UN – United Nations

Every girl should have the opportunity to choose her future. All too often though, early and unintended pregnancies alter the course of a girl’s life. In many communities, girls are forced to marry young, without access to voluntary family planning services. This means they often have children as children themselves. They’re unable to go to school and are at a high risk of medical complications from pregnancy. Today, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched […]

Elizabeth Ivanovich, Senior Officer for Global Health at the UN Foundation This month, three big scientific advances were announced at the MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference. All of them are bad news for malaria. Each of these advances has the potential to strengthen the fight against malaria over the next decade and help us to eliminate this disease. Here’s the rundown: 1. A malaria vaccine success in Stage 3 trails After more than 20 years in

I was saddened to learn yesterday of a tragic development in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria. The World Health Organization reports that polio, a crippling and often deadly virus, has resurfaced 14 years after being driven from the country.Thankfully, the Syrian Ministry of Health and its regional counterparts appear to grasp the threat posed by the outbreak and have sprung into action. A vaccination campaign is already underway in the affected area, the first of many

The post-apocalyptic hit NBC series Revolution takes place 15 years after the lights have gone out around the world. The global blackout has plunged the US into warring factions and a primitive existence. This guest post written by Whitney Showler, who heads Music for Relief, the non-profit established by Sustainable Energy for All supporter Linkin Park, touches on some of the issues covered in this week’s episode. Although we may consider childbirth routine, without electricity it can be very dangerous. Women give birth

Jordie Hannum, Director, Better World Campaign I want to be sure this is on your radar: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will take up the United Nations Disability Treaty again today, Tuesday, November 5, and we need to rally in a big way if we have a shot at getting it ratified. In case you need a refresher, the UN Disability Treaty is an international treaty that provides a framework for countries to embrace the rights and dignity of all people with disabilities. Sounds non-controversial, right? Well, believe

Following the devastating destruction by Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) that hit the Philippines on November 8, the United Nations, the Government of the Philippines, and other humanitarian organizations are mounting a massive coordinated humanitarian response to provide families with immediate lifesaving aid. “UN emergency response teams arrived in Tacloban city within 12 hours of the disaster. Specialist teams from member states and humanitarian agencies are committed and mobilized, and making their way to