UN Youth Envoy: Working with & for youth
Today the world celebrates International Youth Day and the power of young people. In recognition of this day, I recently spoke with Ahmad Alhendawi, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.
Today the world celebrates International Youth Day and the power of young people. In recognition of this day, I recently spoke with Ahmad Alhendawi, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.
Samantha Power, confirmed by the Senate today, is just the person we need to continue strengthening the U.S.-UN relationship. As she said herself, the U.S. has a “critical role to play in insisting that the UN meet the necessities of our time. It can do so only with American leadership.”
Yesterday’s Senate nomination hearing of Samantha Power as the Obama Administration’s nominee to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations was one of the most important stories in Washington this week. Confirmation seems likely, and if her testimony was any indication, the Unites States is in for continued strong representation on the world’s stage.
When the world mobilizes, incredible progress is possible. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight anti-poverty goals set by governments and the United Nations in 2000, have improved the lives of millions of people.
Today, the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, is the perfect time to echo Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) – a champion of a strong U.S.-UN relationship for over 25 years – in saying…
When you picture a United Nations conference, you probably don’t imagine 600 young people dancing in the aisles. But from the beginning, it was clear that the ICPD Global Youth Forum was not your typical conference. The forum – led by young people, for young people – brought together youth leaders, and representatives from civil society, the private-sector and government, from around the world to learn, deliberate, and make recommendations around five key issue areas: staying healthy, comprehensive education, employment, family and youth rights (including sexuality) and leadership.
Did you know that composers like Benjamin Britten and Dmitri Shostakovich wrote music for the UN? Did you know that you can listen to classic UN radio programs online featuring legends of the silver screen such as Audrey Hepburn?
Today our Board had a rich discussion with India’s United Nations team and civil society leaders on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and lessons learned for the next phase post-2015.
Two years after the January 12, 2010 earthquake, I found a sense of optimism on my visit to Haiti. While many pre- and post-earthquake challenges remain for Haitians, I noticed several encouraging achievements that have happened since the last time I was there in June of 2010. In addition to progress already made, I found a sense that the best is yet to come.