Yesterday a bi-partisan group of political and financial leaders said that climate change will cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars a year if action isn’t taken to slow it down. They called their report Risky Business. Scientists, business leaders, and political figures are telling us that the need to deal with our changing climate is urgent. The UN’s panel of climate science experts report more certainty than ever (95%) that humans are causing the

How do you define entrepreneurship? Do you see it as a way to make money, a mindset, or a method to make the world a better place? I have always known that entrepreneurs are risk takers: they make visions into reality by developing new products, processes, and markets. So what happens when all the definitions for entrepreneurship merge? You get today’s young entrepreneur. Now, you can make money and do good in the world at

Women’s and children’s health and survival rates around the world are steadily improving, but too many women, newborns, and children – the overwhelming majority of whom live in developing countries – continue to die from largely preventable causes. Over the past few weeks, the global health community has come together at a series of high profile events in Geneva, Toronto, and Washington D.C. to assess progress and accelerate momentum for women’s and children’s health. This

How is a nearly 70-year-old organization keeping up with the times? The United Nations is getting innovative with some thinking that is quite literally out of the box. Late last week, lawmakers on Capitol Hill got a firsthand look at some of the most exciting new ideas coming out of UN agencies as they look for new ways to confront the world’s most grave crises. Miss the reception? Check out some of the top ideas

Over 220 million women and girls around the world want to plan or prevent their next pregnancy, but lack access to quality contraceptive information and services. Meeting this unmet need for family planning education and services could reduce maternal mortality by one-third, infant mortality by one-fifth, and unsafe abortions by three-quarters. In addition to saving lives, providing family planning services creates a ripple effect that allows girls to stay in school, women to earn higher

We are in the middle of two important weeks for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – eight goals set in 2000 at the United Nations to reduce poverty and improve lives. Right now, a number of partners around the world are stepping action to build MDG momentum because progress on the MDGs means progress for millions of lives. Here’s a recap: 1.    On June 25, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Governments

Right now, the world faces two defining challenges: climate change and extreme poverty. Roughly 1.2 billion people don’t have access to electricity, which means children don’t have light to study at night, business owners don’t have electricity for their shops, and health clinics don’t have power to perform life-saving surgery at night. At the same time, our current energy use is causing the climate to change in ways that threaten the air, land, and water

“Human rights are for everyone, no matter who you are or whom you love,” wrote United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in May. He also wrote, “Equality begins at home.” This week, the UN put these powerful words into action right from its headquarters: The UN announced that it has widened its internal staff policy to recognize the marriage of all same-sex couples wed in a country where same-sex marriage is legal. This important step is