How does progress on gender equality affect progress on other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? How does women’s participation in the workforce reduce corruption? What’s the relationship between poverty and climate action? And what does this all have to do with five university students? The answers to the first three questions, in order: A lot; it reduces it; inverse. And the last question, what this has to do with five students? These were some of the […]

Kaysie Brown is Head of Policy Planning at the UN Foundation and Lisa Manley is Senior Director of Sustainability, Engagement and Partnerships at Mars, Incorporated. As 2019 barrels along, we find ourselves at several critical inflection points for action on the defining issues of our time – climate change, equality, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the SDGs, it is increasingly clear that diverse sectors and people across the globe are embracing them, but it’s

If you’re looking for a dose of motivation, look no further. We’re launching a series about action. 2019 will be a pivotal year for advancing global progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From achieving zero hunger to protecting life on land, the SDGs offer a roadmap toward a more prosperous, peaceful, and healthier future. That’s why every month, we’re going to highlight the stories of everyday individuals across the globe who are stepping up

Bill Gates says it’s one of the best investments he’s ever made. It’s helped save millions of lives and turn the tide against three deadly diseases. What is it? It’s the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund). And 2019 is an important year for governments and other donors to support its work. On January 11, President Emmanuel Macron of France announced the launch of the sixth replenishment for the Global Fund,

I could never have imagined as a child growing up in rural India that the meals my grandparents cooked for me would eventually lead me to a career at the United Nations Foundation. As a young girl, I lived with my grandparents in Edathua, a small village in Kerala, India. They cooked on a traditional wood-burning cookstove that produced thick plumes of indoor smoke. As a toddler, I often suffered from upper respiratory infections, likely

Earlier this year, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced an important milestone: for the first time in UN history, a peacekeeping mission is led by all women. That mission is the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP), led by Elizabeth Spehar, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General; Major General Cheryl Pearce, the Force Commander; and Ann-Kristen Kvilekval, Senior Police Adviser. Our @UNPeacekeeping Mission in Cyprus is our first to have three women in charge of

Laith Yousif wouldn’t call himself a romantic. His wife Dina wouldn’t either. The Brooklyn couple never expected to get married or have kids. “When we first started dating, I told Dina that I not only didn’t want kids, but I didn’t really like them very much,” Laith recalls with a grin: “But it turns out I was wrong.” Theirs is an unlikely love story. Laith was born and raised in Iraq. Dina moved from Italy