New Yorkers love to hate UN General Assembly week. Who can blame them? It's a carnival of motorcades, policy wonks, and political grandstanding, with innovative ideas struggling to break through the noise. After attending twelve of the last thirteen years, I've learned the best moments are outside the General Assembly Hall.
It was especially easy to get lost in the headlines, which distracted from the Sustainable Development Goals — ending hunger, reducing poverty, ensuring no child dies from preventable disease, getting girls into school, protecting the planet. One event in particular, the Gates Foundation's annual Goalkeepers, keeps these priorities alive by tracking SDGs, sharing inspiration and effective partnerships, and calling for action.
"The most important dialogues rarely happen in formal meetings. They spark in hallways between sessions, over a quick coffee, or in partnerships no one saw coming."
For many goals, progress is clear over the long term: since 2000, the number of children dying before their fifth birthday has been cut in half. That didn't happen by accident — it came from better nutrition, stronger health systems, and smart interventions like mosquito nets that stop malaria. It's one of the clearest wins for international cooperation and proof that progress is possible when the world puts its mind and money to it.
Overall progress is mixed at best. According to the World Economic Forum, only 18% of the goals are on track, while many others are stagnating or reversing — especially in hunger, clean water, education, and inequality. Some of these numbers are brutal: nearly two-thirds of the world's children don't get adequate nutrition. Stunting and wasting in early childhood set off a cycle of lost potential, and impact an entire generation. That's especially disheartening because we have solutions at the ready.
Technology holds plenty of promise. AI was everywhere at UNGA, positioned to accelerate progress in new ways. Speakers showed how AI and digital tools are already boosting traceability and supply-chain transparency — from ingredient provenance to farmer payouts. Researchers used evolutionary AI on 175 years of global land-use and carbon data to pinpoint location-specific land-use choices — insights that inform where to conserve, where to grow, and how cropping decisions ripple through climate and livelihoods.
Looking ahead, connectivity and access remain critical. I've seen firsthand remarkable progress in remote villages in Ghana, Mexico, and Malawi. At this year's Digital@UNGA anchor event, Microsoft shared a $4 billion commitment to help 20 million people earn an AI credential within two years.
Beyond technology, another bright spot is the evolution of philanthropy. As government funding declines, private giving is stepping up and reshaping the landscape. Donor-advised funds now total more than $250 billion, and there's a growing call for smarter, bolder giving. Trust-based philanthropy — where communities, not distant boards, decide how resources are used — is gaining traction, alongside tools like impact dashboards and AI-powered grantmaking. And then there are the "big bets": large-scale, risk-taking investments that aim to tackle systemic problems rather than treat the symptoms. In a world where public coffers are shrinking, philanthropy's evolution feels essential.
UNGA will always be a circus of motorcades and megaphones. But tucked inside the chaos are sparks of real change — odd alliances, unlikely conversations, and stubborn optimism. The most important dialogues rarely happen in formal meetings. They spark in hallways between sessions, over a quick coffee, or in partnerships no one saw coming. Change rarely follows a script — it emerges when unlikely allies find common ground.
The real magic happens in those off-the-record moments when people decide: let's actually fix this.