One of the world’s leading killers is finally get some much-needed attention – but when it comes to reducing tuberculosis (TB) deaths, dialogue isn’t enough; we need more resources and political will. This year, we have the chance to step up the global effort against TB – we can’t waste it. For the first time ever, the United Nations General Assembly will hold a High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis (TB) this fall, highlighting the global importance […]

Conflict often makes the news, but what about peace? It may not be at the top of your newsfeed, but this month brings an important milestone: the close of the UN Peacekeeping mission in Liberia, known as UNMIL. Following two devastating civil wars, UNMIL played a key role in supporting Liberia’s transition to peace, enabling elections, promoting women’s rights, and advancing reconstruction. As many parts of the world grapple with violence and instability, it’s important

Siddarth tracks waste in Chennai; Derval forecasts disaster impact in Indonesia; and Tariro analyzes a health care helpline in Zimbabwe. Last week, at City Hall in Bristol, England, historic chambers echoed with the sound of the future, as scores of data scientists and advocates jostled to share their work at the first Data for Development Festival, hosted by the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD). Everyone there got it: Good, actionable, and shared data,

Despite progress on many global development issues in recent decades, two destructive trends are on the rise – severe hunger and conflict/fragility – and it’s not by coincidence. Last week the 2018 Global Report on Food Crises was released. This third-edition report, prepared collectively by a dozen leading global and regional institutions including the European Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), aims to both elevate the

Eleven nations last week pledged an additional $15.3 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the rapid response to international disease outbreaks and humanitarian health crises. Globalization means health crises can spread faster than ever. With more people displaced worldwide than at any time in the last 75 years and weakened health infrastructure in fragile and conflict-affected areas, there is greater potential for health emergencies to arise. We all have a stake in

The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been described by the United Nations as “one of the world’s largest and most complex.” This recent Washington Post story outlines many of the challenges, such a quick upsurge in violence in some communities, difficulties delivering aid, and mass displacement. This crisis rarely makes the headlines, but it needs more attention, which is why we’re asking people to get involved and support the UN’s humanitarian

I just returned from a trip to Liberia, where I witnessed the end of the Liberia peacekeeping mission after 15 years of service. Liberia has a tumultuous past of violence, children forced to be soldiers, and the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war, but what I saw in the present was heartening and hopeful. In fact, for the past 10 years, Liberia has been relatively peaceful under the leadership of then-President Ellen

One in three women worldwide suffer violence in their lifetimes. This staggering global data point makes clear that violence against girls and women is pervasive and a major obstacle to the fulfillment of girls’ and women’s human rights. Violence keeps girls and women from living life as they choose and prevents them from fully participating in society. Consider the millions of girls and women forced into child marriage, sold into human trafficking, and subjected to