UNA-USA and the U.S. Department of State are giving one U.S. student the chance of a lifetime; a chance to see the United Nations in action, in person, during the UN General Assembly and other high-profile UN events. Brooke Loughrin, a student at Boston College and originally from the Seattle area, was named the first-ever U.S. Youth Observer at the UN; she will report on her experiences to peers and the entire world in the […]

Sophie Blackall, a renowned illustrator – check out her recent artwork in the NYC Subway – recently returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (checkout her travel journal), where she got a first-hand view of children’s health with the Measles and Rubella Initiative. The week, she launched a new exhibit of her sketches from her travels, where she met and was moved by families and communities devastated by measles. The posters were designed by

Yesterday’s kick-off of the Social Good Summit was a buffet of great ideas and inspiration. The people on the stage were incredible, but what happened inside and outside the room made it remarkable. A friend of mine remarked, “This place is like a power-list of people who believe in progress.” Agreed. While the overall theme of the Summit is to find ways to connect technology, social media and innovation for social good, there were some

Mobile phones, social media and other technologies are changing the way humans connect to each other; they’re also changing how we support one another.  Today, the United Nations Foundation is launching the Global Good Challenge – an innovative digital initiative that asks people to “donate their voices” by taking action and engaging their online networks to help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, from malaria to child marriage to child mortality. And did

Sometimes you don’t have to eavesdrop to hear what’s going on in conversations around you.  In fact, sometimes you are invited in.  This took place both online and offline today during Social Good Summit Day 2, and I am grateful I got the chance to hear, and engage, in some great exchanges. Here are a few of the gems I heard, overheard, and helped expand during conversations today: *   A tool by any other name… 

As recent events unfolded in the Middle East and across the globe, it gave me pause to think about the thousands of citizens who serve our country in the Foreign Service at home and abroad. These individuals play a vital role in the diplomacy efforts of the United States, yet their contributions go largely unnoticed and unrecognized…unless something extraordinary, or in this month’s instance tragic, happens. The loss of American life is always a reminder

While a lot of important news has been coming out of the United Nations General Assembly lately, there is one story that may not make the front pages, but should be at the front of our minds: the health of women and children around the world. Why?  Most importantly, women and children everywhere deserve quality health care.  If we can land a rover on Mars and map out the genes of the human body, we