Hosted by brookings institute, this is about 45 minutes. Good morning, and good afternoon, everyone. Its great to be with you, thank you for joining us. Im the vicepresident of the Global Economy and Development Program at brookings. Its a great honor and privilege for me to open this event, for development at brookings. Were very grateful for the participation of the u. N. Deputy secretarygeneral, and the Foundation President , both for exemplary liberal leaders on development to took time out of their busy schedule to be with us today. We are very honored by your presence and participation. The launch of the center is the historic moment for brookings. In the Global Economy, the need to build back better and more inclusive and sustainable economies have never been better. Policy makers and stakeholders will have both leadership on various aspects of Sustainable Development. We are grateful to all of our partners whose support has been instrumental to the inception of the center. The special thank you to richard blum, and over the past several years has inspoo i remembered the creation. Center. The launch of the center would not have been possible without the efforts of many who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes. So let me take a brief moment to recognize my colleagues and all in the center, including John Macarthur, and the communications team, as well as our colleagues across the institution, particularly communication. And importantly, the commitment of our president , general john allen, who, as you know, is very passionate about Global Development. Thank you, john, for your unwavering support and for your exemplary leadership for development. With just a few words, will et me end here and turn it over to you, john. Dr. Coulibaly, thank you for your typically warm and come sen sense comprehensive remarks and to those who have an Important Role for what were doing today. I want to thank you for your tremendous leadership of the dmi and Development Program here at brookings. Let me hasten to add how grateful we are for the president , for the presence of the deputy secretarygeneral of the United Nations. Its always a great honor for me to share any event with you, maam, and you grace us with your presence at brookings. And the president of the rockefell Rockefeller Foundation. Weve known each other and we wouldnt be where we are now, raj with you and your organization and accept my deepest thanks. Ladies and gentlemen, good morning, good afternoon, wherever you may be and welcome to todays virtual launch of the Brookings Center for Sustainable Development. We are absolutely delighted to have you join us for this important event. It is moments like these where even as we celebrate the start of an Exciting Initiative such as Brookings Center for Sustainable Development that it becomes immediately apparent, what an unusual and indeed, precarious times were living in. With the advent of the covid19 pandemic this year, over a million precious lives worldwide and caused the greatest economic crisis since the Great Recession and perhaps even the great depression. The need to address issues of inequality, Structural Racism and inequity, the threat of Climate Change and troubling decline of International Cooperation has become even more paramount. Such issues all enshrined in the United Nations 17, 2030 goals were long considered a north star for the leaders across the world. Something to which we could all steer our efforts. It could be argued that it could be one of the greatest accomplishments in the modern era, securing the future of our children, to a common good, that inspired the creation of the United Nations 75 years ago. Unfortunately, despite having been a keen leader, the United States has since demonstrated an evidence and decline in commitment to the values. Actions such as withdrawing from crucial agreements, disengaging with the Health Organization have only done the u. N. A disservice, affecting the progress towards achieving these vital goals. You know, i often make the point that theres a key difference today between u. S. Leadership, kickly in this administration and traditional American Leadership, meaning american commitment to International Rules based, values based leadership that has largely defined the world order in the last 70 High Pressure plus years in close partnership, frankly, with the United Nations. At the best of times, these two forms of leadership have largely been in synchronization, sync and partners have been able to lead by example and be transformational all over the world and sadly, thats not the case today. While the current leadership. U. S. Might not be supportive of international action, American Leadership is alive and well within many different sec torques, such as academia, business, philanthropy, and Civil Society and many stepped forward and mobilized their organizations and institutions to make a real impact. In time, i hope we will reunite these two forms of leadership within the u. S. But for now, well lead through these diverse parts of our society, that we see a thriving new type of leadership taking place, a coalition of the willing who are at this event today aptally titled charting a new course towards economic, social, environmental progress and building a future that leaves no one behind. Indeed, it is with a commitment to these same creeds that we at brookings decided to take part following our own mission of always working in support of the public good, to create the center for Sustainable Development. For us, this is American Leadership in action as it should be. We all have an obligation to lead on these issues, its not just our hope, it is our mission. Now, designed to be Brookings Institutional commitment to the global Sustainable Development agenda, the u. N. Sustainable goal, the center also institutionalizes a core group of brookings scholars with these issues under John Macarthur, the center, the Centers Group of experts will be able to maximize these focuses on issues such as extreme poverty, the leave no one behind agenda, foreign aid effectiveness, the metrics of Sustainable Development, Sustainable Development finance, Climate Change and much more. I could not be more proud or more thrilled, indeed, that were able to accomplish this important milestone and commitment, and that brookings is making this commitment today to our global community. More, i cannot be more honored than at the likes of John Macarthur and many of our amazing scholars have joined an excellent and noble cause. This task will not be easy if the world is to meet the target set by 2030, we must foster an inclusive recovery post covid19 and a commitment to build back better. However, i have little doubt that even within such a challenging environment, john and his colleagues will rise above our greatest expectations. Its a great day for brookings and we are proud to serve with us alongside the United Nations in achieving these very, very important goals. With that let me turn the floor over to the secretarygeneral who will present her own remarks and madam secretarygeneral, let me close where i began, we are so greatly honored that you would join us at the brookings institution. Thank you, mr. Allen, a pleasure to be with you today. I want to thank my friends to be invited. Launching this bold new center that will tackle head on the worlds biggest Sustainable Development challenges. Id like to salute brookings and its team by sending its own crisp signal to the world that issues of Sustainable Development are center stage for all of humanity. And as recently said in mandela record, i quote, the covid19 pandemic has demonstrated the fragility of our world and laid bare, risks weve long ignored. Gaps in social protection, structural inequality, environmental degradation, the climate crisis, unquote. The Sustainable Development goals, i believe, are the best road map, the best north star as general allen has said, for transitioning to a new place of economic, social and environmental resilience. General allen, let me please take a moment to thank you for your personal commitment and passion for the scg. Your inspiring comments today and a few months ago when we were at the event brookings helped to convene, underscoring the power of the goals and bringing people together around the common refrain of ambition. I know that many people have made it possible, as was said to us, but to celebrate the centers extraordinary starting team of scholars and just to let me have a minute to go through them many are my long time friends. A Global Leader on climate and sustainable infrastructure who has over the years provided such invaluable support to the u. N. s work and let me just say, even in this last couple of weeks. And an intrepid leader not only in latin america and the caribbean, but issues within the u. S. Itself. And my brother of another mother has been the driving force at the agenda since before its inception and continues to lend crucial assistance to our u. N. Team in navigating this years global financing crisis. George ingram has had a uniquely distinguished career in fostering so many cross partisan, cross leadership contributions and developments over the years. Tony, another ally of ours, who was, of course, the lead negotiator over the final year, leading up to the 2015 adoption and today pays a role in fostering multilateral corporations for the goals with results of their climate. And of course, to john, john the new Center Director has been my ally and collaborator for nearly two decades practical and leadership. More recently for the Sustainable Development goal. So as a return to what the center can do for the world. Were aware of shifting and tensions crisis that hurt people and the planet. We need creative and creative leadership from all corners, even and especially think tank. We need your insights, your independence, your ideas, your recommendations and your voices. We also simply need role models of collaboration and International Cooperation. One of the things that makes this unique is the focus the center will have on Network Leadership and no one left behind philosophy. None of are us can achieve this alone, all of us need to pitch together. Everyone needs to be at the table in our communities, around the globe. If we are to end extreme poverty and the pandemic of inequality and protect the climate and ocean for certain generation. In this respect id like to challenge the center for Sustainable Development for the pursue tut of Sustainable Development in all of our countries lend your better for better understanding of issues, seek the ip sight of the young and think about the options and solutions and possibility. The brookings team has already contributed so much in helping the world to tackle its great challenges of Sustainable Development and so much more. But i know were only just getting started. We have a decades to go for achieving to scds and i cant wait to see what we do next together. At this juncture, it is my deep, deep pleasure and im very excited about this, handing over to my friend, john macarth macarthur. Thank you so much, madam deputy secretarygeneral and its such a privilege and honor for all of us to be with you. And thank you for your ever Inspiring Leadership on behalf of the whole world for what you do every day to bring us together. I also just want to start by thanking john allen, general allen and for everyone at brookings, our partners around the world and so many people who have been instrumental in recent weeks, months and years in bringing us to this day of launch. But before anything else, we also are privileged to have a message that we received from the world Health Organization director general, dr. Ted rose and we want today share that briefly before we dive into the rest of the decision. So if we could please pull up that video. It is my pleasure to send my best wishes for the launch of the new center for Sustainable Development at the brookings institution. The world was struggling to meet the sustainable level of goal before the covid19 pandemic. Were even further behind now. The center for Sustainable Development can help to get us back on track to accelerating partnerships. I welcome the centers mission of bipartisan leadership into Sustainable Development. My congratulations to everyone involved at the center for Sustainable Development and especially for your inaugural director, my friend, john mcarthur, we look forward to a fruitful partnership. I thank you and wish you all the very best. We thank you, doctor, for all youre doing and for your kind words today and to help us get through the pandemic and to the other side. Some of you might be asking, what will the center do . Well, weve already heard, as some of the central themes, ranging from leave no one behind to Network Leadership around the world, but we decided to take on five starting topics. First, defining the challenge. What we call Sustainable Developments economics and impeerics. Second, identifying instruments to advance implementation in all countries around the world. Third, advancing Sustainable Development at local levels, bringing these issues to the communities where they matter most. Fourth, advancing effective financing for Sustainable Developments and fifth, advancing in the words of general allen, both leadership and societal. After that you might be wondering who exactly is in the center and id like to take a moment to talk about each of our starting scholars because it is quite an Extraordinary Team. Were so grateful to deputy secretarygeneral for mentioning them, but if we could just bring up a few quick images to show the starting roster. As was mentioned, our leader on so many of the worlds biggest issues at the highest level. Our leader on Climate Action and infrastructure and instrumental on growth and multilateralism and improving global governments. I have to say in the leadup from glasgow implemented this year, next year, our guiding light. Second is marcella, escobar. Marcella lead the future of the work force initiative. How to confront the divergence in people and places. And jobs for those who need it more. Just today marcella is launching a pathway for upwardly mobile jobs in very specific locations across america. Third is george ingram. Our seasoned voice on u. S. Official strategies for Global Development. George focuses on, as weve heard, promoting bipartisan u. S. Leadership, policies to support responsiveness in fragile environments and the intersection between Business Development and Sustainable Development. Today george is actually releasing a very important paper how u. S. Global development structures can be updated for purpose in 2021. Fourth is our most venerable colors without whose insights there would be no center today. Its impossible to summarize the breadth of his work, this morning, homi is releasing covid19s affects on extreme poverty around the world and let me just say the news is not good. A few days ago, he coauthored a piece on chinas influence on the global middle class, as the deputy secretarygeneral said this summer hes been actively supporting the u. N. Policy efforts to finance the covid19 recovery and avoid debt crises around the world and in a few days, thinking about how to update the Global Development, a tech tour rit large to tackle a post pandemic world. Fifth is tony, our embodiment of connecting the local with the global. Again, his work is nearly impossible to summarize, but pursuing things like promoting global city to city cooperation, identifying policies to improve Racial Justice taking on action on Climate Change. At the same time hes working on promoting u. S. Credibility abroad by leveraging the countrys domestic leaders on segs to see how that can connect to the global trfrontie and hell look at an exchange of leadership how they can move forward together. For my own part, i pay special attention to the leave no one behind agenda and finding ways for diverse actors to come together. Such as an attempt for a partnership weve been privileged to launch with the Rockefeller Foundation and focus on my home country of canada and the United Nations how to get practical. All of this is our starting point. Before long we hope the center can extend to grow its team and take on new topics, things like gender equality. Things like private sector contributions to the scgs rit large. Were honored today to take the next wave of effort. With that as context, im honored,delighted and thrilled to be able to kick off a bit of a round table discussion with old friends, collaborators, inspirations, the deputy secretarygeneral and now raj shah, hes the president of the foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation provides instrumental support for this institute of Sustainable Development which helps make the work that we do possible. Brookings as independence and underscore the views expressed today are solely those of the speakers, but i want to emphasize the role that raj has played and rockefeller has played across the United States and around the world. Raj brings his own remarkable experience to the organization having previously served as usda administrator under president obama from the food act and very importantly the u. S. Response to the west africa ebola pandemic and also played a crucial role in cementing the u. S. Commitment to end extreme poverty within a generation. Before that raj had senior roles at u. S. Department of agriculture and the bill and Melinda GatesFoundation Also instrumental in the fragility which helped to sort the global vaccine a topic of some importance today. So raj and amina, were so thrilled to have you for this informal round table on a special day for us at brookings and maybe raj, weve just heard from deputy secretary again and you bring so many of these Perspectives International and domestic and youve been at the forefront of the fight for justice in so many ways. And i want to just raise this issue of equity and equity imperative of Sustainable Development both in the u. S. And internationally. How would you recommend that we all think about that issue and a warm welcome again. Thank you, john and let me just start by congratulating you and general allen and the Extraordinary Team at brookings. Im so glad that you were able to introduce each of your exceptional members and experts in many ways today as amina described in her remarks, as really a celebration to honor the contributions each of them has made over time and im so proud to have learned from so many and continue to. So while i guess the views expressed are yours or mine or the deputy secretarygenerals alone, it is in fact, their ideas that keep permeating all of our collective thinking and i have such high hopes for this center in this moment in history. I think the moment in history calls for really embracing the challenge at that amina laid out in her remarks. Now, her example and your example, amina, has been one of just resilient determination to support those who are left behind and i think her career has demonstrated how, from for many decades how possible it is, for measurement, a focus on results, and i think in many ways, its easy to acknowledge today that the fight to achieve the scgs has been set back by this crisis. We see the World Bank Estimates are of 425 Million People pushed back under an expanded version of the poverty line as a result of the Global Economic consequences of covid19. We certainly see in the goalkeepers report that we reviewed and discussed that potentially decades of progress on basic indicators of health, education and welfare are going to be significantly impaired by the crisis and the shifting and resources to other areas of necessary Public Health concern. And i suspect when you look at big picture, at what it is taking to recover in wealthier economies with strong central banks, the answer is a tremendous amount of monetary and fiscal action, that its simply not possible under current circumstances for billions and billions of people around the world. And perhaps thats maybe the central underlying concern i have for the center to address, which is, you know, after world war ii we created the brenton woods institutions and embarked on a mindset and approach through the marshal plan that was determined to achieve certain types of developmental objectives and frankly left out some important considerations with respect to both climate and good governance, shall i say, for many decades. I think now the center and you all as experts with such extraordinary reach and influence, have a chance to maybe reshape and rethink what the Global Development pathway looks like going forward. So many of the themes in your five points are defining of that. Local ownership and leadership, local governance and economy and Economic Management being perhaps at the very top of the list and im glad you highlighted that, but also, rethinking global institutions and the way weve executed on development, the level of resources necessary and what types of new institutional and Financial Arrangements need to be put into place to really support a global Green Recovery from this crisis that fundamentally includes those that are left behind. And my on behalf of the Rockefeller Foundation, in addition to supporting that mission very broadly, we are fully committed to ending energy profferty as a core driver of addressing and perhaps ending much of that inequity. Thats just one of many issues that your lapel pin indicates we all need to work on, but where we see certain solutionings, we believe we have to act in a bold and significant way and were preparing to do that as a single institution, but the global community, i think, really has had a chance to step back and say, what is the marshal plan for this era. Its not going to come from china, the United States or any one nation. Its going to come from dozens or hundreds of local leaders to shape a vision how to recover from covid19 including those who we know will be left behind. Thank you, raj, both as ever insightful and provocative rightful call to action. Im curious, madam deputy secretarygeneral amina, very much along those lines, were trying to respect the office in in environment. But i know that you having had the privilege to work with you for so many years, are straddling these issues in your own mind every day, assage rah just outlined between your home village in nigeria, the highest level of Global Politics and i see you toggling moment to moment between each reality. Im curious how you think about this universal challenge and architecture to summarize rajs insights, that will meet the needs of the coming future . Thanks, john and raj, as always, its great to hear you and to be privileged to have this conversation together. As we look at what we sort of crafted and lets remember we never would have gotten the odd 17 goals if had tonight been a process and what everyone sees themselves in and maybe we havent quite landed that yet everywhere, but it is about a global plan, and like with all politics, its local. Its very local. And it is, i guess, investing in it and everyones selfinterest because were so connected. As i think about the 40,000 feet we sit up here and what happens in my veg every village, every day have to stay with the reality context. If we apply this. It has to be the policies you need that need to be responsive and Taylor Made Solutions at the country level and depending on what kind of country, maybe its even within the subnational level thats so different from what part to another. Key to that is understanding what that context is and i think one of the areas we still quite a bit to do is laying out the baseline. The data thats required to give a proper picture in context in terms of investments, capacity, stake holders, a government really getting its head around the spending it must do and is more inclusive than weve had before. And i think the frame helps us to have that discussion, its remarkable that with covid. Before covid. We were off track and had the decade to launch. Once covid came along, what do we do now because its so plain sight that its now a global issue. Every with one tiny little virus is affected in the same way and we all shut down to try to see how to protect ourselves individually and collectively and suddenly found out, being as how this was barring the fractures that we already knew and talked about. So having the covid, i think, opportunity so look as country by country, community to community in the globe, whether we have a Marshall Plan or not. It will be a response that cannot just be local. It will be embedded in the local response because those are the need for women, for youth. For the energy of opportunities and vision the world. And that will require a different architecture than we have right now. The Global Players need for us to have a conversation about whether the trillions that are available in a pool that weve seen spent in one part of the world have any way that we can unlock them to be more equitable in the response to covid, but in the sustainable more equal playing field, a more stable world and i think, you know, its important that we sort of bring that reality check to it. We have the Unfinished Business of the mdgs, you know, often people say this is, sdgs have taken over they havent. I remember kofi annan saying dont forget the sdgs, theyre in the sirs six goals. Its rooted in remaining goals, but give us an interconnected set of issues that if we want [inaudible] thats it. So i would say, you know, the global to local is also about understanding what the local has to bring to the global. And having that narrative and that discussion in a way that i think, you know, you have the space to convene on that as we have the space to convene across the world. I think that intellect thats needed to have those discussions to bring it to very real places is where you are. Thank you, amina. And i think this point of whats possible starts to come up very quickly and, raj, youve been an irrepressible challenge to technology and access ranging from health care to energy, as you mentioned, its part of your daytoday right now. But one of the things weve seen is that or not but, but one of the things that weve seen is the frontier is shifting and im curious how you suggest you think all of us online today that technology is an advancing frontier for the world. Ill answer that and i want to come back to one thing that amina said. I think that brookings is maybe one of the very few places on the planet that could convene the types of leaders in the right intellectual and analytic context to actually define and design a new approach to ensuring that we meet the challenge she just outlined. It will take literally trillions of dollars of public support, alongside private investment, to drive emerging economies forward in an equitable manner coming out of covid19. And i dont i think the world just hasnt figured out how to do that and right now, our politics are so practiced and populous that i dont see a lot of leadership on that topic and im going to be following you all closely for your ideas and output there because we desperately need it. On the issue of technology, i think its actually related to that. You know, theres no need to build back an industrial economy that looks like it was 1958. The reality is, today, you know, through rockefeller alone, our relationships with, say, tata po your power in india, were trying to reach villages that dont have meaningful reliable electricity today. In the last few years weve seen the costs could many down from 60, 70 cents a kilowatt hour close to 22, 23 cents a kilowatt argue now and our target is to get it under 15 cents a kilowatt hour. These are solar panels tied to lithium batteries and other management storage managed by Artificial Intelligence usually executed remotely and fed smart meters to those who werent getting electricity, and we see extremely high repayment rates. The reality is, thats one become of leapfrog Technology Like the mobile phone and microfinancing and banking for women who are lower income and poorer, you know, that we need to embrace and scale far more rapidly. I appreciate the kind words about immunization, look, it used to take 20 years to get a vaccine, you know, that was effectively immunizing kids in wealthier countries introduced in low income ones and then a big divergence and then conversion. Its interesting. Ill be remiss not to mention cochair of course in 17 rooms just pointed out to me the breakthroughs in thinking about infrastructure for technology and equitable access as how it can come together as as a platm for the world. So grateful to all the insights you are generating in addition to the ones, and your whole team, in addition to the ones you might call on this to take on so thank you. Im afraid will have to adjourn in a moment but i wanted to give you each a last chance to share any parting thoughts before we do adjourn for the day. Is there anything, raj, you would like to share as all kick off in the stray bullet time but in for a much better 2021 and beyond . Maybe ill conclude with the following. As we sit and i think brookings largely remains in washington, d. C. With experts, your ability to truly understand, appreciate stay connected to, maybe with less travel and more video, the realities of whats actually happening in the communities you will seek to serve with the center will remain so important, and i was pleased to hear i think the doctor mention dick bluhm balaam and his support of the brookings balaam session. His work with nepalese women and girls over many decades has saved thousands of girls but also i think the new model for just being able to be global and work with institutional leaders like the ones you naturally do and being grounded in the realities of who you are serving. I just applaud you for what you are doing, applaud general allen for the commitment and im thrilled to be with the deputy secretarygeneral, so thank you. Thank you so much, raj. Never last words for me but along the way into so much. This really important. Wanted just to mention two constituencies that would be critical to this and its because we will not build back the same. We have to build back to philly and take the opportunity of covid and not be conquered by it. And thats youth and women. This is really important because it is an intergenerational ship that must happen and him and ie need to have the ability to bring them to the table and also to see them as assets and not just a quota. How do we do that and a research, how do we do that in the planning, how do we do that in the implementation . I think its really important to leadership is already being demonstrated by young people and by women and we need to profit from it. You are convening also to show a different face to the table we have and assented to be the touchstone and people at the solution, the what the policy options that they can, and you can feed them with that so they go back to the realities, how do we figure this out. We are able in your independence to be able can match, ahead of the curve. We dont have 196 members, actually, negotiate with the option is. Theres power in that and you have an amazing team and were looking very much forward to working with you on the road ahead. Its extraordinarily difficult that is full of opportunities. I dont think weve ever seen a time in our history when we have so many tools and potential and ambitions that can be fulfilled. Its about getting us together and to make it, keep plugging and just getting it done. So thank you for having me, general allen. This is been a pleasure and a really look forward to working with john and the team and the center. Raj, thank you. Great to see. Thank you, amina. Thank you, raj. My big take away here is we are moving from a discussion of reset to transition. Were here to put in the work. When her to make it count in the communities where people live. Were here to help take on the global commons, and we are here to help connect the dots between all of the above in way the world of 2030 democracy and justice, this is one hour. Good evening, everybody. It is wonderful to be with you again, our 27th program in this america at a crossroads serious. Im honored to present not one but two extraordinary american heroes, lieutenant colonel