UN – United Nations

Solving global challenges requires knowledge of the issues and an exchange of ideas on how progress can be made. A number of reports have been released recently on issues from how climate change affects children to the economic opportunities of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Here are seven key reports we’re reading right now. Human Development Report 2016: Human Development for Everyone The UN Development Programme’s annual Human Development Report found that not everyone is […]

By Amna Adrees, United Nations Foundation Global Health Intern Eleanor Roosevelt is well known for her contributions to the United States. A strong advocate for civil rights for women, minorities, and other disadvantaged populations, she redefined what it meant to be the first lady of the United States. She pushed for U.S. involvement in the United Nations and remained deeply involved in the work done by UNA-USA throughout her career. What is less known about Eleanor Roosevelt,

This post was last updated October 15, 2018. In a world of abundant wealth and resources, where enough food is produced to feed everyone on the planet, it is unacceptable that hundreds of millions of people suffer from hunger. Right now, poverty, conflict, and climate change are contributing to hunger and suffering around the world. And in four countries – South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and northeastern Nigeria – 20 million people are facing severe food

Last month, I met up with a friend who had just been forwarded a video of Congolese soldiers in the region of Kasai shooting at what appeared to be unarmed men and women. I turned to him, a human rights advocate, and said, “Someone needs to investigate what is happening in this region of DR Congo.” The United Nations did just that, dispatching Michael Sharp, Coordinator of the UN Group of Experts tasked with monitoring

Measurement matters. Data matters. If you work in the fields of communications or development or international policy, these are two of the most common declarations of the moment.  And while a new chorus of data enthusiasts and professionals takes its rightful seat at the decisionmaking tables around the world, it is important to understand the kids of data sets and the innovative work of groups taking data from a trendy talking point to a trusted

Last week, I was in Guatemala meeting with girls and women to learn about their sexual and reproductive health and rights and the incredible people who work to protect and support those rights. Just a few days later – more than 3,000 miles away from Guatemala in Washington, D.C. – the U.S. government eliminated its funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which supports programs to advance the health, rights, and well-being of girls and women in Guatemala and 150 other

Support the UN Syria Humanitarian Fund to help people in need:  http://bit.ly/2nLDSdm This week’s images from Syria are horrific and grotesque, with unimaginable suffering inflicted on innocent people – many of them children – as a weapon of war. Perhaps most shameful, it is not the first time, and it is not unexpected. Chemical weapons have been used before in this theater of agony, as has virtually every instrument of modern savagery and destruction. Civilians

Introducing a song he was about to play with a group of musicians from around the world, Kinan Azmeh, Syrian clarinetist and member of the Silkroad ensemble, said, “I would like to dedicate this piece to all the Syrians who managed to fall in love in the last six years. I find it quite, quite inspiring that in spite of all the bullets, the barrel bombs, and even chemical attacks, people have the resilience in

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) plays an integral role in helping stabilize communities in Iraq that have been liberated from control by ISIL. By supporting infrastructure projects, economic opportunities, and the restoration of basic services, UNDP helps displaced families return to their homes and build more secure communities – an essential step in the fight against extremism. Today, UNDP is active in nearly 20 locations around Iraq, including Ramadi and Fallujah, and works in