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

Children and families in Syria need our help. According to UNICEF, more than 30 children have been killed in the past few months because of violence, extreme winter conditions, and displacement. DONATE HERE TO SUPPORT THE UN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE FUND FOR SYRIA As the conflict in Syria approaches its ninth year, freezing temperatures are making conditions worse for millions of people displaced within Syria’s borders and in surrounding countries. In total, over 13 million people

16-year-old Eva Jones didn’t consider herself an “advocate.” But this high school student and self-proclaimed “huge nerd,” from Hood River, Oregon, is by all accounts a rockstar advocate for gender equality and education. After founding a Girl Up Club at her school in 2017, Eva and her club have gone on to raise over $13,000 to support girls’ education in Malawi and Guatemala, worked with hundreds of girls to turn a refugee education bill into

Dr. Peter Hotez brings a unique perspective to his work. As a world-renowned vaccine scientist, he has spent his career studying “neglected tropical diseases” like malaria, West Nile Virus, and Zika in the planet’s most inaccessible and impoverished places. He and a colleague coined the term. Over the past three decades, he has developed lifesaving treatments for some of the deadliest illnesses — and witnessed the tragic consequences when vaccines are not available. He’s also