Gender gaps in employment, business, and access to finance hold back not just individuals but whole economies--at a time when we sorely need to boost growth and create new jobs globally.

Leaders of the world are coming together in London this week for all the right reasons: As the violence continues unabated, stoking more turmoil in an already restive region, standing by the Syrians is unquestionably our collective duty.

If we have learned anything from living in our increasingly globalized world, it is that no community or no nation stands in isolation. For better or worse, we are all connected.

The International Organization for Migration reported this week that over 1,900 migrants have lost their lives so far this year attempting to brave the perilous sea-journey from North Africa to Europe. It's a record death toll -- over double last year's numbers -- within the context of a record year of migration.

News that a madcap team of British adventurers have used snow kites to break the record for the fastest crossing of Greenland's ice cap reminds me of another record breaking journey by an even madder bunch of Antipodeans who use kite surfs to cross the Sahara.

The failure of last year's election to achieve political unity in Libya was most evident when Fajr Libya, or "Libya Dawn" -- a diverse coalition of armed groups that includes an array of Islamist militias -- rejected the election's outcome and seized control of Tripoli.