Administrator Samantha Power will travel to New York, New York, to attend the 77th annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) High Level Week from September 19 to 22, 2022. This annual convening of world leaders provides a platform for discussion about how we can collectively address the shared problems we face today. Administrator Power will speak to the U.S. government’s priorities and share how USAID is advancing efforts to combat food insecurity, advance global health, and strengthen democracy globally.
The number of people affected by food insecurity continues to rise: today, almost 800 million people are chronically hungry, and President Vladimir Putin’s brutal and unprovoked war on Ukraine is making an already dire situation much worse. At UNGA, Administrator Power will join several events that address the global food security crisis both through immediate humanitarian aid and sustained investments, and will call on other governments, civil society, nongovernmental organizations, philanthropy, the private sector, and other actors to mobilize additional support. This historic level of food insecurity is also exacerbating a serious, long-standing issue – child malnutrition. At UNGA, Administrator Power will highlight a solution that has proven to work: treatment for children using Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food, or RUTF, medicines, and counseling to help a child recover in roughly six weeks. At UNGA, USAID and UNICEF are hosting “The Child Malnutrition Crisis – Pledging to Save Lives,” an event that will encourage global investments in RUTF, among other effective and promising solutions.
UNGA also provides an opportunity for the Administrator to encourage our partners around the world to commit resources to the Global Fund, which works to defeat HIV, TB, and malaria, and to highlight the new Financial Intermediary Fund for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response(link is external). Administrator Power will also draw attention to the ways in which democracy and human rights are under threat around the world. At UNGA, Administrator Power will host USAID’s flagship event, “Democracy Delivers,” using our convening power to bring together the private sector, foundations, and philanthropic actors to discuss how they can do more to generate new and visible opportunities to deliver for citizens.
Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman will be joining Administrator Power in New York.