As the UN General Assembly meets for the start of its 69th session, the role of women and girls is a hot topic. At the Social Good Summit, several panels discussed not only the importance of gender equality but how to turn awareness into concrete action.
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A Look at the Promises and Perils of Social Media in Conflict
Throughout the Social Good Summit, various panels and participants discussed social media and the impact it is having on the world today. Often social media is seen in positive light as a method of bringing individuals together to amplify action, educate people on new issues and build new networks at a cheaper transaction price. But for many, Syria represents a darker side of social media where its primary outcome is not bringing people together, but rather helps people bear witness to atrocities in the world’s most brutal conflict today.
Read MoreInvesting in Girl Power at the Social Good Summit
For most people, getting shot in the head would slow them down but that is not the case for Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who inadvertently became an international advocate for girl’s education and a target of the Taliban. Today, Yousafzai spoke at the Social Good Summit in New York as well as made her Twitter debut in order to raise awareness of the issue of equal education. She is also preparing for the official launch of her new project, The Malala Fund, which will open next month.
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Supporting Promise with Action in Africa’s Rise
It started with a simple drink, or more accurately, the inability of Senegalese-born Magatte Wade to find it when she returned to Senegal. In searching for a hibiscus drink she remembered fondly from her childhood, it was nowhere to be seen in Dakar. The reason, she discovered, was that as Senegal’s wealth increased so did their attitudes towards the traditional things that once marked their daily lives. Feeling that they should be more Western to match their growing status, simple things like her beloved hibiscus juice were disappearing. Fearing her culture would disappear too under the forces of globalization, she co-founded Adina World Beat Beverages, not only preserve, but spread traditional recipes from around the world. Rather than wait for the West to come to Africa, she decided to bring Africa to the West.
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Facebook's reach around the world | Image credit: Karen Bleier of AFP/Getty
Digital Diplomacy in the 21st Century →
Since coming into office as Secretary of State in 2009, Hillary Clinton has pushed an agenda of “21stCentury Statecraft” to adapt foreign policy to the 21st century world. A major part of this agenda involves increasing and encouraging the use of connection technologies in foreign policy. The State Department is not alone in this effort as other countries increase their e-diplomacy presence. But in the wake of the protests outside U.S. embassies in the Middle East this month, one issue raised was the role of social media in addressing and responding to the situation as it unfolded.
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