UN – United Nations

What do the United Nations Secretary-General, the First Lady of Namibia, the youngest Nobel Prize winner, the Prime Minister of Japan, an iconic philanthropist, and a NASA astronaut all have in common? At the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) – across New York City and in meeting rooms, on campuses, and in hallways at the UN – they each championed their commitment to gender equality and girls and women’s rights and empowerment. It is tempting […]

In a speech on September 21 at “We The Future: Accelerating Sustainable Development Solutions,” an event organized by the Skoll Foundation, TED, and the United Nations Foundation as part of Global Goals Week, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan spoke directly to women and girls around the world. “You are not invisible. You are not just a number on a spreadsheet,” she said. Queen Rania’s words reflect a shift in focus among data enthusiasts, a

In the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, a group of girls who have had to flee their homes in Syria dream of their futures. Known as the TIGER Girls, which stands for “These Inspiring Girls Enjoy Reading,” they want to be teachers, doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Yet it’s hard to go to school – there is not enough resources and capacity for every child to get a quality education. Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development

Imagine being pregnant in a refugee camp. Or being a young girl separated from her family after a natural disaster and at risk of sexual violence. Girls and women in emergency settings – grappling with the effects of disaster, conflict, and violence – have specific needs that are often overlooked, yet essential to their lives and livelihoods. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supports reproductive health care, access to contraceptives, gender violence prevention, and mental

When girls are safe, healthy, and empowered, they are forces for positive change in the world. They help grow economies, strengthen communities, and improve the health and well-being of families. Even more, respecting their rights – and the rights of all people – is our moral obligation. Yet, in times of emergency – when conflict and disaster strike – the needs and rights of girls are often neglected. Today, millions of girls have been uprooted

The difference in food affordability and the factors leading to food disparities across the globe may come as a shock to most. The World Food Programme’s (WFP) Counting the Beans index reveals the truth behind the cost of an average plate of food across the globe. For instance, a $1.20 meal in New York costs $82.10 in the Central African Republic, where a civil war has occupied the country since 2012. A $5.50 plate in

When I visited Uganda last year, I met a woman named Sarah*. As she relayed, from the moment she was born, Sarah’s life was shaped by inequality: She was born into poverty, with no support from her family, no access to education or health care, and no job opportunities in her rural town. As a young girl of 12, she moved to the city on her own looking for economic opportunity, where she was raped

Fewer children were paralyzed by polio in 2016 than any year in history. Today, more than 16 million people, who would otherwise have been paralyzed by polio, are able to walk, and this year wild polio remains in only three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Although the world is closer than ever to eradicating polio, the virus continues to circulate, especially in remote and conflict-ridden areas. To protect children from the disease’s spread, countries remain

Twice each year – in both the fall and the spring – thousands of global development practitioners from government, the private sector, civil society, and academia descend upon Washington, D.C. for the World Bank/IMF Meetings. In addition to serving as an important forum to discuss critical issues – such as the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, aid effectiveness, and the role of multilateralism – the meetings also provide an important opportunity to launch