UN – United Nations

When people ask what I do, I often answer that I am in the humanitarian or social good industry. Many times, I get a proverbial pat on the head and a comment along the lines of, “You mean non-profit? Oh that is so nice.” We are rarely thought of as a power industry the way the for-profit sector is. What sets us apart? Maybe it is because we, as the third big industry (behind corporate […]

By Rocio Ortega Editor’s Note: The UN Foundation’s Girl Up campaign works with the United Nations to support refugee girls in Ethiopia by promoting their education, health, safety, and leadership skills. Learn more here. The only time I had ever heard the word refugee was rocking out to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ song simply titled “Refugee.” It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to visit and interact with refugee girls in Ethiopia that I

We know refugees need food, water, shelter, and medicine, but less attention is paid to their energy and cooking needs. In advance of World Refugee Day on June 20, I sat down to talk to Radha Muthiah, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, about what this means for families living in refugee camps and other humanitarian contexts. Jenni Lee: I was shocked to learn that in some camps it’s been reported that

I met Nyanwour during a visit earlier this year to the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya. She was a recent arrival to the camp. Nyanwour fled the violence in South Sudan with her four children, who were between 5 and 8 years old, and walked three days to get to the safety of the Kakuma camp. Her story was heartbreaking to hear, but what struck me most was her strength and resilience. In the

United Nations Foundation President & CEO Kathy Calvin shared a picture of herself at age 5 in support of all children reaching their 5th birthday. Last month, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shared a deeply personal story, relating for the first time that he had an older brother and older sister who passed away at birth. In telling this story, he reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to the goal of ending preventable maternal and child deaths, saying,

The week the World Cup kicked off, the +SocialGood community brought together experts, innovators, and representatives from the United Nations to explore how global issues, sports, and social good intersect in a country that is fast emerging as one of the social media capitals of the world. But don’t worry if you didn’t catch the action the first time around — we’ve got all of your World Cup +SocialGood instant replays right here. Each day

Yesterday a bi-partisan group of political and financial leaders said that climate change will cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars a year if action isn’t taken to slow it down. They called their report Risky Business. Scientists, business leaders, and political figures are telling us that the need to deal with our changing climate is urgent. The UN’s panel of climate science experts report more certainty than ever (95%) that humans are causing the

How do you define entrepreneurship? Do you see it as a way to make money, a mindset, or a method to make the world a better place? I have always known that entrepreneurs are risk takers: they make visions into reality by developing new products, processes, and markets. So what happens when all the definitions for entrepreneurship merge? You get today’s young entrepreneur. Now, you can make money and do good in the world at

Women’s and children’s health and survival rates around the world are steadily improving, but too many women, newborns, and children – the overwhelming majority of whom live in developing countries – continue to die from largely preventable causes. Over the past few weeks, the global health community has come together at a series of high profile events in Geneva, Toronto, and Washington D.C. to assess progress and accelerate momentum for women’s and children’s health. This