Ad Chiefs Unite to Support U.N. Sustainable Development Program
The world’s largest advertising companies are setting aside their rivalries and joining forces to help spread the word about the United Nations’ ambitious development goals, which range from controlling climate change to wiping out poverty. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will be joined by advert…
Istanbul Airport Attack: What we know so far
Late Tuesday, three suicide bombers targeted Istanbul’s Atatürk airport, opening fire before detonating their devices during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. One of the militants sparked the assault in the departures hall with a Kalashnikov assault rifle before all three blew themse…
With or Without the E.U., Europe Is Still Connected
Britain has voted to exit the European Union in a historic vote on Friday, the first country to ever leave the bloc. The European Union is a club binding 28 countries by treaty but split by how much the members really want to do together. Take the example of Britain, long one of the more demand…
How Brexit will change the world
The results of the Brexit referendum are in, and it is chaos. The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. Prime Minister David Cameron is stepping down. The Dow Jones has fallen 611 points in a day. The decision has rattled the world, and even the pro-Brexit British voters seemed stunned. “I’m…
Let’s Make Global Goals Local Business
Today, more than 1,000 leaders from business, finance, civil society and academia will gather in the UN General Assembly Hall to kick off the 2016 UN Global Compact Leaders Summit. They come to the Summit with a better world on their minds and the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on their ag…
What is Missing on the Global Health Front?
The last World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva (23-28 May) discussed the manifold global health crises that require urgent attention, and adopted resolutions to act on many issues. We are currently facing many global health related challenges, and as such multiple actions must be taken urgently to p…
It happens on the pavement: Putting cities at the center of countering violent extremism
In March alone, at least nine cities across three continents were hit by terrorist attacks. Municipalities—from megacities to tertiary cities—continue to bear the brunt of such attacks: in the short term, they provide first response and take essential security measures; in the longer term, they suff…
The World Could End AIDS if It Tried
The world has made so much progress in reducing the spread of AIDS and treating people with H.I.V. that the epidemic has receded from the public spotlight. Yet by any measure the disease remains a major threat — 1.1 million people died last year from AIDS-related causes, and 2.1 million people were …
Rethinking Robin Hood
International development aid is based on the Robin Hood principle: take from the rich and give to the poor. National development agencies, multilateral organizations, and NGOs currently transfer more than $135 billion a year from rich countries to poor countries with this idea in mind. A more forma…
The distance to school is not only about the distance you walk
In a recent major survey undertaken by the Campaign for Female Education (Camfed) in Tanzania and Zimbabwe, low academic self-esteem was the second most frequently expressed reason for dropping out of school among marginalized girls, after poverty-related issues. Girls lack the confidence to engage …