UN – United Nations

How is the world doing on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our collective blueprint for a healthy planet, free of crushing poverty and injustice? The “Sustainable Development Goals Report 2017,” released by the United Nations today during the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development assesses where we stand on reaching the SDGs. The UN notes: “While considerable progress has been made over the past decade across all areas of development, the pace of progress […]

On Nelson Mandela International Day, and with the topic of gender equality top of the agenda at the United Nations this week as countries review their progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, I couldn’t help from reflecting on Nelson Mandela’s – or Madiba, as we fondly call him in South Africa – approach toward gender equality and women. Mandela was released in February 1990 after spending 27 painful and cruel years behind prison bars and

By Monica Cainer, Manager, Every Woman Every Child Innovation Marketplace and Kimberly Quach, Summer Student, Every Woman Every Child Innovation Marketplace Why the Innovation Marketplace?With the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in full swing, innovation is key to developing novel health care solutions that have sustainable and long-term impact. There is endless potential for innovative projects to save, improve, and transform the lives of millions of women, children, and adolescents around the world. Huge

By Taylor Buonocore, President of Born Free Africa In a world with growing needs and decreasing resources, it is more critical than ever that governments and organizations tackle their most pressing challenges by building strong teams and managing them effectively to achieve results. Business executives agree that behind every successful initiative is a capable and committed group of people whose efforts toward a common goal are well managed toward results. But in the development sector,

By Amanda Kabonero, UN Foundation Public Affairs Summer 2017 Intern Sunday, July 30, marks the fourth annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons to “raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.” Human trafficking transcends borders; therefore, the international community must act to help the tens of millions of victims of modern slavery, forced labor, trafficking, and sexual exploitation around the world. The United Nations

We are in the midst of what the United Nations has called the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. The threat of famine and severe food insecurity in Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen, and Nigeria mean that 20 million people – more than the population of the entire state of New York – are facing starvation and the ripple of consequences that come alongside it. The UN is responding: Agencies across the UN system are

When world leaders adopted the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, they pledged that “no one will be left behind” from a world of opportunity and dignity. While the international community has made significant progress in many areas – child deaths have declined by 44% since 2000 – hundreds of millions of people have been shut out of global progress because of crushing poverty, discrimination, and other barriers including conflict, violence, and other emergencies. To fulfill

Children should not have to worry about being bombed at school. Women should not have to fear rape used as a weapon of war. And humanitarian aid workers should not be blocked from and targeted for delivering life-saving supplies to people caught in conflict. International law demands the protection of civilians in conflict, as does our common humanity. Yet today, millions of people suffer inexcusable horrors as parties engaged in conflict ignore laws, often without

The United States and the United Nations have an important relationship. The UN was founded in San Francisco and its headquarters is in New York. The U.S. is the UN’s largest funder and a permanent member of the Security Council. Strong partnership between the U.S. and the UN have helped address pandemics, sanction rogue regimes, reduce hunger, enable more children to go to school, and stabilize fragile countries through peacekeeping. In addition, many Americans work