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Did you know that 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute and then discarded? One-third of all food produced is lost, wasted, or spoiled? Or that the fashion industry is the second highest user of water worldwide and the meat industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the world’s biggest oil companies?

On 25 April 2019, a panel discussion entitled South-South Cooperation and the UN Development System, organized by the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), brought together prominent scholars of the International Studies Association (ISA) and experts from the United Nations system, to discuss the role of the Global South in the UN development reform.

The International Peace Institute held a policy forum panel discussion on “Meaningful Inclusion of Young People as Drivers of Peace” on the margins of the 2019 ECOSOC Youth Forum to highlight the need for young people to have a seat at the table in all policy discussions. The event was cosponsored by the Office of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Peacebuilding Support Office, the UN Population Fund, Peace Direct, and Interpeace.

Member of the 2018 Class of Millennium Fellows, Chloe Quigley, has empowered women living with trauma through her organization Oso. Her Millennium Fellowship Project advances SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth.

Asia-based innovators filed more than half of all international patent applications via WIPO for the first time in 2018 on significant growth from China, India and the Republic of Korea, capping another record-setting year for WIPO’s global intellectual property (IP) services.

Young people understand that their future is at stake with climate change. Clara Fang, Higher Education Outreach Coordinator of Citizens' Climate Lobby, introduces the organizations working with young people to advance carbon pricing.

A joint initiative of the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham University and the International Organization for Migration, Design for Humanity (D4H) aims to drive humanitarian response in a more dignified, inclusive, and sustainable direction through bridging the expertise of humanitarian and design professionals.

United Nations Academic Impact and the Hasso Plattner Institute decided to take a closer look at the issues surrounding the collection and use of data and the role of data scientists in helping us navigate these challenges with Prof. Felix Naumann, chair for information systems at the Hasso Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam in Germany.

From 8 to 9 April 2019 youth leaders from around the world will come to New York to take part in the UN Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) 8th Youth Forum entitled, “Youth: Empowered, Included and Equal”.

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace celebrates sport as a unique power to attract, mobilize and inspire. UNAI reached out to soccer legend Emilio Butragueño, who explains how the Real Madrid Foundation’s work helps to promote, both in Spain as well as abroad, the values inherent in sport to contribute to a better world. One of the organizations helped by the Foundation is Paris-based NGO “Pour un Sourire d´Enfant” (PSE).

In this week’s article, a member of the 2018 Class of Millennium Fellows, Abigail Canales Ibarra, describes her goals and experiences as President of Jälpem. The Jóvenes Altruistas Pensando en México (Jälpem) Project helps those in need by providing healthcare services to people who do not have access to medical care. Her work furthers Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

A recent high-level event on women in power examined the obstacles that hinder women’s participation and leadership, particularly in positions of power in politics, business and community advocacy.

To commemorate the International Day of Happiness, UNAI spoke to visitors to UNHQ in New York from all over the world to find out what makes them happy. Check out this video and let us know what happiness means to you in the comments!

Making planet Earth more sustainable is possible, as an interactive community event at Southern Illinois University Carbondale demonstrated.

Taylor Reid, Assistant Professor of Applied Food Studies at the Culinary Institute of America, wrote about the latest report titled "The State of the World´s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture" by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

In this week’s article, UNAI is highlighting the work of the 2018 Class of Millennium Fellows Davy Ayuune Atanga, Elona Boateng, Susan Dacosta, and Ayebilla Avoka for their work in the Mentors Network initiative in Ghana.

According to the 2018 Western Public Health Casebook published by the Western University (Canada), public health is both a science and a passion for helping. The cases reaffirm that the ability to work within diverse and interconnected contexts is an essential skill for contemporary workers.

In this week’s article, a member of the 2018 Class of Millennium Fellows, Nathan Tom, describes his experiences as the Co-Founder of the Culinary Collective Project at Arizona State University.

The content, gathered from across the UN System, includes the UN Secretary-General's message for the Day, an interview with former UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Annie Lennox, and information on the International Labour Organization's new report, "A Quantum Leap for Gender Equality".

The Faculty of Journalism of the Kazakh National University held the 6th International Winter School for young journalists from Central Asian countries. More than 170 media scholars and journalists shared with students the professional techniques of the media profession, the new trends in Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and insights into the future of the media market.