UN – United Nations

Here we go! The Social Good Summit starts today

Get ready to be inspired!  The Social Good Summit kicks off at noon ET today, and we’ve got an amazing lineup of speakers to talk about the future we want in 2030 and how each of us can take action today to make it happen. Join us by watching the livestream here and by using the hashtag #2030NOW on Twitter and Facebook.  You can also catch behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram using the hashtags #Instacorps and #2030NOW. Over the course of […]

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Girls’ Education Champion Malala at the Social Good Summit

The Social Good Summit continues today with exciting speakers and thought-provoking sessions. A particular highlight is Malala Yousafzai, participating in a panel about leading girls forward past adversity. Malala’s story is inspiring; it’s one of resilience, hope, and determination. In 2012, Malala, then 15, was targeted for her outspoken opinions in support of girls’ rights in Pakistan. She was shot in the head and neck, gravely wounded, but that didn’t stop her. After a rehabilitation

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3 Amazing Moments from the Social Good Summit

It’s the final day of the Social Good Summit, and we’ve got a great line-up of presentations happening throughout the day, from panels on Syrian refugees to ending hunger to “ocean versus space.”  You can check out the agenda at socialgoodsummit.com and join the conversation online using #2030NOW. In case you missed the first two days, here are three amazing moments that happened. Pakistani teenager and education champion Malala Yousafzai inspires the crowd.   Rock

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Secretary Kerry signs the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty

Editor’s Note: this post is from Better World Campaign Director Jordie Hannum. Good news: Earlier today, Secretary of State John Kerry signed the United Nation’s International Arms Trade Treaty. This treaty will make the world a safer place, plain and simple. By establishing the first-ever global framework to regulate the international arms trade, it will help keep illegal weapons out of the hands of war criminals and human rights abusers. Plus, despite misinformation spread by

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New Report: Sharing Knowledge on Mobile Phones for Maternal and Child Health

Every minute at least one woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth, and every year 8.8 million children die before the age of five. We know what interventions make a difference on maternal and infant mortality. We now know that 1 billion women in low to middle-income countries own a mobile phone – a tool that can be used to engage, educate, and empower mothers. In order for mobile to be scaled to

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Can we slash poverty and starvation by 2015? Yes, if we get to work.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Globe and Mail. If global development targets followed a National Football League format, we would be approaching the two-minute warning. December 31, 2015, marks the final deadline for the Millennium Development Goals, the global anti-poverty targets that have mobilized an unprecedented generational success in tackling extreme poverty around the world, most notably the burdens of disease in the poorest countries. We are now facing the final moment

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An Update on the State of Broadband

By Sarah Parkes, International Telecommunication Union In today’s increasingly interconnected world, all of the world’s citizens are going to need access to broadband. Broadband already affects every sector of human activity and endeavor, and is a key driver for development – both in the developed and developing world. But new research coming out of the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development this week indicates that the key to our online future may well be wireless. Broadband delivers

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Global Scientific Consensus on Climate Change

If you care about environmental issues, health issues, economic issues, or development issues – or if you just care about the future – then you should know about today’s report from Working Group I of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  The IPCC provides the most comprehensive and authoritative scientific assessment on climate change.  Hundreds of climate scientists from around the world have evaluated the most up-to-date research on the physical science

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7 Lessons from the Social Good Summit

I came back from last week’s Social Good Summit full of ideas and to-do lists, but most importantly, with seven lessons that inspire me to work harder and to keep up hope that we can solve big challenges. From September 22 to September 24, thousands of people gathered online and in more than 120 cities to discuss how technology and new media can help address the world’s problems.  Click here to learn more and to view videos,

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