Blog

Looking to catch up on reading before the school season starts? Here are a few stories we’ve been following.

Today, 1.3 billion people in the world don’t have access to electricity. According to the International Energy Agency, more than four-fifths of these people live in rural areas and more than 95 percent live in sub-Saharan African or developing areas in Asia.

The International Day of Peace is exactly one month away, and over the next 30 days, we’re celebrating those who dedicate every day to peace: United Nations peacekeepers.

1.Spend a semester at an overseas campus.
2.Spanish is the new Mandarin.
3.Under promise and over deliver.
4.Switch from iOS to Android.
5.Never use more than ten PowerPoint slides.

Ten years ago, 22 aid workers were killed in a bombing at the UN headquarters in Baghdad. On August 19, World Humanitarian Day, we honor their sacrifice and the sacrifice of aid workers everywhere.

The UN Foundation is excited to partner with the Millennial Trains Project (MTP) because entrepreneurs serve as a great catalyst for social change. Last week, our Resident Entrepreneur Elizabeth Gore joined 24 enterprising millennials for MTP’s inaugural 10-day transcontinental train journey from San Francisco to Washington D.C. These 24 entrepreneurs are currently traveling across the country, stopping in seven cities along the way, to advance projects that benefit local communities.

She started high school last week—left this house in a ball of nerves and excitement and fear and delight, curious about this new, independent path she was about to walk.

When I think of the United Nations, the first images in my mind are often the iconic UN headquarters building in New York, or news photos of heads of state. But the UN is so much more than that, as I was reminded in Tanzania recently. For many people, the UN is a very present and very important part of their lives.

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.

Serving as the U.S. Youth Observer at the United Nations is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for youth to engage in development and diplomacy. This role allowed me to travel around the U.S. and abroad to speak to young people about how they can become more engaged in the work of the UN.