With the headlines announcing Obama’s support for same-sex marriage, it has reminded us that, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon declared, “the time has come” to make lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights a top priority with the United Nations. This marks a historical moment for America and the future of LGBT rights in our country and around the world as the President’s declaration today reminds us that the U.S. and the UN are […]

Live Below the Line is a great concept, and I’m glad to participate this week to support the Shot@Life Campaign. Think of it this way. Live Below the Line participants spend $7.50 total to eat and drink for five days. My grocery basket on Sunday night was filled with a loaf of inexpensive bread, peanut butter, two bananas, two boxes of pasta and a (half-priced) dented can of peas. But Live Below the Line isn’t

When the electricity goes out, you know how quickly and easily your life is disrupted. You can’t watch television; your food could spoil in the refrigerator; you stumble in the darkness to find a flashlight or candles; the traffic lights might even be out of service in your neighborhood. Now imagine you are giving birth to a child, or require emergency surgery or care, and the health clinic or hospital you’re in has no electricity.

Today we toured Kakuma Refugee Camp in the northern Kenya desert, home to nearly 95,000 refugees, about one-third of whom are from South Sudan. People there have walked days or weeks, or ridden buses, or flown in airplanes, to escape dangerous conditions in their home countries. They arrive exhausted, most with little or no belongings. Yet these people warmly welcomed our delegation from the United Nations Foundation and the Nothing But Nets campaign, greeting our

In case you missed it, United Nations Foundation Chairman and Founder Ted Turner recently interviewed with CNN’s Piers Morgan about his career, life, and commitment to global philanthropy. We were excited to hear Ted talk about his historic gift that created the UN Foundation, our successful Nothing But Nets campaign, and his involvement in the Giving Pledge. As part of the conversation, Piers recognized Ted as a leader in philanthropy who has inspired others to

It starts with one voice.  I speak up and while, I won’t be ignored, combining my voice with yours will make our calls stronger.  Your representative in Washington listens.  If you speak up and you tell your friends to speak up, your representative, your senator will have to listen.  They need to know that we care that the U.S. needs to work with the UN to end child marriage because U.S. policies have a huge

As an American, it was a proud moment for me when I watched members of Congress stand before a crowd on Capitol Hill last week and thank United Nations Peacekeepers for putting their lives on the line in the name of global peace and stability. U.S. Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Mike Honda (D-CA), and Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) eloquently noted that the sacrifices of UN peacekeepers mean greater national security for us all. Their words were