THE FBA SDNY UNITED NATIONS REPORTER SERIES
By Margaux D’Orlando-Dubois[1]
FBA UN Reporter
October 2, 2020
Since 2016, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Media Zone has been one of the main features of the UN General Assembly high-level week, bringing together UN Member States, content creators, influencers, activists and media partners to highlight actions and solutions in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. Organized by the UN Department of Global Communications, in collaboration with the PVBLIC Foundation, the SDG Media Zone takes the conversation on advancing the 2030 Agenda out of the policy sphere and into the public discourse through impactful in-depth interviews and panel discussions.
On September 21st, in honor of the United Nations’ 75th anniversary, the SDG Media Zone focused on the spread of COVID-19, the rise of geopolitical tensions, and the ever more urgent fight for racial, social and climate justice.[2]
The host, Femi Oke, opened the session with a survey from Global Citizen about the perception of the UN among young people. All recognized the crucial role and the need of the UN institution in matters of human rights and the fight against climate change. However, they recognized that there are still many battles ahead and some criticisms arose regarding its efficacy in addressing, for instance, the Palestinanian-Israeli conflict, the war in Syria, the structural drivers of gender violence and gender in inequality, and the treament of Muslim groups in Xinjiang, China.
Following this presentation, two guests, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, and the Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming, discussed the road ahead while we enter the Decade of Action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals – the world’s blueprint for equality – during one of the most challenging times in history.
1st Question: What has been a highlight for the SDGs in the past 75 years? – Femi Oke.
Both guests agreed that one of the most memorable moments has been the establishment of the SDGs after four years of work and in parallel with the Paris climate agreement. Ms. Mohammed emphasized the continued relevance of the UN, from 1945 through today. Ms. Fleming agreed on the need for a world plan to resolve inequality, poverty, injustice and climate which was achieved with the SDGs and the Paris agreement on climate change.
2nd Question: In 2035, Africa’s workforce will be more important than China’s and with a whopping 80% in the informal (underground) sector. In Kenya today, 75% of the population is young people. What is the UN doing to harness the potential of this demographic, even as we look at how to build better? – Noah Amrono, Country Representative Youth Association of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
Ms. Mohammed reminded us that the African Union 2063 agenda and the 2030 agenda have been merged to provide a roadmap for necessary action to be taken in Africa. One of those actions was an agreement on the free trade agreement framework which has now occured. Ms. Mohammed explained that on one side, the UN is supporting partnerships for businesses willing to take root in Africa, and is pushing the government to adopt an inclusive economy, with stimulus packages to realize the 2063 and 2030 agendas. On the other side, significant work is being made with the African Union and other international actors to bring peace in those regions, as an essential requirement for investments, such as in the Sahel region where we see investments in the Great Green Wall, women in agriculture, and digital education for youth.
3rd Question: – While the UN now has a plan and list of actions to address future challenges for the next decade, which past action can now be seen as insufficient? – Ms. Oke.
Ms. Fleming reminded us that the UN performance is limited by what its state members support. While the UN has the mission of improving the world, it also needs political will and funding to achieve its projects. As a consequence, for Ms. Fleming, to motivate and convince governments to take part in the UN mission is definitely another challenge.
Ms. Mohammed added that the UN is here to give hope and to try to fill in the gap between what is and what still needs to be addressed. To address future conflicts and instill peace, she advocates for more women in mediation, such as in the current Afghan talks, reminding the audience that equality still needs to be achieved and promoted in every step possible so we can move forward and achieve the UN goals.
4th Question: How do you reconcile the discontent that some states have for multilateralism? Covid-19 has been a clear example of states taking individual responses. – Ms. Oke, retransmitting a live question from Lloyd Matt on the youtube chat.
Ms. Fleming highlighted that as a no-border virus with a speedy diffusion it makes sense to close the borders and limit mobility. However, global cooperation is needed to overcome it. In that regard, vaccine nationalism is an issue. Hence the launch of the Kovacs facility with the reunion of a hundred professionals from across the world to create a vaccine accessible to everyone.
5th Question: As young people sometimes feel excluded from the UN’s actions, the speaker decided to create the hashtag #asktheUN. The question today is how is the UN going to ensure that young people are included at all levels everywhere? – Ramiz Bakthiar co-founder of iPeace.
Ms. Mohammed remarked that the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, is very committed to the youth and their role in the UN’s actions. She calledfor more youth at the table in matters of climate, business, social entrepreneurship, women issues, technologies, and others. She identified a need for the UN to better connect with its constituents.
6th Question: Since 2016, over 12,000 people have died while trying to come to Europe. That makes it the deadliest refugee route in the world and these 12,000 people are only the people we know about. Now, the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) is in the area trying to help these people. What are the concrete strategies to help these people and when will you start putting pressure on the European Union to finally find an acceptable solution and put an end to this? – Marisa Sam, Customer Service Agent
Ms. Fleming said that she worked for ten years for the UNHCR, advocating for the refugees. She mentioned current discussions between that organization and the EU to implement a new policy. The UN is pushing to create an obligation for every EU country to rescue every boat with safe disembarkation while trying to reach European coasts. Then an equitable distribution should be applied so that countries like Greece or Italy are not left alone. After the Levos catastrophe a change is needed.
Ms. Oke concluded by asking Ms. Mohammed, how she felt going back to the day of her nomination (picture below).
Ms. Mohammed recalled being the oldest of five girls growing up in a country where girls do not amount to much. While she did not aim for this position, she is happy to have reached it. She also sees the future and the possibility to support many more women in leadership positions to the UN. She felt both grateful for her role and conscious of the responsibilities that have come with it.
Finally, Ms. Oke asked what motivates Ms. Fleming to wake up in the morning?
She reported that she considered it a privilege to communicate for a better world every day. While her first ambition was to be a journalist, she moved to work for international organizations and finds her role more in line with her aspirations as she can not only expose problems of the world but also communicate for a cause. She is thankful for the chance to give people the chance to care, which is also the challenge that gets her up in the morning.
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[1] Margaux D’Orlando-Dubois is an LL.M. Graduate in International Dispute Resolution at Fordham Law School. She will be sitting for the New York bar examination in February 2021.
[2] http://webtv.un.org/search/how-is-the-un-meeting-new-challenges-at-75-%E2%80%93-sdg-media-zone-high-level-week-75th-session-of-the-un-general-assembly-21-september-2020/6193197375001/?term=&lan=english&cat=Meetings%2FEvents&page=2