Blog

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.

Every July 18, the world celebrates Nelson Mandela International Day – a day to recognize Mandela’s contributions to freedom, equality, and human rights and to follow his example of service to build a better world.

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.

Passionate. Powerful. Inspiring. These were the words that came to mind when I first heard about Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai.

Meet Felisa Hilbert, a Champion for the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign, which was launched in 2012 to help the UN expand access to lifesaving vaccines for children in developing countries. Champions dedicate their voices and time to help protect children from preventable diseases, such as measles, pneumonia, polio, and rotavirus.

Meet Felisa Hilbert, a Champion for the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign, which was launched in 2012 to help the UN expand access to lifesaving vaccines for children in developing countries. Champions dedicate their voices and time to help protect children from preventable diseases, such as measles, pneumonia, polio, and rotavirus.

Hundreds of young people are gathered at the United Nations today with one message for world leaders: Every child deserves an education.

The cholera epidemic that has claimed so many lives in Haiti remains a public health crisis, and it demands action ̶ from all of us. Action is exactly what 19 Members of Congress are reasonably asking of the United Nations, and it is what UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is working to deliver.

With the population growing, it is more important than ever that we come up with solutions to a create a healthier, stronger, and more sustainable world.