UN – United Nations

March 24 marks World Tuberculosis Day, a day to raise awareness of this terrible disease and to push for global progress in treating TB and helping prevent its spread. Thanks to the work of the United Nations and other partners, the world is making important strides: Between 1990 and 2012, the TB mortality rate declined by 45%. But TB is still very much a threat in the U.S. (there were nearly 10,000 reported cases in

For the first time in history, most humans live in cities. How well we do so will determine our future. A century ago, only two out of every 10 people lived in urban areas, but that proportion has shifted rapidly since then. We just passed the halfway point, and by mid-century 70% of all humanity will be city dwellers, according to the UN’s World Health Organization. Dense, compact cities are actually good for the environment,

On March 27th, the World Health Organization (WHO) will certify the South-East Asia Region as polio-free, a major milestone in the global effort to eradicate polio. This certification includes India, which had long been considered one of the hardest places to eliminate the disease. Last year, the UN Foundation took a group of international journalists to Moradabad – once known as the “polio capital” of India – to see first-hand the work being done to

Around the world, 222 million women want to delay or avoid pregnancy, but aren’t using modern contraception. Family Planning 2020 is a global partnership working to reach 120 million more women with voluntary access to family planning information, services, and supplies by the year 2020. As partners and countries around the world work to address women’s right to and need for voluntary family planning, one of the biggest challenges is quickly delivering resources to where

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Elizabeth Hoff, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Syria. WHO leads the health sector response to issues arising from the conflict, which entered its fourth year this month. Though she is no stranger to conflict situations, having previously worked in Somalia and Afghanistan, Hoff says her work in Syria has come with unprecedented challenges. Chelsea Hedquist: What are the most pressing health challenges facing the people

Today leading science experts released the latest United Nations report on the impacts of climate change around the world. As the Associated Press reported: “The big risks and overall effects of global warming are far more immediate and local than scientists once thought. It’s not just about melting ice, threatened animals and plants. It’s about the human problems of hunger, disease, drought, flooding, refugees and war, becoming worse. “We can meet the climate challenge, but

“You see the sense of hope despite the hunger and the horrors,” said James Elder, who has been on the ground in South Sudan as part of the humanitarian response effort of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Since conflict erupted in December, more than 1 million people have fled their homes, including more than 380,000 children. The challenges in the world’s newest nation are daunting: Severe malnutrition; measles outbreaks; the looting and destruction of

Spring in Washington means more than our iconic Cherry Blossoms and tourists on the Metro. It’s also the beginning of budget season for lawmakers, and that means big decisions about our international affairs priorities. If you haven’t been following the Better World Campaign’s calls to action, here’s what you need to know: The U.S. is in the red at the United Nations, with this year’s budget underfunding peacekeeping by 12 percent. Frankly, the situation is