Friend –

Hundreds of State Leaders from across the country traveled to Washington for USGLC’s 2022 Global Impact Forum. It was thrilling to be back in-person last week for this signature gathering of the USGLC family – now fully “hybrid” as we reached more than 220,000 viewers across all our platforms.

My question in nearly every conversation – are we “Meeting the Moment” on the global stage at a time of immense and growing challenges that impact our lives everyday here at home?

The answers from our wildly impressive speakers were full of complexities, though everyone agreed that America’s global leadership is essential to our health, economic, and security interests. More than 250 state leaders spent the next day on Capitol Hill meeting with their Members of Congress, sharing their views on why America can’t pull back from the world.

Read below to get the “Cliff Notes” version of the Global Impact Forum – and quick video links to each of the fascinating conversations. Let me know what you think – particularly of the discussions with USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Admiral James Stavridis, and the food security discussion with Secretary Tom Vilsack, former State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, and World Central Kitchen’s Nate Mook.

Best,

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC

THE GLOBAL GAB
June 21, 2022

MEETING THE MOMENT. With the growing set of crises on the global stage and rising authoritarianism, USAID chief Samantha Power opened her Global Impact Forum remarks on the question of whether America and its partners are “Meeting the Moment”:

• The Ambassador’s take: “By and large, you're seeing democracies... coming together in quite formal and unexpected ways... Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have done a hell of a job making people remember what is different about democracy.”
  
  
• Power told the USGLC community that America has to “modernize the playbook" to support democracy globally and amplified her recent call for a new set of tools to combat misinformation, empower journalists, and fight corruption.
  
  
• As the world faces a spiraling global food crisis, Power shared that the U.S. is “working with the Africans and others to press Putin to allow the grains and the oils that he is hoarding to make their way back onto the open market.”
  
  
• On COVID-19, Power spoke out on the emergency global COVID response proposal still pending in Congress, asking, “What would that buy us? It would buy us the ability to get the shots in arms that we have already purchased… Within a couple months, we will be completely dry of resources to be able to work in countries where the vaccination rates are still under even 10%.”
  
  » Watch the full conversation with Ambassador Samantha Power
  
  » Plus: See all the photos from the Global Impact Forum

FOOD CRISIS FOCUS. Tackling the global hunger crisis now facing 323 million people, former State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus moderated the signature morning plenary bringing together top leaders from government, the private sector, and the NGO community:

• Just returning from Ukraine, Nate Mook – the Executive Director of Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen – described lines of trucks 10 miles long trying to get grain out of the country as Russia blocks the ports. He reported: “There are trains, there are trucks, but I will tell you, one of these ships on the Black Sea can move about 70,000 tons on a ship. A truck can send about 20 tons. So you do the math, and you can figure out… what the needs are.”
  
  
• On the business community’s commitment to Ukraine and global food security, PepsiCo’s Global Head of Philanthropy C.D. Glin shared: “For us, it's really personal. We have over 3,000 employees in Ukraine... So we are investing in Ukraine and reinvesting in Ukraine... As we address food insecurity… we also are addressing peace and security as well.”
  
  
• The now twice-serving Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke to all Americans on the USGLC stage: “In times of great disruption, this country has two choices: we can essentially wallow in the despair… or we can do what previous generations of Americans have done, which is essentially buck up and basically show the world that we can in fact solve this problem.”
  
  » Watch the full conversation on the Global Food Crisis

THE NATO COMMANDER. Closing out the Forum, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis gave his three bullet points on the global economic consequences of the Ukraine war and what it means for America’s role in the world:

• “Point one… history shows us, we cannot afford to walk away from this global leadership.”
  
  
• “Point two, the greatest comparative advantage America enjoys is our network of allies, partners, and friends. And we can see that again and again and again in every part of our endeavor.”
  
  
• And on Point three: “The global economy is irreparably intertwined. Will there be… some rewiring? Yes. Is Russia's situation going to fundamentally change the international scene? I don't think so. [Russia is] too small of an economy. It's the size of Italy.”
  
  » Watch the full conversation with Admiral James Stavridis

USGLC SOUTH. Launching at the Global Impact Forum, the USGLC announced its newest regional partnership with The Coca-Cola Company to engage citizens in discussions about America’s role in the world across the southern United States.

• Coca-Cola’s Chief of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Joanna Price, spoke out on how the opportunity to tell the local-to-global story of the South – in partnership with USGLC – was impossible to “say no” to. Highlighting the “incredible connections from the South to the rest of the globe”, Price says the partnership will help spotlight the South’s “array of international companies… the port system… all the NGOs” and why U.S. engagement overseas “is not just the right thing to do, this is the smart thing to do – and we all benefit.”

LEADING VOICES. Joining the Global Impact Forum “Main Stage”, current and former officials added their voice on “What’s It Worth” for America to be engaged globally at a time of growing crises, many of whom joined conversations with former State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert. 

• On global health capacity: Speaking to the unique capabilities of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, CEO Scott Nathan: “We've provided financing… in Senegal, South Africa, India… not only for vaccines that address this pandemic, but also routine vaccination, making sure that the capacity exists around the world to address these crises more locally.”
  
  
• On Ukraine: Adding his voice on the imperative for America to lead, former Trump campaign advisor David Urban: “There's a sense in the United States… at some level… questioning… why should we be there. It's incredibly important that we remind Americans and don't let them forget the true cost of an expanding and more powerful Russia… so that we don’t ever have to get into a situation like this ever again.”
  
  
• On climate change: Speaking virtually from her home state of Florida, former Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL): “I'm quite heartened by seeing members of Congress from my party create a GOP climate caucus, where they see climate change as a problem. And they see that we can all contribute to solutions… We don't want our cities to be underwater, we don't have we don't want climate refugees.”
  
  
• On rising global challenges: Pointing to the need for greater U.S. investments in global development, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) said: “For the first time in decades, worldwide poverty has risen, reversing gains we made in some of the most vulnerable communities around the world.”
  
  
• On weaponizing food: Speaking on the Ukraine crisis, Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) shared how “much of the international focus has turned to Ukraine over the past several months [bringing] long overdue attention on the use of hunger as a weapon of war. We've seen hunger used as weapons not only in this conflict, but in so many around the world.”
  
  
• On politics in Congress: Calling out the small number of his colleagues who voted against the recent Ukraine emergency assistance package, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) said this pointed question to his colleagues is: “How much will it cost us if they lose?”
  
  » Watch the full conversation on “What’s It Worth”
  

SPOTTED. Making an appearance on the Global Impact Forum stage: 

• From the U.S. government: State Department’s Bonnie Denise Jenkins and Mary Beth Goodman; USAID’s Chris Burns, Gillian Caldwell, and Beth Tritter; and National Security Council’s Melanie Nakagawa.

• From the USGLC’s nationwide “strange bedfellows” membership of businesses and NGOs: Airbnb’s Katharine Kendrick, Alight’s Jocelyn Wyatt, Bayer’s Kasey Gillette, Boeing’s Greta Lundeberg, Citi’s Jahaan Johnson, ExxonMobil’s Malick Diara, FHI 360’s Christian Pitter, Global Communities’ Carrie Hessler Radelet, Merck’s Gregg Szabo, Mercy Corps’ Tjada McKenna, Tetra Tech’s Llyr Rowlands, UN Foundation’s Peter Yeo, and UPS’ Erik Churchill. Plus USGLC Board Co-Chair Mayor Steve Benjamin and former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman.
  

HEARD ACROSS AMERICA. USGLC state leaders who joined the Global Impact Forum not only made an impression in Washington, but also back home in local media. Here is a sampling:

• Radio Iowa on Vermeer’s Daryl Bouwkamp visit to Capitol Hill on why “American diplomacy must be maintained.”
  
  
• Scranton’s Times Tribune on Mayor Paige Cognetti’s trip to Washington to urge lawmakers to “unleash a new era of U.S. global leadership.”
  
  
• The Marshall Independent on Southwest Minnesota State University President Kumara Jayasuriya’s trip to DC “to rally support for diplomacy and development funding.”
  
  
• SE Arizona News on the USGLC delegation’s visit to Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ).
  

FARMERS FOR PROSPERITY. As the world grapples with the global hunger crisis, USGLC announced a new signature program to engage and mobilize farmers and leaders in the agriculture community to speak out on the importance of America’s global engagement.

• Cargill’s Vice President for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainable Development Michelle Grogg: “The role of farmers is so key. Cargill has the privilege of working with farmers all over the world – and they are the experts. So when we're talking about issues like food security… climate change, the conflict in Ukraine, the implications of COVID-19… Farmers are at the center of many of those issues. And so it's critical that their voices are heard.”
  
  
• Kansas Farmer Doug Keesling shared that “unless you're different than me, we all have to eat.” Pointing to how we solve global hunger around the world he said, “Agriculture… needs to be at the table.”