UN – United Nations

This week, as we approach World Refugee Day (June 20), a crisis continues to unfold in the Central African Republic (CAR). Nearly 800,000 men, women, and children have fled their homes, displaced by dangerous conflict which has cost thousands of lives. Families are struggling to survive in the forests and in refugee camps on both sides of the border between CAR and its neighbors, Cameroon, and Chad. These families are especially vulnerable to malaria. With […]

Photo credit: UNHCR/Baldwin Worldwide – from Syria to South Sudan to Central African Republic and too many other places – more than 45 million people have been forced to leave everything they know and flee their homes because of conflict or disaster. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of this crisis – but as we approach World Refugee Day on June 20, it’s time to remember that we can make a

Children who have fled their homes to escape conflict or disaster sadly still face threats: infectious diseases like measles and polio. In these settings, health systems are often strained and crowded shelters can make children vulnerable to diseases. That is why United Nations agencies including the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), along with local and global partners, mobilize to help provide life-saving immunizations to refugee

With a U.S. Senate confirmation newly in place, Crystal Nix-Hines is set to take her post as the next U.S. Ambassador to the UN’s science and culture agency, UNESCO. In her new role, Ambassador Nix-Hines will work on advancing U.S. interests within the agency — a body known for more than its designation of the globally popular World Heritage Sites. In fact, UNESCO is behind vital programs that advance international cooperation, compassion, and safety, through

Fleeing from conflict, coping with Typhoon Haiyan, or rebuilding after Haiti’s earthquake: Last year, there were more than 45 million people around the world who were refugees or displaced persons. Half of them were children. For people affected by conflict or natural disasters, access to reliable, quality lighting supports a child’s education, protects women and girls from sexual violence, and promotes a safer childhood. Over 6 million people globally will spend at least 17 years

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