un week highlights - United Nations Foundation

UN WEEK HIGHLIGHTS
Advancing Progress on Urgent Global Issues:
The United Nations Foundation at UN General Assembly Week
As the world gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly last week, the
UN Foundation mobilized to advance progress on the causes that matter to millions around
the world. Throughout UNGA week, the UN Foundation hosted events, made important
announcements, and convened partners to help advance the work of the UN.
Leaders Gather at Launch of “Why We Care” to
Highlight the Importance of Women’s
Reproductive Health Care
The UN Foundation and the Aspen Institute
hosted an event in New York with heads of state,
high-level policymakers, and other leaders from
around the world to launch and celebrate “Why
We Care,” a collection of personal essays
chronicling the journeys of top advocates of
reproductive health care. These deeply personal
stories explain why the members of the Global
Leaders Council for Reproductive Health are
committed to advancing reproductive health for
lasting development and prosperity. Visit
www.why-we-care.org to learn more.
Global leaders unite in New York to launch “Why We
Care.” From left to right: Tedros Ghebreyesus,
Minister of Health for Ethiopia; Gro Harlem
Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and UN
Foundation Board Member; UN Foundation Founder
and Chairman Ted Turner; Tarja Halonen, former
President of Finland; and Joy Phumaphi, Executive
Secretary, African Leaders Malaria Alliance and former
Vice President of Human Development, World Bank.
Photo credit: Stuart Ramson.
UN Foundation CEO Kathy Calvin Leads HighLevel Conversation on Women’s Economic
Empowerment
Photo credit:Keith Bedford
From left to right: President Joyce Banda of
Malawi, MCC CEO Daniel Yohannes,
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia,
and UN Foundation CEO Kathy Calvin.
Photo credit: Keith Bedford.
UN Foundation CEO Kathy Calvin moderated a
discussion hosted by the Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC) with special guests President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and President Joyce
Banda of Malawi. The conversation focused on how
to promote accountability in global efforts to
empower women. You can view a slideshow of the
event here.
UN Week Highlights 1
Social Good Summit Sparks Global Conversation on Using Social
Media and Technology to Solve Global Challenges
The 2012 Social Good Summit sparked a global dialogue on how to
harness social media and technology for good. Over three days, New
York, Beijing, and Nairobi hosted conversations, speeches, panels,
and interactive sessions with in-person audiences and with tens of
thousands online. Additionally,
citizens from across the world –
Social Good Summit audience members
including Bhutan, Albania,
nd
plugged in at the 92 Street Y in New
Egypt, Japan, Kosovo, Morocco,
York. Photo credit: Keith Bedford.
Myanmar, Rwanda, Somalia,
South Sudan, and Tunisia – gathered in meet ups in nearly 300
cities to join the global conversation. UN Foundation Board
Members and UN leaders spoke as part of the event. You can
UN Foundation Board Member
read more here and view a slideshow of the summit here.
Muhammad Yunus discusses social
entrepreneurism with Mashable's Stacy
Green. Photo credit: Keith Bedford.
Uniting to End Polio
Leaders from around the world gathered in New York to
step up the fight to eradicate polio. UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon; heads of state from Afghanistan,
Nigeria, and Pakistan; Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation; Wilfrid J. Wilkinson, Chair of
Rotary Foundation Trustees; donor government
officials; and new donors from the public and private
sector stood together to outline what is needed to
Senator Timothy E. Wirth, President of the
stamp out polio: a long-term commitment of resources,
UN Foundation, moderates a gathering of
applying innovative best practices, and continued
world leaders to advance the fight against
leadership and accountability at all levels of
polio. Photo credit: Stuart Ramson.
government in the endemic countries. At the high-level
event, leaders pledged new and continued commitment to polio eradication. Read more here.
Her Majesty Queen Rania Speaks about Empowering Women and Girls
Her Majesty Queen
Rania participates in a
panel marking the
launch of the UN’s
Education First
initiative.
A private lunch with Her Majesty Queen Rania was hosted at the home of
Natalie Fuller on Monday, September 24 with 35 high-level partners,
prospective partners, and friends of the Foundation, ranging from Pat
Mitchell to Gayle King, Wendi Murdoch, Elizabeth Vargas, Rachel Roy, Nina
Garcia, and more. Her Majesty spoke about the importance of quality
education and the employment of today’s youth using 21st century learning
and technology, especially as it relates to women and girls.
UN Week Highlights 2
Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves Marks Second
Anniversary with New Partners, New Investments
The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves celebrated its twoyear anniversary with an event in New York that brought
together leaders from civil society, the private sector,
government, and the research community to discuss
household air pollution. Major announcements were made
including a new partnership with the World Lung Foundation
and more than $10 million of new investments in the
sector. Click here for more details.
Mary Robinson, the former President of
Ireland, announced her intention to join
the Alliance’s new Leadership Council.
Photo Credit: Keith Bedford.
Shot@Life Goes Mobile to Celebrate Healthy Kids
The Shot@Life campaign hosted an event in New York with
mothers, bloggers, and other advocates to launch its new
mobile app, which allows parents to track their child’s
milestones while raising awareness of the urgent need for lifesaving vaccines for children around the world.
Read more here.
To the left: A mother and daughter dance at the Shot@Life mobile app
launch event in New York. Photo credit: Stuart Ramson.
Nothing But Nets and WWE Team Up to Take Down
Malaria
During UN Week, Nothing But Nets announced a new
partnership with WWE, a leader in global entertainment, to
expand the fight against malaria. "We have an incredibly
powerful voice, with over 115 million social media
followers, and we want to use that voice to give back to the
community," said Stephanie McMahon, Executive Vice
President, Creative for WWE. Learn more about the
partnership here.
From left to right: WWE Diva Alicia
Fox, WWE Executive Vice President
of Creative Stephanie McMahon,
WWE Diva Layla El, and Nothing
But Nets’ Mozzie the Mosquito.
Photo credit Gary He.
UN Week Highlights 3
Press Fellows Learn about the UN and Global Challenges
Members of the 2012 United Nations
Foundation Global Issues Press Fellowship.
In the lead-up to the UN General Assembly, more than
two dozen journalists from a wide range of U.S. and
international media outlets headed to New York to
take part in a three-day press fellowship organized by
the UN Foundation. The program provided fellows
with the latest information on pressing global issues
and offered unprecedented access to high-level UN
experts and policymakers. Read more about the
fellowship here.
Every Woman Every Child Reflects on Progress, Pushes for
More; New Awards for Mobile Health Announced
During UN Week, the UN Foundation co-hosted a high-level
luncheon to discuss the importance of private sector engagement
in UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Every Woman Every Child
movement, which aims to save the lives of 16 million women and
children by 2015. At the event, the Innovation Working Group and
mHealth Alliance announced the eight 2012 winners of catalytic
grants to support innovative uses of mobile technology to advance
maternal and child health. More details on the winners can be
found here.
Senator Timothy E. Wirth,
President of the UN
Foundation, speaks at the
Every Woman Every Child
luncheon. Photo credit:
Stuart Ramson
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
also hosted a special dinner on Every
Woman Every Child for senior leaders
attending the UN General Assembly,
CEOs, celebrities, and other leaders
and partners. At the dinner, new commitments were announced to
spur even greater progress for women’s and children’s health.
Read more about the event and Every Woman Ever Child’s progress
here.
To the right: Retired basketball star Shaquille O'Neal and actress Debra Messing
attend the Every Woman Every Child dinner. Photo credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images.
UN Week Highlights 4
UNA-USA Partners with the U.S. Dept. of State to
Bring the Voice of America’s Youth to UN Week
First-ever U.S. Youth Observer Brooke Loughrin
(right) speaks with Zeenat Rahman, Secretary
Clinton’s Special Adviser on Global Youth Issues
(left). Photo credit: Stuart Ramson.
The United Nations Association of the USA and the U.S.
Department of State teamed up to give Brooke
Loughrin, a Boston College student, the chance to
bring the voice of America’s youth to the UN. As the
first-ever U.S. Youth Observer at the UN, Brooke
participated in numerous events during UN Week,
including a listening session hosted by UNA-USA with
Zeenat Rahman, Secretary Clinton’s Special Adviser on
Global Youth Issues. To learn more about the U.S.
Youth Observer to the UN, click here.
MDG Advocates Press for Increased Global Action to
Achieve Millennium Development Goals
As world leaders discussed pressing challenges at the UN
General Assembly, members of the MDG Advocacy Group,
which includes UN Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted
Turner and UN Foundation Board Member Muhammad
Yunus, met in New York to urge the global community to
strengthen efforts to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals by 2015. More information on the
event can be found here.
The MDG Advocacy Group met in New York
to push for increased global action on the
Millennium Development Goals.
UN Foundation Launches Ambitious Digital Initiative
to Grow Support for the UN’s Work
Zaw Thet, a member of the UN Foundation’s Global
Entrepreneurs Council, announced the UN Foundation’s
most ambitious digital initiative to date: the Global
Good Challenge. The challenge rewards participants
with unique prizes for “donating their voices” by taking
action and engaging their online networks to support the
United Nations’ work to address some of the world’s
toughest challenges. You can sign up for the Global Good
Challenge at www.unf.org/good.
Photo to the Right: Zaw Thet (left), a member of the UN Foundation’s
Global Entrepreneurs Council and a key force behind the Global Good
Challenge through his nonprofit collective, Palindrome Advisors, joins
Chris Kelly (right) at the Social Good Summit to announce the Global
Good Challenge. Photo credit: Gary He.
UN Week Highlights 5
Sustainable Energy for All Attracts New Support
At a high-level event on Sustainable Energy for All,
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the
creation of an Advisory Board and an Executive
Committee, as well as the designation of Dr.
Kandeh Yumkella as his Special Representative for
Sustainable Energy for All and the chief executive
of the effort. UN Foundation President Senator Timothy E. Wirth, who has served on the HighLevel Group on Sustainable Energy for All over the past year, welcomed Dr. Yumkella’s
selection. In addition, the initiative also announced new commitments from private sector
companies and financial institutions. Read more about the announcements here.
Top Bloggers Join the UN Foundation to Promote Social Good
Some of the most influential online women joined
the UN Foundation at the Social Good Summit as
part of a Social Good Blogger Fellowship. These
parents, top bloggers in the U.S. who reach tens of
thousands of readers daily, also heard from highlevel speakers about global health challenges and
solutions, as well as how digital communications are
helping the UN address urgent challenges.
Social Good Blogger Fellows invade the
dance floor at the Shot@Life mobile app
launch event. Photo credit: Stuart Ramson.
Coming Soon…A Digital Relay to Elevate Moms around the World
UN Foundation Vice President of Global Partnerships Elizabeth
Gore announced an exciting new initiative that will launch next
spring: a relay that will pass a “digital baton” between mothers
across the world who will share online the best advice they ever
got from a mother. A partnership of the UN Foundation, Johnson
& Johnson, BabyCenter, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
the initiative will promote an online global conversation on how
motherhood is the tie that binds the Millennium Development
Goals. More details will follow in the coming months. Watch the
video of the announcement here.
Director of Corporate Contributions at
Johnson & Johnson Anu Gupta speaks
about global moms at the Social Good
Summit. Photo credit: Gary He.
UN Week Highlights 6