UN – United Nations

International Women’s Day on March 8 celebrates the achievements of girls and women – it’s also a call to action to continue our work to empower girls and women worldwide. Throughout March, the United Nations Foundation will be taking action and raising awareness to support the United Nations and our partners around the world who are champions for girls and women. Here are four of many reasons why it’s so important that we act to […]

By Julie Yost, Marketing Coordinator, SXSW Conferences & Festivals Beginning this week, the creative industries will converge in Austin for South by Southwest Music, Film, and Interactive. A celebration of innovation and creativity, SXSW is the perfect place for the Social Good community to meet, collaborate, and discover what’s next in the movement that is changing the world for the better. Photo credit: Merrick Ales For 2014, SXSW added new events that highlight social entrepreneurship and

The Kakuma refugee camp in Northern Kenya, one of the largest refugee camps in the region, is more than 20 years old and home to more than 100,000 people, mostly from Somalia and South Sudan. Women and children account for 84% of the population. Last month, I traveled to the Kakuma camp to see firsthand the life-saving work of the United Nations and its partners.     The day I visited, more than 1,500 people

On International Women’s Day, let’s remember that a crucial step to ending poverty comes through providing access to reliable and sustainable energy for girls and women. Providing clean energy solutions in homes and schools and equipping community health centers with the energy they need improves indoor air quality, supports girls getting an education, creates economic opportunity, and saves the lives of women, especially during childbirth. The United Nations Foundation’s Energy Access Practitioner Network  brings together

On March 8, the world will celebrate International Women’s Day. Here are five women who are driving progress and inspiring change for girls and women around the world. “When women participate in the economy, everyone benefits. When women participate in peace-making and peace-keeping, we are all safer and more secure. And when women participate in politics of their nations they can make a difference.” – Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Women in the World

What do you want the world to look like for girls and women in 2030? We sat down with experts and leaders at the UN Foundation to hear what they have to say.   With less than 700 days to go until the target date for the Millennium Development Goals, eight global goals to alleviate poverty and suffering, conversations are already underway to determine the next development framework, which will outline our priorities through 2030.

Nearly 20,000 supporters from across the United States asked President Obama to request more funding for UN Peacekeeping in his FY’15 budget – and he listened! In his presidential budget request to Congress released last week, President Obama included over $2.5 billion for U.S. dues towards peacekeeping — a figure that would make real progress on getting the U.S. out of the red at the UN and back in good standing with our allies and

2014 presents a “perishable moment” in the effort to protect the world from catastrophic climate change.  The parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have promised to reach a new global agreement in 2015, and the steps taken this year will determine whether it is weak or strong. The UN Climate Summit called by the Secretary-General for September 23 in New York will be a major inflection point on this journey, setting

“Behind every single number is a person.” – Valerie Amos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator  More than 9 million people – including more than 5 million children – have been affected by the conflict in Syria, which enters its fourth year this month. Syrians are on track to become the world’s largest refugee population. Throughout the crisis, UN agencies have been working to provide aid – including food, shelter, vaccinations, education, water, and