UN – United Nations

At six years old, my son Travis surprises me fairly often. Last month, as we planned his birthday party, I got a surprise that made me really proud of him, and reminded me that our kids are sometimes way more ready to grow than we realize. His birthday is close to Earth Day, which happened to fall on a Sunday this year. As we talked through possible themes, dates, and times for the party, and […]

Co-written by Nancy Lindborg, USAID assistant administrator of democracy, conflict and humanitarian affairs and posted on Devex.com on June 4, 2012 Over the past year, 13.3 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia were thrown into crisis as a result of drought in the Horn of Africa, the worst in 60 years. In response, the United States — together with the international community — spent more than $1.5 billion, saving millions of lives by

When you are on board a plane, carry-on safely tucked away, the world sure seems like a small place at 35,000 feet. But as you soar above the earth, consider the BIG role we all play in making it a better place. There are many problems facing the world today — but also many solutions. The key is raising awareness and taking action. Virgin Produced, the film and television production arm of the Virgin Group,

Right now, world leaders are gathering in Rio de Janeiro for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, to define pathways to a more sustainable future for our world. Known as Rio+20 because it marks 20 years since the first Earth Summit held in Rio, the conference will bring together governments, businesses and groups from around the world to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity, and ensure environmental protection to get

Ten years ago today, the continent of Europe was certified polio-free. This was a critical landmark and helped to accelerate efforts to stamp out the disease everywhere. While an important day to commemorate and to honour those who dedicated their lives to this milestone, such as Dr George Oblanpenko, it is even more important to remember that the fight is not over. Europe may be polio-free, and 99 percent of the world may be rid

After months of hard work and planning, I took my seat Tuesday morning in the Rio+Social audience, plugged in my computer, my phone, and my other phone, opened up all of my social media channels, and waited anxiously for the program to begin. As others took their seats and plugged in, I witnessed first-hand a connection between those in the room and the thousands of tweets that began to stream in with the hashtag #RioPlusSocial.