As global health experts gather at the annual World Health Assembly (WHA) from May 19-28, what are the pressing issues on the agenda? Here are a few big topics that will be discussed, as well as a video preview of key issues from Ambassador John Lange, the UN Foundation’s Senior Fellow for Global Health Diplomacy. The theme for this year’s assembly is Universal Health Coverage, which essentially means we are working toward a world where […]

Every day, Christine drops her children off at her employer-sponsored daycare and goes to her job as an employee relations assistant, popping over to check on her children during breaks. Here at her workplace, the 36-year-old mother of two enjoys employee benefits that too many working women do not — access to essential health services like contraception, cervical cancer screening, counseling, and even clean, potable water to bring home to her family. Christine, above, works

Deadly diseases that can be prevented with a simple vaccine still threaten millions of people around the world — especially children. Every child deserves a shot at a healthy life. We have the tools to stop these diseases, and through collective global efforts, we’ve been able to save millions of lives. But right now, our progress against vaccine-preventable diseases like measles is in danger. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) released new data showing a

The good news is we’re making progress. Technology and innovation are making sustainable energy available to more people than ever before. Today more than 20% of the world’s energy comes from renewable resources — and that percentage is growing. Right now the UN is working with governments, companies, and local partners across the globe to help the planet’s most vulnerable people by providing vital access to sustainable energy. In the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, health

When you work in a war zone, the first thing you learn is where the nearest United Nations peacekeeping base is located. That’s what I found out when I lived in Sudan ten years ago working for a humanitarian NGO. If violence erupted, those bases could save your life. Since then, I have always seen UN Peacekeepers as a sign of hope. Over the last five years, I’ve traveled to six peacekeeping missions and have

People in the United States may seem divided, but when it comes to protecting the planet, 25 governors have joined forces to support the Paris Agreement on climate change. Two years ago on June 1, 2017, when the Trump administration announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, the governors of California, Washington, and New York stepped up to support the international agreement. Since then, the U.S. Climate Alliance has grown to represent 24

What is a woman’s journey to power? What does she need to do — or change — to arrive at a place of equality of opportunity, where she is able to realize her full potential in the world? That’s what my United Nations Foundation colleagues and I will be examining during a wide range of activities and events that we’re hosting as part of Women Deliver 2019. More than 8,000 participants — from government leaders and researchers to

There is no such thing as a perfect father. All dads, including me, have moments that make us cringe in hindsight.  But I lucked out with my dad – he was ahead of his time. When the doctor said that my father wouldn’t be allowed in the delivery room for my birth – standard practice in the 1960s called for dads to be in the waiting room, ready to light up a cigar – my

What does gender equality and climate change have to do with health? Everything. At the end of May, the 72nd World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva brought together global health leaders to discuss pressing issues. The topics covered issues from mental health to eradicating polio and everything in between, but at the core of them all was one clear theme: leave no one behind, as promised by world leaders in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).