supply Chain Director for Mars Global Chocolate, much of my role in supply chains is focused on developing the supply of cocoa beans from Cote d’Ivoire for Mars Global Chocolate – a family-owned business headquartered in the United States.