Ask the Expert:

Ask the Expert: Elizabeth Gore

The director of global partnerships at the United Nations foundations talks about the new campaign to help girls, the challenges of international development, and why young people should work in humanitarian aid.

By Lauren Yingling
September 10, 2009

Elizabeth McKee Gore on a recent trip to Uganda. (photo courtesy United Nations Foundation)

Few people can list “saving the world” in their job description, but Elizabeth McKee Gore, executive director for global partnerships at United Nations Foundation, might as well include the line in her resume. Gore oversees various marketing, organizational, and programmatic partnerships, as well as building and managing the UN Foundations’s public campaigns. One of her biggest accomplishments is Nothing But Nets, the UN Foundation’s largest and most robust campaign. In just three years, Nothing But Nets has raised nearly $30 million to combat malaria by sending insecticide-treated bed nets to developing countries where malaria is prevalent and extremely deadly. UN Foundation works to support the work of the United Nations, and focuses on issues surrounding global health, climate and energy, technology, sustainable development, and women and population.

Campus Progress recently talked to Gore about one of the UN Foundation’s newest campaigns, how the UN Foundation deals with the challenges of changing political situations, and why Millennials should consider working in international development.

You have a new campaign that focuses on adolescent girls. Could you explain why this issue is so important?

The adolescent girl is actually the number one return on investment in [international] development, so if you put a dollar into an adolescent girl then it is going to go further than any other thing that you could potentially put your money into. That alone is a pretty amazing argument for focusing on adolescent girls. The UN Foundation has a new program that I am really excited about: It is called The Girl Fund, and we are basically trying to give everyone the opportunity to invest in girls. We are starting in five countries with the goal of reaching 20 countries; we will work on specific issues in each respective country. For example, in Ethiopia we would really focus on child marriage whereas in another country the focus could be on [girls’] education. The Girl Fund is supported by an interagency task force within the UN and the exciting thing is we are actually building a full-forward marketing campaign that will launch next year.

The Nothing But Nets campaign that you helped develop has been very successful, but obviously a growing refugee population presents new challenges. How do the UN Foundation and campaigns like Nothing But Nets deal with that?

It is a challenge. It definitely isn’t one of those jobs where you can go home at night and say, “Well, my to do list is checked off” or “We solved that global crisis.” You have highs and lows with the issues. One might be completed, but then another pops up within the next seven hours. It certainly feels like the weight of the world is always on your shoulders but you go one step at a time. You ensure that milestones are created by the countries that you are trying to impact and work with. And you remember that every single life is valuable. I think that is the thing I count on the most: If we get one bed net to one child and we save his or her life, then we’ve done our job. It’s important to remember that there are over 42 million displaced people around the world right now. While that is an incredibly daunting task, every refugee camp that I’ve ever had to opportunity to visit gets me incredibly inspired by the unbelievable care that is given to these individuals, the resilience of the refugees, and their ability to not only survive but thrive. It is overwhelming at times, but I think that if you look at it as one life at a time it is an achievable task.

How has the global economic crisis affected the work of the UN Foundation?

It has certainly affected everyone’s work. There have been drops in endowments for major giving. However, I think the folks that are going to be impacted the worst are those in developing countries who probably aren’t going to feel the hardest effects of [the crisis] until next year. And we all have to remember that we still have it pretty darn good in developed countries. I always encourage people to keep giving and keep focused because [the United States has] the ability to pull out of [the economic crisis] but other countries do not. On our campaigns like Nothing But Nets, where the price point is between $10 and $50, donations have not gone down. The American public is still giving [to nonprofits] and I want to stress that because I know in a lot of the media there is all the doom and gloom. But people are still giving back—if it’s at a price point that they can afford, they want to give back.

Today’s youth is very concerned with global issues but many may not know how they can have an impact. How can Millennials help the UN Foundation and other organizations like it solve global problems?

Well, I think that the first part is to be aware and be informed. I think that half the battle is that there is so much information flowing at people these days that you have to work even harder just to find the right information. Learn as much as you can about the UN Foundation and about the issues around us. That is the first step. The second one is staying involved advocacy-wise, like writing letters to your congressman. If an issue is important to you, make sure that we fund it. We work really hard to make sure that the United States pays its full dues to the United Nations—that is a huge part of our work. Also, donate. Just ten dollars can literally save someone’s life. So I think everyone—from Texas to New York, no matter what you’re doing or what your income level—can stay informed, educate [themselves], advocate, and donate.

Lastly, I encourage a lot of students, the Millennials, to think about this type of career, whether it’s in nonprofit or development or diplomacy. It’s not just sacrificing or doing good—it’s an awesome job where you can still get paid well, you can climb the ladder, and you can have a heck of a lot more adventures than you can in another career. I would really encourage people to think about going into [international development] because it is just a great opportunity in your life not only to serve mankind but also to have an amazing experience.

Lauren Yingling is a regular contributor to Campus Progress.

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