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As we count down the final days until 2014, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on everything the …

Last year, on December 21st, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution recognizing the significant role entrepreneurship can play in reaching sustainable development goals. The United Nations Foundation works with entrepreneurs dedicated to not only building businesses, but a better world. They are using innovative approaches and creative thinking to help solve challenges in the humanitarian and development space. Below are six cool projects that are helping improve lives around the world:

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Surely, in the light of history, it is more intelligent to hope rather than to fear, to try rather than not to try. For one thing we know beyond all doubt: Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.'”

In a world filled with daunting challenges, these stories (in no particular order) inspired us to hope – and to act – for a better world.

This time of year, we are especially mindful of the importance of giving. But for Americans, this value has a much longer shelf life than just one season. It?s a good thing: Because, for more than 9 million Syrians uprooted by war, livelihoods may well depend on our help.

As we arrived at a Mangochi district secondary school, after driving for what seemed like hours down a dusty, bumpy red clay road in one of the most rural and beautiful parts of eastern Malawi, a group of about 40 girls greeted us enthusiastically and repeatedly sang ?well-a-come, well-a-come, you are most well-a-come.?

In 2012, the World Health Organization estimates that there were more than 200 million cases of malaria. But there is also good news: We have effective tools to fight malaria. Insecticide-treated bed nets are a simple, inexpensive solution to protect families from this deadly disease.

This year has been an exciting time for our team. As we look back on 2013, we?re counting down the top 10 Facebook posts that our supporters talked about and shared the most.

From Vice President Biden saying he?ll never forget a visit to a UN refugee camp in Chad, to announcing that the U.S. will be a leader in the UN’s post-2015 development process, it was clear that this administration is committed to working hand-in-hand with the UN to tackle the world?s most pressing issues ? including the Syria crisis, Iran?s nuclear agenda, and typhoon recover in the Philippines.

I am writing this post following the inaugural session in Paris of Social Good Week 2013. The auditorium at the Gaite Lyrique in downtown Paris was filled to capacity with people who define themselves as leaders and innovators in the French Social Good movement.

The fifth annual mHealth Summit kicks off this week at the National Harbor in Maryland. This four-day conference will convene more than 5,000 participants from all over the world to spark new ideas and dialogue about advancing the use of mobile technology to improve health outcomes.