Hi Friend –

Over the past few days, I have been in touch with many from our USGLC community who have been impacted directly – or their family, friends, or colleagues have been impacted – by the devastation of Hurricane Helene. While I know we are all absolutely heartbroken by the images, I am inspired by their resilience and seeing neighbors step up to support those in need. Our prayers go out to the millions still recovering.

The hurricane is certainly a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities we face as a nation – at home and globally. This sense of stability was top of mind during my time in New York last week for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as world leaders came together for the Olympics of Diplomacy to tackle a range of complex challenges.

Against this backdrop, USGLC released an important opinion poll in the Wall Street Journal concluding that voters are deeply concerned about global instability and want the United States to show up in the world to confront our rivals – China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Given these concerns, I wasn’t surprised that the first question in last night’s Vice-Presidential debate was on Iran and fears of further escalation.

With all the gloomy news, I did want to share one optimistic story. Last week, USGLC joined USAID in hosting a launch event for a new Feed the Future “Accelerator” that could be a gamechanger in how America leads in feeding the over 300 million people facing acute hunger today. Check out our 3-minute recap video here about this strategic and targeted approach to creating a new African Breadbasket. And let me know what you think (yes, I read every response to my emails)!

Read on below for more from the Global Gab with my takeaways from UNGA and more.

Best,
Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC

THE GLOBAL GAB
October 2, 2024

OLYMPICS OF DIPLOMACY. Against the backdrop of brewing wars and rising global unrest, world leaders gathered in New York for the 79^th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

• President Biden’s Swan Song. In his final UNGA address, the President said, “There will always be forces that pull our countries apart and the world apart: aggression, extremism, chaos, and cynicism; a desire to retreat from the world and go it alone. Our task, our test is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart.”
  
  
• Security Council Reform. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced support for UN Security Council (UNSC) reforms, including creating two permanent seats for African states and one rotating seat for small island developing states to create “a more inclusive and more representative council.”
  
  
• Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky used his trip to meet with President Biden, Vice President Harris, and former President Trump. He used the word “peace” two-dozen times in his official address to the General Assembly, adding “it must be a real, just peace… We must uphold the UN Charter and guarantee our right – Ukraine’s right – to territorial integrity and sovereignty, just as we do for any other nation.”
  
  
• Showing Up, Or Not. While we saw notable absences from two of America’s closest allies, the United Kingdom and France, and two of America’s most significant rivals, China and Russia, one seasoned foreign policy observer noted, “if an UNGA-like gathering was held more often, global tension might just come way down simply because leaders would actually meet face-to-face more often.” (For an amusing break from the news, see GZERO Media’s Putin Puppet video – yes, with a puppet – with their take on why Putin skipped this year.)

SIDE-HUSTLE UNGA. Each year, there are increasingly two UNGAs: the official speeches from behind the iconic green marble podium – and the hundreds of unofficial-side events and meetings where diplomacy happens in real time and the most interesting conversations often take place.

• At the Summit of the Future, following agreement on the Pact for the Future, Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out a plan for “enabling the UN to better respond to shocks like pandemics and natural disasters… addressing growing and diverse threats to international peace and security… empowering women and girls…[and] reforming the UNSC.”
  
  
• At Democracy Delivers, USAID Administrator Samantha Power uplifted the value of public-private partnerships in nations with democratic openings, “knowing that improvements in the rule of law, increased transparency, and unleashed innovation make democracies ideal places for private investment."
  
  
• At the Atlantic Council, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned of American retrenchment, saying “It’s a complicated time. It’s a dangerous time. And I just hope that we in the U.S. can recognize it as such and not fall into a sense that we can simply leave the world to itself… [because] if we don't shape the international environment, others will.”
  
  
• After attending the Clinton Global Initiative, International Rescue Committee CEO David Miliband said we need to “get ahead of humanitarian crises with anticipatory action…[to] get help to people before a crisis strikes, instead of just delivering aid after the destruction.”
  
  
• USGLC hosted a special evening event on “America’s Global Engagement” with a slate of special guests including U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Alice Albright, Deputy CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation Nisha Biswal, and State Department Special Representative for Global Partnerships Dorothy McAuliffe.

POLL: AMERICANS AGREE, CONFRONT RIVALS. A new poll conducted for USGLC by Mercury Analytics, and unveiled in a full-page Wall Street Journal ad last week, reveals that regardless of party affiliation the overwhelming majority of Americans want the U.S. to lead on the world stage to protect our security and prosperity from rivals like China, Russia, and Iran.

• More than 8-in-10 say the U.S. should play a leading or major role on the global stage.
  
  
• Nearly 9-in-10 are concerned about rivals creating instability around the world and disrupting the economy.
  
  
• More than 8-in-10 say the U.S. should invest in a smart balance of diplomacy and global development alongside a strong defense to advance American interests.
  
  
• More than 7-in-10 saying the U.S. should engage in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to advance our own economic interests.
  
  📊 Check out more from the poll results here.

FOOD SECURITY IS NATIONAL SECURITY. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine – known as the breadbasket to the world – it was a wakeup call to global reliance on fragile food supplies. This was in part the inspiration for an added approach to Feed the Future, a highly successful initiative to address global hunger celebrating its 15^th year. USGLC was pleased to host the launch of an innovative accelerator program to catalyze targeted and effective public-private investments towards a new African breadbasket in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia to help stabilize local and global food systems. Some highlights:

• National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan: “If parents cannot feed their children, nothing else matters… and our own national security will be impaired.”
  
  
• Governor David Beasley: “Strategic, effective international aid… saves the American taxpayer dollars, and is in your national security interest.”
  
  
• USAID Administrator Samantha Power: “Together, we will create an engine that can help feed hungry people, not just in these three countries, but across Africa.”
  
  
• Senator John Boozman (R-AR): “Food security is national security… The Arab Spring was about hungry people. So many of the events that have happened are about hungry people.”
  
  
• Senator Chris Coons (D-DE): “Combating food insecurity is something on which Democrats and Republicans agree. Food insecurity and hunger is a national security issue, a stability issue, and profoundly a moral issue.”
  
  🎥 Check out the 3-minute recap video here including additional cameos by AU Ambassador to the U.S. Hilda Suka-Mafudze as well as bipartisan leaders Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Tracey Mann (R-KS).

ALL EYES ON AFRICA. The first American Presidential visit to Africa in 9 years will take place later this month when President Joe Biden travels to Angola from October 13-15.

• The visit will highlight economic partnership – important given 1 of every 5 people on earth who start looking for their first job is born in Africa. And by 2050, 1 in 3 workers in the world will live on the African continent.
  
  
• As a backdrop to this trip, last month, around 50 African heads of state showed up in Beijing for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. China pledged to invest nearly $51 billion on the continent — although calls for additional restructuring to help heavily indebted African borrowers were ignored.
  
  
• The visit coincides with newly released Administration’s global development strategy. While there was no groundbreaking new initiatives, USGLC’s statement in Devex added, “anytime an administration elevates global development as a ‘strategic, economic, and moral imperative,’ that’s a good thing.”

TROUBLING TRENDS. As the world witnesses this year of global elections, America’s key allies in Europe are increasingly calling for “inward-looking” policies, including proposals to dramatically cut their commitments to overseas development assistance. Here’s the latest:

• Germany is proposing an 8% cut in development spending along with 50% for humanitarian assistance.
  
  
• France released a proposal, just days ago, to cut 18% on top of an 11% from last year’s budget.
  
  
• The UK’s commitment– once gold standard of development spending – could fall to its lowest level in 17 years.
  
  
• The latest news from Devex is that the EU is calling for a 35% cut in assistance to the least developed countries around the world over the next several years.
  
  
• This growing trend is especially troubling for multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria that all face replenishment drives over the next year.

SHUTDOWN AVERTED. After a dramatic and performative game of “will they won’t they,” Congress approved a last-minute short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend government funding for 12 weeks – punting negotiations on finalizing FY25 spending to the lame duck session after the November elections.

• When Congress returns to Washington post-election, Members will have just five weeks to hash out a deal. USGLC is urging Congress to provide no less than the Senate-proposed level of $63.4 billion for the FY25 International Affairs Budget so that America has the necessary tools to meet the urgent needs affecting our security and economic interests.
  
  📖 Check out USGLC’s Budget Resources here.

MOURNING MUTOMBO. The legendary 7’2” star NBA player, Dikembe Mutombo passed away at just 58 years old but continues to inspire Americans and others around the world for his impacts both on and off the court. Mutumbo’s former coach called him “a Hall of Fame player and a legendary humanitarian,” bettering the lives of those in his home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the wider African continent. USGLC was fortunate to host the heroic humanitarian at an event in 2019 in a conversation about the role of sports and the new Basketball Africa league.