At the United Nations General Assembly in September 2016, all 193 UN Member States committed to supporting the efforts to curb the spread of infections resistant to antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, is perhaps one of the most complex and potentially devastating health and economic threats of our time, estimated to kill 10 million people per year and to cause an annual decline of 1.1%-3.8% in global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2050 if not quickly […]

The head of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, recently asked a group of Rohingya mothers at a makeshift refugee camp in Bangladesh what their children needed the most. Their response: “Everything.” In the past month alone, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 480,000 Rohingya people have fled violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State – what the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has

Last week was a busy one at the United Nations in New York: the General Assembly kicked off its 72nd session, the first one for both UN Secretary-General António Guterres and U.S. President Donald Trump. While the speeches from world leaders generally get most of the attention, we want to draw your attention to a few events from the week that you may have missed. Provided below is seven of the top events: 1. High-Level

Hurricanes Irma and Maria have devastated large parts of the Caribbean and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, leaving the region in a state of emergency and millions of people in need of critical aid and supplies. During this time of crisis, we’ve seen individuals, corporations, NGOs, and governments all come together to assist those affected. The United Nations and its agencies are also playing an important role in assisting the relief efforts following these

The start of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September was a sobering reminder of the immense suffering taking place in our world; it was also a moment for the international community to come together and accelerate progress so no one is left behind. Leaders gathered in New York amid enormous challenges, from the aftermath of relentless hurricanes in the Caribbean, to deep societal divisions and inequalities, to a growing

What do the United Nations Secretary-General, the First Lady of Namibia, the youngest Nobel Prize winner, the Prime Minister of Japan, an iconic philanthropist, and a NASA astronaut all have in common? At the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) – across New York City and in meeting rooms, on campuses, and in hallways at the UN – they each championed their commitment to gender equality and girls and women’s rights and empowerment. It is tempting

In a speech on September 21 at “We The Future: Accelerating Sustainable Development Solutions,” an event organized by the Skoll Foundation, TED, and the United Nations Foundation as part of Global Goals Week, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan spoke directly to women and girls around the world. “You are not invisible. You are not just a number on a spreadsheet,” she said. Queen Rania’s words reflect a shift in focus among data enthusiasts, a

In the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, a group of girls who have had to flee their homes in Syria dream of their futures. Known as the TIGER Girls, which stands for “These Inspiring Girls Enjoy Reading,” they want to be teachers, doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Yet it’s hard to go to school – there is not enough resources and capacity for every child to get a quality education. Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development

Imagine being pregnant in a refugee camp. Or being a young girl separated from her family after a natural disaster and at risk of sexual violence. Girls and women in emergency settings – grappling with the effects of disaster, conflict, and violence – have specific needs that are often overlooked, yet essential to their lives and livelihoods. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supports reproductive health care, access to contraceptives, gender violence prevention, and mental