When Your UNGA Invite Gets Lost in the Mail

September marks the end of summer. Back-to-school and sweater weather. Apple picking and the return of the loved-or-loathed pumpkin spice latte. For me, September also brings the United Nations General Assembly, and a reminder of an invitation gone missing (several years in a row… not that I’m counting).

For two weeks the section of New York City known as “Midtown East” becomes a maze of gridlocked traffic and crowded sidewalks as world leaders, diplomats, NGO representatives, industry experts and opinion leaders convene at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to discuss and advance key policy issues. It’s impossible to ignore the energy in the air as I come and go from Pfizer’s headquarters just two blocks away from the United Nations.

Heads of state are gathering this week to address one another and impart collective wisdom on the global state of affairs. My opportunity to address the UNGA has not come to fruition, but that has not stopped me from envisioning my center-stage moment. #manifestreality

 If I had the chance, I would focus on three things:

1. Young people are traumatized by recent generations’ inaction on climate change. Millennials and Gen Z feel the burden in a very real way, unlike any generation before them. Climate change is one of the biggest global threats in our lifetime and we cannot leave it to another generation to solve.
2. Gender parity needs to become a reality; not just an idea. It was shocking that Forbes named just one woman to its 2019 “100 Most Innovative Leaders” list. Editor Randall Lane addressed the issue, pointing to flawed methodology. I don’t buy it. We all need to do better, faster. I could name dozens of women worthy of the “most innovative” title, but I’ll start with three:

• Dr. Laurie Glimcher, President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and trailblazer of cancer research
• Entrepreneur Martine Rothblatt, cofounder of Sirius XM and founder of United Therapeutics
• Lidia Fonseca, Pfizer’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, who in 2019 was named a Healthcare Transformer and Notable Woman in Tech

3. Human dignity is in crisis. How the world responds to the global refugee crisis will define humanitarian values and principles for generations to come. Our policies and our character are being tested, and we must answer with bold empathy and courageous leadership.  

What would you say to the UNGA?