UN – United Nations

12 Inspiring Nelson Mandela Quotes

Every July 18, the world celebrates Nelson Mandela International Day – a day to recognize Mandela’s contributions to freedom, equality, and human rights and to follow his example of service to build a better world. To get inspired, here is a list of 12 amazing quotes from Madiba.  While there are so many words of wisdom to choose from, these are some of my favorites. 1.      “What counts in life is not the mere fact […]

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100,000 Mothers and Counting | unfoundation.org

  Living on about $120 per month in the slums of Dhaka, Nasima, 27, and her husband, a factory worker, struggled to find additional resources to better care for their newborn child. Their plight is all too common in Dhaka, a city where poverty and illiteracy are prevalent, especially among women and girls. Despite her living conditions and limited resources, Nasima’s story is one of inspiration because she signed up with MAMA in Bangladesh to

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Dialogue in Russia: Global Themes, Local Perspectives

  This week I was able to participate in a dialogue with a unique group of Russian leaders to share perspectives related to ongoing dialogue around the post-2015 development agenda.  This session was scheduled as part of the Annual Meeting of the United Nations Foundation Board, hosted this year in Russia by Board Member Igor Ivanov.  The Board met with a group of distinguished leaders to discuss how the international development agenda is evolving, and

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Teaming Up for Tanzania | unfoundation.org

A few years ago, I traveled to Nigeria with Nothing But Nets. I visited communities that had already received anti-malaria bed nets from Nothing But Nets campaign supporters like you. But I also met families that are still in need. The difference was like night and day. In the communities blanketed by bed nets, malaria is dramatically on the decline. There, I met happy, proud mothers and smiling, energetic children. But in the other communities,

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5 Reasons Why Clean Cookstoves Matter

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series.  Check back tomorrow for five solutions to advance clean cookstoves. Did you know that cooking is a major global development issue?  Around the world, 3 billion people burn solid fuels such as wood and charcoal for their daily cooking needs.  The resulting smoke leads to a range of negative consequences for human health and the environment, and the act of collecting fuel can put women

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Five Ways to Help Make Sure Cooking Doesn’t Kill

Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series.  Click here to read yesterday’s post on the risks of cooking with inefficient cookstoves and fuels. Here’s a fact you may not know: 4 million people lose their lives each year from the simple act of cooking a meal. That’s because 3 billion people burn solid fuels such as wood and charcoal for their daily cooking needs. The resulting smoke causes a range of respiratory,

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What We’re Reading | unfoundation.org

The news doesn’t slow down for the summer, and July has been no exception. Here are some of the stories we are reading this week: Polio from 1950 Virginia to 2013 India: Amy Jeter, a staff writer for The Virginian-Pilot and a UN Foundation press fellow, draws thought-provoking connections between ongoing polio eradication efforts in Moradabad, India, and a polio outbreak that struck the town of Wytheville, Virginia, in 1950.  To help end polio for

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Knocking out malaria one net at a time

As a father of two young boys, I look forward to life’s milestones. First steps, first words, first day of school – I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything in the world. Unfortunately, not all parents get the chance to celebrate such important milestones in their children’s lives. Some mothers and fathers across Sub-Saharan Africa are constantly racked with the task of finding ways to protect their children from a deadly, but preventable disease –

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Welcome, Samantha Power! | unfoundation.org

It’s official: We have a new U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations! Samantha Power, confirmed by the Senate today, is just the person we need to continue strengthening the U.S.-UN relationship. As she said herself, the U.S. has a “critical role to play in insisting that the UN meet the necessities of our time. It can do so only with American leadership.” We couldn’t agree more. That said, she certainly has big shoes to fill:

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