UNGA Week 2023: Civil Society Rises to the Occasion Amidst UN’s Challenges
NEW YORK (AP) — Despite facing significant financial cutbacks and growing questions about its global relevance, the United Nations is once again drawing a powerful assembly of foundations and nonprofit organizations to New York for a packed schedule of events alongside its annual General Assembly. This year’s “UNGA Week” is shaping up to be different, marked by a palpable urgency among civil society leaders to address pressing global issues amidst a perceived weakening of multilateral institutions.
Tangible Impacts and Strategic Adaptations
The uncertainty surrounding the UN’s future has already made a tangible impact. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a major player in global development, has notably delayed the release of its annual report on progress toward global development goals. This crucial report, typically issued before the General Assembly convenes, has been held back due to a lack of clarity on future commitments from countries regarding foreign aid and global health funding.
Similarly, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), which has hosted its influential annual meeting on the UNGA sidelines since 2005, is adapting its approach. Former President Bill Clinton announced that this year’s two-day conference will pivot to a more action-oriented format, challenging leaders from business, politics, and philanthropy to actively develop new programs in response to current crises.
Broader Climate of Change and UN Challenges
These adjustments reflect a broader climate of change. The United States, historically the UN’s largest single funder, has either frozen or sought to reclaim funding, leading to widespread layoffs and significant program reductions across various UN agencies. Adding to these operational challenges, the UN Security Council, established post-World War II with the core mandate “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” has faced criticism for its perceived inaction in halting major ongoing conflicts, including the wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan.
The Enduring Importance of UNGA Week
Yet, for many attending the myriad conferences, meetings, and networking events across New York, this year’s UNGA Week feels more critical than ever. Kevin Sheekey, a senior adviser to billionaire and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, underscored this sentiment. “It is still the only place that the whole world gets together and that alone, in my view, is enough to justify its existence,” Sheekey stated. Bloomberg’s organization, which has convened its own forum on the sidelines since 2017, will this year focus on fostering global collaboration and investment opportunities specifically within African countries, with a particular emphasis on sports.
A Shift Towards Deeper Discussions
George Hampton, an executive director at the United Nations Foundation—founded by Ted Turner in 1989 to bolster cooperation with the UN—observed a similar number of sideline events this year compared to previous years. However, he noted a distinct shift towards smaller, more intimate roundtables, facilitating more candid and substantive discussions. “It is clear that the space we have to solve problems is shrinking, the kind of global cooperation table is shrinking as the problems themselves grow,” Hampton explained, emphasizing a “new urgency” that suggests “this time matters more than those before it.”
CGI’s Strategic Adaptations and a Critical Moment
Gregory Milne, CEO of the Clinton Global Initiative, drew parallels between their current strategic changes and past responses to major global challenges like the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a critical moment for the global development community,” Milne affirmed, highlighting CGI’s history of mobilizing its network to meet “unique and urgent challenges of the time.”
Civil Society in Action: Addressing Gender-Based Violence
An illustrative example of civil society’s proactive engagement was the “Free Future” event, hosted at the Ford Foundation, which convened funders, private companies, advocates, and grantees. Focused on ending gender-based violence, the event featured prominent speakers, including former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Discussions reflected on the 30th anniversary of the pivotal 1995 UN conference on women in Beijing, where numerous pledges were made towards gender equality. Sirleaf acknowledged progress in promoting women leaders and expanding opportunities but lamented, “We have not done enough.”
Co-hosted by Pivotal, Melinda French Gates’ organization, the “Free Future” conference particularly highlighted the significant economic toll of violence. Monica Aleman, international program director at the Ford Foundation, stressed, “Violence has a cost,” and advocated for financial solutions such as cash transfers or other economic opportunities for survivors. Celiné Justice of Pivotal Ventures underscored the importance of ensuring this critical issue remains central to the broader UNGA Week discussions, emphasizing the heightened need for philanthropies to collaborate and forge partnerships beyond their traditional allies in these challenging times.
