UN – United Nations

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared in the Global Extrovert blog. I love airports. That might sound crazy given this time of year. Or maybe it sounds crazy simply because you are a frequent (or infrequent) flyer like me and know that airports spell delays, lines, and countless frustrations. Yet, I have never been in an airport or on an airplane and not noticed someone or something that didn’t make me appreciate – in the […]

Yesterday, the National Portrait Gallery hosted an event to unveil a portrait of Ted Turner, an American icon, the United Nations Foundation’s Founder and Chairman, and a trailblazer in philanthropy (as well as many other areas). The portrait by John Friedman is part of the “Recent Acquisitions” show featuring the newest additions to the gallery. Ted’s vision and commitment to working with the United Nations to build a better world inspire us every day. His

Photo: UNDP Sierra Leone/A. K. Bah At the beginning of December, the United Nations reached the 60-day mark since it launched its expanded response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The UN had set an important goal referred to in short-hand as 70-70-60: 70 percent of burials being done safely and 70 percent of new cases receiving proper treatment at a facility, within 60 days. This week, the UN announced encouraging news about progress

This December, the world comes together in Lima, Peru for the COP20 — the UNFCC’s next big conference on climate change. In the lead-up to the COP21 in Paris in 2015, the COP20 serves as a unique opportunity to set the stage on acting on climate change. That’s why we’ve partnered with leading media outlets throughout South America to further the reach of this important summit. Throughout December, we’ll see our UN partners and UN

Photo credit: GAVI/Riccardo Gangale When we talk about vaccines, we usually talk about impact. We talk about the millions of lives saved; we talk about progress made; and we talk about the healthier world they build. All of that is true and all of that is incredibly important. But today, I want to talk about the critical role that our elected officials play in this story. Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed S. Res.

Photo credit: WHO/Christopher Black On December 2, the World Bank released a report, “Update on the Economic Impact of the 2014 Ebola Epidemic on Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.” The report concludes that in 2014 alone, the cost of Ebola was over $500 million, with Liberia the hardest hit. The three governments have had to cut more than $160 million in public investments, a decision that will have significant impacts on social services in the three

This is a guest post by Pieter Desloovere, WHO Spokesperson in Liberia.  WHO patient expert trainer Austin S Jallah – WHO/P Desloovere “When the outbreak first started in March and we heard about this deadly virus Ebola, I was in Kakata,” says Austin S Jallah, a student nurse of Kakata University, in Margibi County, Liberia. “People really doubted the fact that Ebola was real, until we heard about the first case in the hospital. I

In an earlier blog, I had reflected on the need for women (and men) to have more access to what one may call “free” time: time that can be used on non-productive work and on non-maintenance (that is, non-family care related) activities; time to do nothing if they so wish; time to pursue creative urges; and time to occasionally waste. I stand by that recommendation. But one needs to clarify that free time cannot and

By Guest Author: Sofia Gruskin, Director, Program on Global Health & Human Rights at the University of Southern California Institute for Global Health Today is Human Rights Day. In reflecting on the theme for this year — Human Rights 365, encompassing the idea that every day is and should be Human Rights Day — we are reminded that even with the tremendous progress we have made, we still have a lot of work ahead of