UN – United Nations

Photo: Stuart Ramson for UN Foundation Sixty years ago, Jonas Salk’s inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) gave new hope to parents in the U.S. that they could protect their children from what was, at the time, one of the most terrifying diseases facing Americans. Today, the world is nearly polio free, with a reduction in polio cases by over 99%, thanks in large part to IPV together with Albert Sabin’s oral polio vaccine. Salk’s vaccine not […]

Great news coming out of Asia this week: Cambodia, Japan, and Brunei join a growing list of Western Pacific countries having achieved measles elimination as determined by the World Health Organization (WHO). This is a historic achievement for Cambodia. Since the early 2000s, Cambodia has placed a lot of focus and resources on conducting mass measles vaccination campaigns, and WHO attributes the country’s success to their intense focus on two dose delivery through routine immunization.

Thanks to our supporters and partners, the United Nations Foundation is able to help the UN empower girls and women, improve the health of women and children, expand access to sustainable energy solutions, and much more. Today we are kicking off a new “Supporter Spotlight” blog series to highlight the people who make our work possible. Our first featured supporter is Andrea Riley from Lincoln, Nebraska, who is a Champion Leader for our Shot@Life campaign,

“Ordinary Yemeni families are struggling for the very basics – water, food, fuel and medicines. Hundreds of civilians have been killed.  Hospitals and schools are shutting down – some of which are direct targets of the fighting.” – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at a press briefing yesterday on the crisis in Yemen. Recent conflict in Yemen has killed hundreds and injured thousands, including children. Many families have been forced to flee their homes. Some

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on the What to Expect blog. It’s simple: Healthy babies begin with healthy mothers. And being a healthy mother begins with the ability to safely plan your family. This week, as we mark the International Day for Maternal Health and Rights, I am reflecting back on my own experience of becoming a mother. Almost a year ago today, I held my son for the first time. I remember being completely

Today the UN Foundation blog continues our series, “5 Days, 5 Facts, 5 Reasons to Act” with a focus on girls’ education. FEATURED FACT: If we want to drive progress in the world, we need to make sure girls are in the driver’s seat of their own lives. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written, “There is no more valuable investment than in a girl’s education.” Here’s why: When girls are educated, they are more

Our blog series“5 Days, 5 Facts, 5 Reasons to Act” today highlights progress in the fight against malaria, a Millennium Development Goal priority. FEATURED FACT: Thanks to global efforts to fight malaria, such as distributing bednets that protect families from the mosquitoes that carry the disease, malaria mortality rates have decreased by 47% worldwide and by 54% in sub-Saharan Africa since 2000. However, despite major progress, malaria still remains a major global health threat. Every

Our blog series “5 Days, 5 Facts, 5 Reasons to Act” today highlights improvements in maternal health, an important aim of the Millennium Development Goals. FEATURED FACT: Healthy mothers mean healthy families. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), “When mothers die, their families are much more vulnerable, and their infants are more likely to die before reaching their second birthday.” Most maternal deaths are preventable, and the UN and partners have mobilized to expand access to

Our blog series “5 Days, 5 Facts, 5 Reasons to Act” concludes today with a focus on global progress in reducing extreme poverty. FEATURED FACT: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called the Millennium Development Goals “the most successful global anti-poverty push in history.” According to the UN, in 1990, close to half of the people in developing regions lived on less than $1.25 a day, and by 2010, only 22% of the developing world was