By: Babatunde Osotimehin; Originally posted on The Atlantic
... despite half of the world's youth living on less than two dollars a day.
A social media revolution is unfolding before our eyes, forever changing the way we connect. I see this whenever I travel; the young boys of Lagos preoccupied with their cell-phones; a young girl tweeting from a health-care clinic in Bogota; a young Liberian nurse taking notes on an iPad. I also see how my own children connect with friends on Facebook. Read more...
Action. Transparency. User feedback. Equality. These words kept popping up as I talked with Maz Kessler, founder and creative director of 
Gunmen stormed a school bus earlier this month and shot a 14-year-old girl in the head. Her crime? Getting an education. This seems almost inconceivable to those of us blessed to live in America, but in some areas of the globe, girls must risk their lives to get a basic education. Malala Yousafzai became a prominent voice for girls' education in Pakistan after the Taliban seized control of her native Swat - once a tourist destination renowned for its scenery, culture and open-mindedness - and forced an end to education for women and girls. 
In June 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, convened more than 100 heads of state to begin development of Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), which would reduce poverty while preserving the environment. Unfortunately, the conference missed a historic opportunity to affirm the critical link between investing in women and achieving sustainability goals. 
In a 
This Thursday, we celebrate the first ever 
When I was young, one of my best friends lived in my grandmother's village. I saw Chrissie every weekend as we made our way through childhood -- she in the village school and I in the town school. We finally came together as students in secondary school. Sadly, Chrissie studied with me for only one term, as her parents could not afford the school fee of $6. She returned to her village, married early and had more than a half-dozen children. 
Today, September 12, 2012 is the first ever Global Female Condom Day. Thousands of individuals and organizations from over 21 countries will join this event, initiated by several female condom advocates and coordinated by the US-based 
In 1998, Russia’s federal government withdrew funding for national family planning programs, leaving the task to municipal and regional governments. In response, USAID and 
Over 
August 12th marks the 4th anniversary of International Youth Day, an event organized and adopted by the United Nations. Recognizing the growing role and importance of young people as stakeholders in global development, this year’s theme, “
“I hate early marriage. I was married at an early age and my in-laws forced me to sleep with my husband and he made me suffer all night. After that, whenever it starts to get dark, I get worried, thinking that it will be like that. This is what I hate most.”
From June 4-6 2012, Women Deliver, held its second regional consultation in Mexico City, in partnership with Grupo de Trabajo Regional para la Reduccion de la Mortalidad Materna (
Iran’s family planning program has been lauded as an ‘