UN – United Nations

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4, 5, and 6 focus on improving health and have mobilized governments, businesses, and non-governmental groups to accelerate action for a healthier world. Millions of lives have been saved, and significant progress has been made – but we still have more work to do. Here’s where the health MDGs stand. Millennium Development Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality Target 4.A: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate. […]

The United Nations recently released a report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), identifying where progress has been made and where intensified focus and effort are needed in the 500 days until the December 31, 2015 target date for the MDGs, as well as in the days beyond. For those MDGs related to health, the report had considerable good news to share: Over the past 20 years, the likelihood of a child dying before age

“Blogust” might be a funny sounding word, but every year this digital event has a big impact on children around the globe. Definition: Blogust is a month-long digital dialogue that has taken place every August since 2012. Bloggers from around the country post blogs to their pages on a specific day and ask their followers to comment on and share their posts. Every share and comment unlocks a vaccine donation from Walgreens to support children

By Jordie Hannum, Executive Director of the Better World Campaign  As the conflict in Gaza continues, United Nations humanitarian agencies are working around the clock to address desperate civilian needs. This morning, UN Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos addressed the Security Council, outlining the UN’s urgent response and detailing the challenges that aid workers still face. In case you missed it, here are five key excerpts from her speech on the UN’s role in Gaza. 1.    Up

Our MDG Monday series continues with a look at Millennium Development Goal 7. MDG 7 focuses on ensuring environmental sustainability because a healthy environment is essential for healthy communities. Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability Target 7.A: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources. Target 7.B: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss. Target 7.C: Halve,

This week, over 40 leaders from across Africa will come together in Washington, DC for the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.  And perhaps nowhere is leadership more important on the continent than an issue like health. The unprecedented Ebola outbreak is one example.  To date, there have been nearly 1400 cases in 4 West African countries – spreading more rapidly across borders than any Ebola outbreak in memory. Tackling such an emerging threat requires both the

The world has entered a new energy era marked by concerns over energy security, climate change, and access by the poor to modern energy services. The current energy path is not sustainable. Carbon dioxide from energy production and use represents about 65% of global emissions and under current policies is estimated to increase by a third by 2020. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that global demand for energy will increase by 45% by 2030,

Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), has been deployed to West Africa twice in the past few months to manage communications around the Ebola outbreak that has now killed more than 900 people. In April, he spent 2.5 weeks in Guinea, and he just returned to Geneva from a 3.5 week deployment in Guinea and Sierra Leone. I had the chance to talk with him briefly about his experiences and about

Photo credit: Foundation Rural Energy Services Despite the prevalence of cell phones today across the African continent, one in every two young Africans still does not have access to modern energy services. While the lack of electricity represents a significant challenge given the social, educational, and economic opportunities that come with reliable power, developing innovative ways to address these issues sustainably is also a significant entrepreneurial opportunity. Harnessing the power of Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit, a