"If we want girls to succeed, they first need access to life." Teen Advisor YingYing guest blogs for the Nothing But Nets campaign on malaria's life-threatening impact on children.

The International AIDS Conference is this week in Washington, DC. Learn some important facts about the impact of HIV/AIDS on girls worldwide.

The G(irls)20 Summit concluded on May 29 after two full days of presentations by some of the most passionate, inspirational women and men, who spend their daily lives fighting for women and girls.

Wow! Since last week, the Girl Up community has rallied behind the Stop Child Marriage Petition to take a stand for the millions of girls in developing countries who are forced into unwanted marriages. Thank you for uniting with us to say “Child marriage is unacceptable and unfair!”

March 22 is World Water Day and here’s something to think about next time you groan about having to do the dishes or help wipe the table -- in many developing countries, adolescent girls not only have to help with the cleaning, they also have to walk for many hours just to retrieve the water. In Ethiopia, girls will walk up to six hours a day on dangerous roads to collect water for their families and villages to use for drinking, cooking, cleaning and other household needs.

Happy 2011!  As the New Year rolls in, and everyone is setting their goals and resolutions for the year, we decided to join in and set some goals of our own!

Today is World AIDS Day. Did you know that young people between the ages of 15 and 24 make up 40 percent of new HIV infections globally?

Over the past few weeks, you may have seen some of our blogs on violence against girls. Every day, a woman or girl is a victim of violence. Did you know that violence kills or harms as many women and girls between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer?

This week, we are talking about the issue of violence against girls and what Girl Up is doing to help make a difference. Some of the most at-risk girls are forced into marriage or relationships when they are still young children.

I grew up in the U.S., in a small house with a backyard and a dog, in a safe neighborhood (as a kid, I thought it was kind of boring) in Tampa, Florida. I knew the basic rules about safety — don’t talk to strangers, never get in a car with someone you don’t know, look both ways before you cross the street, and as I got older, there were of course all sorts of rules about boys.

One of the UN’s jobs is to keep peace around the world, and this is a big job.  In the United States, we can vote in an election once we turn 18 and know that our vote will be counted.  We don’t wake up on a daily basis worrying that the building we go to school or work in will be bombed.  But some people do.

When I tell people that I work for the United Nations (UN) Foundation, one of the most common questions I get is, “Do you work in the UN building?” I don’t. And in fact, many people who work for the UN work in office buildings other than the UN headquarters building located on the East River in New York City.

When I was little, my sister and I would sit down after trick or treating and would spread our candy all over the living room floor so that we could count and sort it.

We are so excited here at Girl Up that the 65th United Nations Day is this Sunday, October 24, so for this High Five Friday, we want to High Five the United Nations!

I’ve spent more time away from home than at home lately, but I’m so fortunate to have the chance to meet some incredible people on my trips to Africa to meet with our UN, government, and NGO partners.