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Government InnovationMayors Challenge

Barcelona to Highlight Mayors Challenge-Winning Program to Aid Aging Population During Gathering of City Innovators

November 17, 2014

By Mayor Xavier Trias, Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is the European Capital of Innovation. Each day we continue to pioneer the use of technology to improve important urban services, including public transport, street lighting, waste and water management, and social and health care. And the world is taking notice. In 2011 we were named the Mobile World Capital, and Barcelona is recognized worldwide as a leading “smart city.”

In response to these accolades, Barcelona was selected to host a new edition of the City Innovation Summit, an excellent complement to the annual Smart City Expo World Congress, which kicks off today. Smart City Expo and the City Innovation Summit are landmark events, bringing together over 400 leading city innovators, strategists, and thinkers to share and improve cutting edge initiatives that are transforming cities into centers of culture, knowledge, creativity, innovation and wellbeing.

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Public Health

Family Planning 2020 Makes Measurable Progress in First Two Years

November 11, 2014

By Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Health Team

In just two years since the July 2012 London Summit on Family Planning – where a global collaboration of governments, non-profit organizations, donors and researchers gathered to bring much-needed attention and resources to family planning programs – significant progress has been made in expanding access to modern contraceptives for women and girls in the world’s poorest countries.

The Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) second annual progress report released on November 3rd indicates that an additional 8.4 million women and girls used modern contraception in 2013 compared to 2012. FP2020 aims to expand contraceptive access to an additional 120 million women and girls across 69 countries in the developing world by 2020.

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ArtsBloomberg Connects

Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Discusses His New Artwork Fiducial Voice Beacons at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Supported Science Museum in London

October 24, 2014

By Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts Team

Today, museums are turning towards innovative technology to extend their reach beyond an institution’s four walls, allowing more people to access their resources. That’s why Bloomberg Philanthropies is committed to support their pursuit of technology that encourages creativity, engagement and connection.

One of our newest grantees, the Science Museum in London, announced this week the opening of the new Information Age gallery. Beginning October 25th, Information Age: Six Networks That Changed Our World will feature over 800 objects from the Science Museum collections and use specially commissioned interactive displays, games and mobile experiences to explore the remarkable technological breakthroughs that have helped create the connected world we live in today.

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EnvironmentBloomberg Ocean Initiative

Mike Bloomberg Meets Mayors to Discuss Progress Restoring Oceans

October 10, 2014

By Bloomberg Philanthropies Environment Team

This month Bloomberg Philanthropies gathered a group of Filipino Conservation Fellows and mayors involved in the Vibrant Oceans Initiative, which aims to revitalize the world’s oceans, combat marine destruction and over-fishing. The Mayors have been working to protect marine areas and establish exclusive fishing rights in their communities. Because of the Mayors’ efforts, communities are fishing more sustainably and in some cases the abundance of fish along their shores has actually increased.

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EnvironmentBloomberg Ocean Initiative

Our Ocean: Next Steps on Sustainable Fishing and Marine-Protected Areas

September 30, 2014

On September 25, 2014, Patti Harris, the CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies, joined Secretary of State John Kerry, Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Catherine Novelli and dignitaries from around the world to discuss the urgent work of protecting the oceans.

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Founder's ProjectsWomen’s Economic Development

From Farmer to Entrepreneur

September 26, 2014

Last week, Asterie Mukangango—Rwandan farmer, president of the Nyampinga cooperative, and an early trainee of Sustainable Harvest-Rwanda—attended the 2014 Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum (WVEF) in Kigali. Just a year ago, she and her fellow cooperative members were farming small plots of coffee trees with no knowledge of the coffee value chain beyond the processing facility where they sold harvested coffee cherries. Now Asterie and her cooperative are increasing ownership of their coffee with the help of Bloomberg Philanthropies and its partner Sustainable Harvest. Sustainable Harvest Rwanda and Bloomberg Philanthropies founded the nonprofit Relationship Coffee Institute, which works in Rwanda to source coffee while emphasizing quality, relationships, transparency, and sustainability throughout the supply chain. By using this model, Asterie and nearly 1,000 additional women farmers gain access to coffee agronomy best practices as well as training in coffee processing, roasting, and tasting.

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ArtsBloomberg Connects

Museums and More Go Digital with Support from Bloomberg Connects

September 9, 2014

The audio guide. The museum map.

For years, these tools have led visitors on journeys through the world’s greatest cultural institutions. They’ve provided a one-way means of experiencing amazing artifacts and groundbreaking galleries. Now, it’s time for some new tools – tools made for the digital, social sharing age.

Now, it’s time for some new tools – tools made for the digital, social sharing age.

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Environment

Mapping Methane: Plugging Local Natural Gas Leaks Can Yield Global Climate Benefits

August 21, 2014

In partnership with Google and the Robertson Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies grantee Environmental Defense Fund is working to build a faster, cheaper way to find and assess gas leaks under our streets and sidewalks.

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Bloomberg Philanthropies

Bloomberg Philanthropies / Google ‘Hangout’ at the US-Africa Business Forum

August 5, 2014

Bloomberg News Washington Bureau Chief Jonathan Allen anchors an all-day ‘Google Hangout’ at the US-Africa Business Forum hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies and U.S. Department of Commerce.

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Public Health

Photo Essay: Dispatch from Maternal Health Clinic in Tanzania

August 4, 2014

Bloomberg Philanthropies is committed to accelerating progress in Kigoma to reach Millennium Development Goal 5 – the reduction of maternal death by 75% between 1990 and 2015. Few countries are on track to reach this goal, but with the dedication of our partners and the Tanzanian government, we are optimistic Kigoma can attain it and be a model for the world.

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