In case you haven’t heard, the 80th U.N. General Assembly is over (yes, I know you’ve heard — probably ad nauseum by now). It’s been a week since I came back to Washington, D.C., sleep-deprived and, shortly thereafter, government-deprived because of a shutdown — thanks to the perennially depressing partisan gridlock in the U.S. Congress.
The sad state of U.S. politics aside, UNGA got me thinking about the unsettled state of foreign assistance in a post-USAID world and the other key moments coming up on the development calendar. If you haven’t already, check out my colleague Michael Igoe’s excellent Saturday Pro Insider newsletter for his reflections on UNGA, including the mixed emotions he saw. That mirrored what I witnessed as well — a combination of lingering grief and newfound determination to move forward, even if the path is less than clear.
I was fortunate enough to interview so many different people in the field who are navigating this rocky terrain. (Shameless plug, but for a sampling of those talks, check out my LinkedIn post.) It really is a privilege to moderate thought-provoking panels with people whose calendars are chock full of other engagements but who’ve carved out time for you.