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Every 20 seconds, a child dies of a disease that could have been prevented by a vaccine. You can help slow down the clock – and all you have to do is comment

My kids all walked at different ages, which isn’t surprising because they’re all different people, but it was surprising to me because Archer was all I knew before Fable…and Archer and Fable were all I knew before Bo and Revi…and before that, all I knew was myself from reading the baby book my mom made for me when I was a babe that is currently falling apart and full of old baby hair and a faded hospital bracelet and cards from my parents’ old neighbors.

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.”

As a father of two young boys, I look forward to life’s milestones. First steps, first words, first day of school – I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything in the world. Unfortunately, not all parents get the chance to celebrate such important milestones in their children’s lives.

The news doesn’t slow down for the summer, and July has been no exception. Here are some of the stories we are reading this week.

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a public-private partnership led by the United Nations Foundation to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and protect the environment by creating a global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions.

Around the world, 3 billion people burn solid fuels such as wood and charcoal for their daily cooking needs. The resulting smoke leads to a range of negative consequences for human health and the environment, and the act of collecting fuel can put women in danger and deprive them of opportunities to work or go to school.

A few years ago, I traveled to Nigeria with Nothing But Nets. I visited communities that had already received anti-malaria bed nets from Nothing But Nets campaign supporters like you. But I also met families that are still in need. The difference was like night and day. In the communities blanketed by bed nets, malaria is dramatically on the decline. There, I met happy, proud mothers and smiling, energetic children.

This week I was able to participate in a dialogue with a unique group of Russian leaders to share perspectives related to ongoing dialogue around the post-2015 development agenda. This session was scheduled as part of the Annual Meeting of the United Nations Foundation Board, hosted this year in Russia by Board Member Igor Ivanov. The Board met with a group of distinguished leaders to discuss how the international development agenda is evolving, and identified a number of unique ways for participation and innovation to help combat global poverty.

Living on about $120 per month in the slums of Dhaka, Nasima, 27, and her husband, a factory worker, struggled to find additional resources to better care for their newborn child. Their plight is all too common in Dhaka, a city where poverty and illiteracy are prevalent, especially among women and girls. Despite her living conditions and limited resources, Nasima’s story is one of inspiration because she signed up with MAMA in Bangladesh to gain access to timely health information through her mobile phone.