Engaging for Change: World Food Program USA at UNGA and Climate Week NYC
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Climate Week NYC converged in New York City at the end of September, uniting a diverse array of senior humanitarian officials, development experts, private sector innovators, and passionate advocates. Held annually at the U.N. Headquarters, UNGA serves as a crucial forum for addressing global issues, fostering international cooperation, and shaping global policies. Climate Week NYC complemented this by focusing on climate action and sustainability. World Food Program USA participated in a series of events alongside WFP leadership, partners, and our celebrity and youth advocates. Our thought-provoking discussions educated, inspired, and mobilized diverse stakeholders to support our movement to end global hunger.
Here’s What Happened:
September 24: Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2024 Annual Meeting:
At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2024 Annual Meeting, global leaders gathered to drive solutions to today’s most pressing challenges through persistence, innovation, and partnership. During the event, World Food Program USA (WFP USA) and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a new CGI Commitment to Action—an $8 million grant from the Church to scale up WFP’s home-grown school feeding programs in Haiti. This initiative will expand access to nutritious, locally sourced meals for schoolchildren, strengthening both food security and local economies.
September 25: The New York Times Climate Forward Breakfast Event: “In Her Hands: Technologies for Women-led Climate Resilience”
With the support of our partner Google.org, we hosted a private breakfast during The New York Times Climate Forward event. The program included a fireside chat headlined by WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain and James Manyika, Google’s Senior Vice President of Research, Technology and Society, and a panel conversation with Rania Dagash-Kamara, WFP Assistant Executive Director of Partnerships and Innovation, Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink, Director of AI and Sustainability at Google.org, and Martien Van Nieuwkoop, Director of Agricultural Development at The Gates Foundation.
The discussion spotlighted how private sector collaboration, powered by cutting-edge technology and data-driven innovation, is driving new solutions to address global hunger. Panelists examined the convergence of women and technology in building climate resilience, offering real-world insights into the power of collective will and action.
Find the full recording of the panel >
September 26: Food Tank and World Food Program USA’s Climate Week NYC 2024 Summit: “Food and Agriculture Is a Key Solution to the Climate Crisis”
Food Tank and World Food Program USA co-hosted a half-day of programming on topics ranging from private sector investment in community-based climate resilience to the importance of youth advocacy for food security. . The event featured a series of conversations with WFP Goodwill Ambassador Andrew Zimmern, World Food Program USA’s President and CEO Barron Segar and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Rebecca Middleton, WFP Assistant Executive Director of Partnerships and Innovation Rania Dagash-Kamara, Katie Lee, Vice President of Government Affairs of the Farm Journal Foundation, Roy Steiner, Senior Vice President/Food Initiative of The Rockefeller Foundation, and World Food Program USA’s newly formed Zero Hunger Activist Council: Drea Okeke, Maddy DeVita, Bailey Bass, and Manolo Gonzalez Vergara. Discussions ranged from the role of private sector investment in community-based climate resilience to the importance of youth advocacy in tackling hunger and the climate crisis.
Watch the full recording of the summit:
September 28: Global Citizen Festival, Presented by Citi
WFP and World Food Program USA’s global partner, Citi, served as a co-presenting partner of the Global Citizen Festival, a music festival broadcast globally from Central Park where 60,000 fans gathered to take actions to help end extreme poverty. During the Festival, Virginia Villar Arribas, the Deputy Director of the Private Sector Partnerships Division of the World Food Programme (WFP), joined Antoni Porowski—who was recently named a U.N. World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador—on stage to announce a new commitment from Citi in support of WFP’s global hunger relief efforts and shared ways for individuals to get involved. U.N. World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain delivered an inspiring virtual address during the festival, celebrating the dedication of humanitarians and urging everyone to join the fight against hunger. As part of this announcement, Citi pledged to match donations to WFP USA up to $250,000 through December 1, echoing McCain’s call to join the cause.
This will build upon a donation from Citi to WFP made earlier this year to kick-start this global partnership, which included participation by Citi and WFP on a panel this past May at Global Citizen NOW to discuss ways the organizations are working together to solve the global hunger crisis. For more information about Global Citizen Festival and how to tune in, click here.
We invite you to follow us on social media to stay updated on our UNGA and Climate Week NYC activities and join the conversation.
