UN – United Nations

Gavi commits to purchasing & rolling out Ebola vaccine, when available

Last week, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance announced that it will purchase millions of doses of an Ebola vaccine to support large-scale vaccination efforts. Gavi is ready to begin procurement as soon as the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a safe, effective antidote. WHO, government representatives, and vaccine manufacturers have been pushing ahead with unprecedented speed to develop a vaccine to treat the virus and fight the outbreak. WHO Assistant Director-General Dr. Marie Paule Kieny recently stated, […]

Gavi commits to purchasing & rolling out Ebola vaccine, when available Read More »

5 Key Takeaways on UN-Business Collaboration for the Ebola Response

Last week, more than 150 leaders from United Nations agencies and organizations, the private sector – including foundations of large corporations – and civil society convened at UN Headquarters to discuss current successes in UN-business collaboration for the global Ebola response, as well as to identify ways to enhance this collaboration going forward. It was a day of varied dialogue and viewpoints, which yielded some important takeaways that will inform the response effort as the

5 Key Takeaways on UN-Business Collaboration for the Ebola Response Read More »

Private Sector Contributes $300 Million to Ebola Response

As the world’s attention began to focus more heavily on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa beginning in August 2014, global businesses also started taking note of the crisis and taking stock internally of what they could do to assist. According to the UN Global Compact, which has been tracking private sector donations for the past several months, businesses have contributed or pledged nearly $300 million to the global Ebola response. At a meeting last

Private Sector Contributes $300 Million to Ebola Response Read More »

Gender Based Violence: Much More than Broken Bones

November 25 was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and December 10 was Human Rights Day.  In a blog on November 25, I had commented on the impact on reproductive health of violence against women. If my piece had appeared on December 10, I would have added that violence against women is also a human rights violation and not just an assault on women’s reproductive health and rights. The WHO report

Gender Based Violence: Much More than Broken Bones Read More »

Building on Lima’s Progress: U.S. Leadership is Key

On December 14, negotiators from 196 countries – gathered in Lima, Peru, for the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – unanimously agreed on a pathway forward toward a new global agreement to be finalized next December in Paris. This unexpected success stemmed in large part from recent U.S. diplomacy with China. Every delegate in Peru saw a change of atmosphere and a new U.S. role. After

Building on Lima’s Progress: U.S. Leadership is Key Read More »

We Must Step Up for Syrian Refugees

This is a guest post by Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO, Chobani Like many entrepreneurs, I am often asked for advice on building a successful career: “How did you create a food business that has grown faster than many of the world’s most famous tech start-ups?” I tell people that whether you’re in Silicon Valley creating apps, or in Unadilla Valley in upstate New York making yogurt, there’s many common ingredients in success. But everything starts

We Must Step Up for Syrian Refugees Read More »

5 Things to Know about the Ebola Response This Week

Video/Photo: WHO/W. Romeril 1. UN Ebola mission launches surge effort in Sierra Leone The Western Area of Sierra Leone is the “hotspot” in this Ebola outbreak at the moment, with the highest transmission of any of the three most affected countries. The Government of Sierra Leone, the World Health Organization, and partners, are sending in a massive surge of staff and resources to this area to intensify efforts to curb the spread of Ebola disease.

5 Things to Know about the Ebola Response This Week Read More »

14 Highlights from 2014 | unfoundation.org

In 2014, the United Nations Foundation and our supporters partnered for purpose: To change lives and change the world through the work of the United Nations. Together, we built support for the UN, improved global health, advanced energy and climate solutions, and helped promote girls’ and women’s rights – giving more people the chance to lead healthy, productive lives and moving the world closer to a sustainable future. Here are 14 highlights of the work

14 Highlights from 2014 | unfoundation.org Read More »

5 Things to Know about the Ebola Response This Week

A man peddles plastic Christmas trees and lights in downtown Monrovia. Photo credit: Intelink Ebola Digest 1. Better Ebola tests expected within months New diagnostic tests to more rapidly and simply detect Ebola could be available for use in the West Africa epidemic in the next few months, the World Health Organization and partner agencies say. It now takes between nine hours and four days to get confirmation of a suspected case of Ebola in West

5 Things to Know about the Ebola Response This Week Read More »