Failures of leadership are also evident in the way some countries provide near-unconditional wartime support to their allies, despite ample evidence that it is fueling widespread suffering and possible violations of international humanitarian law. This is particularly seen in Gaza, where civilian lives and infrastructure have suffered disproportionately. It is also seen in the way humanitarian assistance is obstructed and politicized, while hunger and disease are rampant and humanitarian workers, medical personnel and journalists all endure unacceptable losses. Witness the continued flow of weapons to Israel from the United States and many other countries, despite the war’s clearly horrific impact on civilians.
This is evident in leaders’ failure to hold accountable those who violate the UN Charter and international law, and even in efforts to weaken accountability, emboldening those for whom our rules and norms are merely a check on their greed for power and resources.
And in my world, this failure is especially evident in the fact that each year, international funding for humanitarian aid falls far short of what is needed, while national military spending rises. In 2023, total global military spending rose to $2.4 trillion, while the United Nations and other aid agencies raked in just $24 billion for humanitarian aid — just 43 percent of what is needed to meet the most urgent needs of hundreds of millions of people.
And yet, I am still hopeful.
“Despite the many shortcomings of world leaders, over the past three years and throughout my career, I have seen ample evidence that humanity, compassion, and people’s resolve and desire to help one another still burn strong. I have seen this in many global crises, in the host communities who share for months or even years with those fleeing conflict and hardship what little they have; in the spontaneous mobilization of local and national groups to support communities in times of crisis, such as the youth-led emergency rooms in Sudan that rallied together to provide medical, engineering and other emergency assistance; and in the heroic efforts of humanitarian workers around the world.
Throughout my seven tours of duty at the UN, I have witnessed the unique ability and willingness of the UN and its staff to deal with incredibly complex and challenging situations and, when empowered, find solutions to problems that seem unsolvable. It is this spirit that drove my efforts in 2022 to secure the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey that finally allowed the export of large quantities of grain from Ukraine that had been blocked for months. It proved that even bitter enemies locked in a conflict could agree to mitigate the impact of war on the food security of millions of people around the world.
