980 million people traveled internationally in 2010, a 4% increase over the previous year, and forecasts expect 1.6 billion tourists by the year 2020. Travel & Tourism as a sector accounts for 258 million jobs globally, and provides crucial opportunities for investment, economic growth, and fostering cultural awareness.  Tourism can also be a powerful tool [...]

A 2007 publication by USAID on Gender Integration Strategies for Trade (GIST) argues that donors have developed an array of innovative programs for removing or mitigating gender-specific barriers to economic growth. Yet, moving from theory to action still remains a challenge for many program managers. On this years International Women’s Day celebration, I would like [...]

AMIS-Cameroon is bridging information gap in the African country of Cameroon by connecting farmers with vital information through SMS thereby boosting sustainable agricultural activities that promote the UN’s Millennium Development Goals 1 (Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger), 3 (Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women), 7 (Ensure environmental Sustainability), and 8 (Develop a Global Partnership for [...]

United Nations aid chiefs meeting in Rome on Wednesday said the situation at the drought-stricken Sahel region of West Africa is “URGENT” and needed $725 million (552 million euros) this year for action. “Around 725 million dollars is what is assessed to be needed this year,” Helen Clark, head of the aid agency UNDP, said [...]

As the United Nations COP17 Climate Change Conference wraps up today after two weeks of intense meetings and negotiations among world leaders, ICTs have frequently surfaced as significant in helping solve the global climate change problem. While the task of positioning the role of ICTs within climate change negotiations is challenging, groups like the newly [...]

Responding to humanitarian emergencies poses a complex set of challenges that is exacerbated in areas where high rates of HIV/AIDS exist. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS hovers around 33 million and the vast majority live in sub-Saharan Africa, bringing to the forefront the complex interactions between HIV/AIDS, food security, livelihoods, and humanitarian action. [...]

CrowdOutAIDS, the online crowdsourcing project that engages young people in developing a UNAIDS strategy on youth and HIV, has wrapped up its fifth week. The project launched in October 2011 and will run for two months, with the final crowdsourced strategy to be produced in January. Crowdsourcing is a technique used to quickly engage large [...]

The US Department of State-funded Apps4Africa competition that began in 2009 has announced its theme for this year: Climate Challenge. Nine winners in sub-Saharan Africa will receive prize money for the applications with the most innovative solutions for solving climate problems. The 2011 competition that brings NGOs, civil society, universities, and the private sector together [...]

Digital Health 4 Digital Development was the theme of choice for the 2011 South-South awards that took place earlier this week. The United Nations-supported awards ceremony, held September 19th, honors governments, organizations and individuals accelerating progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and this year awards were given for utilizing ICTs for the advancement of [...]

Responding to the food security needs of those affected by famine in the Horn of Africa is an enormous logistical challenge… The most severe drought in a half a decade has made the already unstable region, particularly Somalia, an even more food insecure place. The United Nations is on the cusp of declaring a full-blown [...]