Weekly Update: One Year After Russian Invasion, Showing Solidarity with Ukraine, and a New World Bank Leader

This week's update marks the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and also discusses the appointment of former Mastercard Chief Ajay Banja as the new President of the World Bank.

Feb 26, 2023

Dear Friends and Supporters,

This past Friday marked the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I vividly recall watching the start of the invasion unfold a year ago while tuning in to the UN Security Council debate on my iPad. As the realization that the invasion was already underway began to sink in, you could observe the diplomats in attendance grew increasingly uneasy. Then, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UN made a memorable statement directed toward the Russian ambassador, declaring, "There is no purgatory for war criminals, Ambassador; they go straight to hell."

At our friends Brett and Sasha’s house on the weekend. Sasha’s parents are still in Ukraine and this is the second time her father has experienced an invasion, having lived through World War II

This year, we had the opportunity to stay with our friends Brett and Sasha in upstate New York. Sasha hails from Dnipro, Ukraine, (where her parents still live), and in honor of the anniversary, she organized a movie night to raise funds. While the average American taxpayer is estimated to contribute around $10 towards the Ukrainian effort, Sasha highlighted the crucial role that volunteer contributions and donations have played in supporting Ukraine. Through her efforts alone, Sasha has helped organize 120 parcels to be sent to Ukraine. It is, in a very real way, a people's equivalent of the Biden Administration’s "Lend-Lease" effort: The Peoples’ Lend-Lease! As for myself, I played a very small role in delivering donations to the Polish-Ukrainian border in the aftermath of the hostilities that erupted in March of last year.

Close to the Ukrainian border in early March 2022, shortly after the invasion began

Sticking with Ukraine, the musician Aloe Blacc just released this song, 'We Will Meet Again," featuring a visual collaboration with Ukrainian artist Anna Zhilyaeva. It was written to refer to the story of those displaced by this war, and the collaboration was released to coincide with the anniversary to bring awareness to the dire situation.

In other news this week, my recent article highlighting the shortcomings of the private sector in terms of climate leadership, as revealed by a new report, was featured in Fast Company. The article concerns fears that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may scale back a proposal that would require public companies operating in the US to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and any financial risks they face from global warming. The proposed rule would require certain large, publicly traded companies to report Scope 3 emissions generated by their supply chains and customers, but amid backlash and legal threats from Republican lawmakers, the SEC Chair Gary Gensler is now considering removing the Scope 3 requirements. The article further reinforced my argument that neglecting the escalating climate risks could ultimately result in adverse impacts on a company's employees, supply chain, and overall business strategies. Given that another new report was released again Friday highlighting the underutilization of climate risk tools by mid-tier companies, this is definitely a space to keep a close eye on in the coming months. The latest analysis indicates that mid-tiers are only beginning their net-zero journeys, which makes it even more critical for them to take appropriate measures to address growing climate threats.

Finally, the World Bank has appointed a new President, former Mastercard Chief, Ajay Banja. You can read my opinion below along with other highlights from the week.

If you find these updates valuable, I would appreciate it if you could subscribe and share them with others who might be interested. Additionally, if you happen to be in New York this week, the Global Citizen team is hosting an Impact Roadshow on Tuesday evening. The details are listed below, and we would be delighted to see you there if you are able to make it.

Stand Up for Ukraine - A Year in Review

A year ago, on Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine as Russian forces attacked Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, sparking one of the worst humanitarian crises in European history.

By March, more than 5 million people had fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, with Poland receiving more than 142,000 people in a single day. Today that number has now surpassed 8 million, in addition to the estimated 6.5 million internally displaced people, who are living in harsh winter conditions, face ongoing attacks, and lack adequate shelter, medical care, food, and water.

GlobalGiving — a nonprofit that connects donors with grassroots projects around the world — created the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund days before Russia officially launched its invasion in February last year, helping people to donate almost $65 million to hundreds of community organizations on the ground in Europe providing emergency relief to people fleeing the war.

Check out Global Citizen’s impact story on How Your Actions Helped Deliver $2 Million in Humanitarian Aid to People Impacted by the War and a Twitter thread on it here.

NYC Impact Roadshow

For those of you in New York, I’d like to invite you to join Global Citizen on Tuesday, February 28, for its NYC Impact Roadshow. This will be an evening to host key Global Citizen stakeholders - artists, artist managers, agents, broadcast partners, corporate partners, and board members, and to brief you key stakeholders on the impact Global Citizen had in 2022 as well as touching on some of our plans for 2023 and the opportunities to have an impact in the coming year.

The event will take place at Global Citizen’s New York offices and will run from 6:30-8:30pm with tacos and drinks on site for all to enjoy. If you’d like to attend, please email victor.grau@globalcitizen.org.

Former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga Nominated to Lead World Bank

I published this article reacting to this week’s announcement: President Biden nominated Ajay Banga, the former head of Mastercard, to lead the World Bank. With his vast experience in the private sector, Banga has the potential to bring constructive changes to the organization. If he effectively leverages his skills and expertise, Banga’s leadership could mean transformational reform at the World Bank, which is an urgent necessity in light of the pressing issues of extreme poverty and the climate crisis our world is facing. This is a prime opportunity for change that must be seized without delay, and some leading voices are hopeful that Banga will rise to the occasion.

In addition to utilizing his undoubtedly vast organizational skills, Banga will need to navigate divisive politics that could potentially impede any reform initiatives. The notion that poverty eradication and climate change are mutually exclusive is a perspective that’s over two decades out of date. Although contemporary economists acknowledge the interdependence of poverty eradication and climate action and understand that they must be addressed together, in recent months some individuals have attempted to drive a wedge between the development and climate communities.

This is a false, and very dangerous, dichotomy. The issues of extreme poverty and climate change can only successfully be tackled together. You can read more about this HERE.

Keep it safe, yeah, yeah

On Thursday, February 23, Global Citizen and the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens hosted a roundtable conversation with government representatives and other influential voices to energize conversations around the critical need for increased financing to agricultural adaptation. We were honored to have the participation of Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereimm as well as representatives from the European Commission, Ireland, Rwanda, as well as key stakeholders representing smallholder farmers. Natasha Bedingfield graciously joined us, lending her voice, art, and passion for planetary health to the conversation. I still have chills from her impromptu chorus of “Love Song for the Earth,” which she performed at COP26. Highlighting the benefits of investing in agricultural adaptation and demand-driven research to accelerate transformation, the resounding message was that double agriculture adaptation financing is only the beginning ambition of what will be needed to transform global food systems. Huge thanks to all who participated and joined in the audience.

Speaking on ABC NewsRadio

Last week, I rushed back from Geneva just in time to give a live interview on ABC NewsRadio Australia, advocating on behalf of IFAD, and urging Australia to resume its status as a member state.

The latest estimates show that as a direct result of climate change, by 2050, more than 75 percent of the world could face drought. We know that Australia is a powerhouse when it comes to dryland agriculture and can act as a global agriculture champion when it comes to sharing its expertise and funding rural development projects in the Pacific - especially those led and implemented by Indigenous Communities. Check out the full interview here for more.

Global Citizen NOW Returning to NY

This week, Global Citizen announced the return of Global Citizen NOW, this April with a dynamic, two-day program focused on turning ideas into impact and driving urgent action to end extreme poverty NOW. Convening the brightest minds and leading voices across all spheres of society, from world leaders to grassroots activists, Global Citizen NOW showcases the power of cross-sector collaboration to solve the most urgent issues facing humanity and our planet. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Taking place on April 27 and 28 in New York City, the confirmed co-chairs include long-time Global Citizen supporters Chris Martin and Hugh Jackman. Additional co-chairs and participants include:

Co-Chairs: Ursula von der Leyen, Mia Mottley, Nana Akufo-Addo, Erna Solberg, Hans Vestberg, Nir Bar Dea, Fran Katsoudas, Marc Pritchard, Diego Scotti, Tshepo Mahloele, Edward Skyler, Dr. Rajiv Shah, Mark Malloch Brown, Darren Walker, and more to be announced.

Participants: C.D. Glin, Catherine McKenna, Vanessa Nakate, Alok Sharma, Yasmine Sherif, and more to be announced.

Thank you for reading Mick's Policy, History & World Chronicles. This post is public so feel free to share it.

My Weekend Reading List

That’s all for today! Hope to see those of you in NY at Global Citizen’s Impact Roadshow on Tuesday, or at GC NOW in April!

Finally, as always, if you’re enjoying the weekly newsletter format, and want even more, you can subscribe to my Substack here where I publish reviews, lists and articles on a regular basis.

All the best,

Mick