Jan 15, 2019
Progress needs protectors: A New Year’s Message from UN Foundation President & CEO Kathy Calvin
Happy New Year, and thank you for your continued partnership and support, which make our work helping the United Nations deliver for everyone, everywhere possible!
As 2019 gets underway, we face a world of conundrums and contradictions. Extreme poverty is at its lowest-recorded level, yet wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. More girls and women than ever before are using modern contraception, yet this basic human right is still considered controversial by many. And while millions of additional children are surviving infancy, millions are denied opportunities to study, work, and pursue their dreams. As Nicholas Kristof pointed out in a recent column, last year was “the best in human history” — but for too many people, it doesn’t feel that way.
In a complicated world, our task is clear: Keep pushing forward. Progress needs protectors.
We have hard-won achievements to defend and new battles to fight. We don’t have the luxury of indifference. And we don’t have time for the status quo.
So, in the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, in 2019, I’m going to do my part to protect progress by busting myths that stand in its way — myths like “our problems are too big to solve” and “we can’t take on the world’s challenges.” Instead, I’m going to lift up narratives that are rooted in what’s true and possible.
You can care about your country and still care about the world. You don’t have to choose between your country and the world. It’s a false choice. You can want your country to succeed, as well as the planet. Moreover, in today’s connected world, with ‘problems without passports’ as Kofi Annan called them, our futures are inextricably linked. With nationalism on the rise around the world, 2019 is a moment to raise our voices in support of our common humanity.
Climate change is a race we can win. Many people have read the somber headlines and decided the problem is too big to solve. But that’s not the case. We still have time, and we have lots of climate solutions — from how we use land to renewable energy that is increasingly cost-competitive with fossil fuels to voluntary contraception, which is essential to women’s rights and deemed a top climate solution. These solutions are good for the environment and for our health, ecosystems, economies, and more.
Instead of climate defeatism, let’s embrace climate action and ambition. In September, the UN Secretary-General is hosting a climate summit to increase ambition on climate action. Let’s answer his call.
We’ve got what it takes to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yes, reaching the SDGs and a world where everyone has opportunity is a big task — and one that we’re not on track to meet right now. But the truth is: We live in an era of proven solutions and abundant resources. We have the means to achieve the SDGs; now we need the will.
This will require a paradigm shift. All of us — especially governments and businesses — need to do more and do better if we’re going to fulfill the promise of the SDGs. This will require more than working at the margins; it will require diving deep into difficult issues like fragility, financing, and inequality. And it will require getting serious on measurement and data.
At this September’s UN General Assembly, world leaders will gather to take stock of where we are, where we need to be, and what it will take to get there. If we all act now, we can turn things around.
Global cooperation is essential to solving global problems. We must defend multilateralism, the foundation of an international system that has advanced peace and improved billions of lives. Time and again, multilateral action has produced results, from turning the tide against deadly diseases to closing the hole in the ozone layer to rebuilding communities ravaged by war.
Yet as we defend multilateral solutions, we must also modernize them for today’s challenges and realities. That must mean being more inclusive and bringing new partners — from students to cities — to the table. And it must mean seizing the opportunity to rebuild trust in existing institutions.
The UN is doing its part — transforming its operations and leveraging innovation to better deliver for people and the planet. Last year, the Secretary-General ushered in an ambitious set of reforms, and this year, the UN will begin to implement the changes to its development work, peace and security architecture, and management practices.
Of course, any discussion on multilateralism needs to include the importance of U.S. leadership at the UN and around the world. The United States has been a driving force for stability and freedom, and when our country is globally engaged, we can build a brighter future for Americans and for humanity. I was heartened by our poll of young Americans last fall, in which a majority told us that they want America’s foreign policy to focus on “international cooperation and diplomacy” rather than “America going it alone.” They are right.
This year, let’s remember what is possible when we come together with common purpose and fierce determination. I hope you’ll join us in making 2019 a year of hope, impact, and progress. We can all be part of a community that chooses action over apathy.
Kathy Calvin
President & CEO
United Nations Foundation
