Author: Mike

James Patton

Founding Partner, Lead Integrity | USA

Short Bio: Mr. James Patton is a Founding Partner of the women-led consulting firm, Lead Integrity and an Environmental and Social Impact Consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank. He has conducted conflict transformation, reconciliation, and economic development for 25 years in 40 countries. His advisory roles include the U.S. Department of State’s Working Group on Religion and Foreign Policy, the UN Multi-Faith Advisory Council to the Task Force on Religion and Development, and Religion and Conflict Co-Chair for the G20 Interfaith Forum. Mr. Patton is a Lifetime Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Advisory Council Member for the Center for Women, Faith and Leadership, Faculty Advisor at Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institution, and Senior Fellow at the Rumi Forum. James holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard University and a Master of Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Event: SDGs Conference 2025 

Date: September 24, 2025

 SPEECH: In 2010-2011, I was a State Department conflict mitigation expert in what was then southern Sudan during the referendum for independence. There was an almost universal consensus in the South, widely promoted by southern politicians, that divorce from the North was the solution to generations of suffering and violence. As part of my work, I was in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal, near the border with Darfur, as an election observer. 99% of ballots were clearly marked for secession and independence, but what surprised me most was the celebration among community members when they found the few and far between ballots marked for sustaining unification with the north. Considering the histories involved, it seemed deeply illogical to me. But it turned out that they were so excited because these few dissenting votes showed clearly that the Referendum was “free and fair” – something that they knew was important to show the world that their birth as a new democratic state was legitimate.

Two years ago, I was conversing with a university student in Utah, exploring ways that faith might support civic engagement, and she was lamenting the state of the US democracy. She put it quite simply, “politically, I have nowhere to go”. Her complaint was not about candidates as much as it was about how party politics and the need to stay in power had created reductionist, essentialist platforms with implied loyalty tests. 

We discussed how voters used to push ideas up into political parties, moving legislative priorities, but now the parties push down into the populace their own priorities, not grounded in either legislation or even logic but rather in a polarized power struggle that not only fails to capture the great diversity of ideas in society, but is actively working to eliminate them in favor of a false binary that is often illogical and is increasingly destructive, thriving on, rather than positively transforming, conflict.

It is true that democracy has never been anything but deeply flawed. Among the foundations of all democracies are littered the bricks of injustice, corruption, disenfranchisement, and myriad other failures. But a functioning democracy is not an experiment in perfection; it is an experiment in improvement. The failures of democracy’s promise are both a lament and an opportunity. Democracy understands that we get things wrong, it enshrines the need to change and adapt, and it is illuminated by the practical hope that we can have difficult dialogues that will guide us from the inevitable conflict of ideas and needs that mark human society towards more fair and functional structures and social relationships, rather than deteriorating into absolutism, authoritarianism, and exclusivist bloodshed.

In 2022, Freedom House described democracy as a “governing system based on the will and consent of the governed, institutions that are accountable to all citizens, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for human rights.” Consent, Accountability, Rule of Law, and Human Rights are among the principles that consistently appear in descriptions of democracy, including within the UN system.

The institutions of democracy, as well as those core ideals that uphold them, are groaning under the pressures of polarization. Perhaps the most nuanced measure of global democracy, produced by the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg, applies around 600 “attributes of democracy”. Some highlights include:

• 72% of people now live in autocracies; the highest since 1978.
• Average levels of democracy for global citizens have retreated to 1985 levels – before the end of the Cold War.

Those who are given power are greatly seduced by the temptation to erode controls on their power. And I don’t mean this as any kind of partisan or moral judgment; I mean it in very practical terms with respect to the careful architecture surrounding democracies that acknowledge and respond to this temptation by insulating popular governance against power consolidation, corruption, and other abuses.

But when people lose faith that their system of governance can help them, they either turn from those institutions or seek to take them over and rebuild them in their own image – not to preserve and protect a participatory and pluralist system, but to preserve their own policy and values priorities – at the cost of others. Democracy needs preservation and constant repair to defend against our all-too-human inclination to take power, but also to maintain the basic trust of the citizens who participatory governance is meant to represent.

Oluwaseun Ikusika

Franco & British Council Local Leader, Global Youth Ambassador, Theirworld | UK / NIGERIA

Short Bio: Ms. Oluwaseun Ikusika is a Nigerian British family lawyer, Franco-British Council Local Leader, United Nations contributor, Global Youth Ambassador and a strong advocate for gender and disability rights. She serves as a Global Youth Ambassador for Theirworld, a charity dedicated to promoting children’s rights and education. Additionally, she is an ambassador for SpeakUpNowUK, an organization that advocates against racism, discrimination, and sexism in the workplace. Her impactful work spans Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and North America, earning her certifications from various UN bodies.

Event: SDGs Conference 2025 

Date: September 24, 2025

SPEECH: I am honored to share my contributions not just as a youth leader but as one of millions of young people worldwide who are calling for real, lasting change in how we are included in governance and global decision-making. Right now, the trust between youth and institutions is breaking down. Many young people feel ignored, excluded, and tokenized in spaces where critical decisions are made. And yet we are among the most affected by these decisions. Whether it’s climate change, conflict, digital rights, or economic insecurity, our futures are on the line.

Let me be clear: I am not saying that youth are disengaged, we are not, but we are dissatisfied, we are disappointed, and unhappy. Regardless, we are still organizing, protesting building communities, launching movements, and shaping new ideas of leadership every single day. But too often, those in power still see us as “future stakeholders” rather than as equal partners today. We do not want a seat at the table just for show. We do not just want to attend conferences and take pictures. We want influence, we want accountability, we want change, and we want to open the door that has been historically closed.

So, how do we rebuild the trust?

• Firstly, youth participation needs to be real, not symbolic. This means establishing youth councils that truly influence decision-making processes. We urgently need Participatory budgeting where young people help allocate public funds for projects in education, climate action, and even in digital innovation. For example, in Scotland, France, and many European cities, participatory budgeting has already shown success. So, imagine scaling that up globally. We also need youth representatives to contribute to shaping the agendas, and this will also require governments that are willing to listen and act.
• Secondly, youths need investment; we need funding. We have been calling for this forever, but only little progress has been made. Youths need funding not just in programs, but in leadership, in capacity, and in civic space, especially for the marginalized youth, those in conflict zones, and those too often left out.
• And finally, multilateralism must progress. The UN and other global bodies need to speak our language. They need to speak it digitally, accessibly, and transparently. We need to see the impact of our voices, not just be invited to speak. This is not about charity; it is about democracy, it is about justice, and it is about making the systems we inherited better than how we found them.

The best way to regain youth trust is to earn it and we are ready to work with you to build a future that is not just inclusive but equitable, representative, and sustainable. Trust is not rebuilt overnight. It is earned. It is earned through inclusion, consistency, and courage.

To the institutions: Do not just invite young people to the table; share the table with us.
To the governments: Do not fear youth power, embrace it. It is what we need; it is the antidote to stagnation and opposition.
To the young people: You are not just the voice of tomorrow, you are the integrity of today. Demand accountability, organize boldly, collaborate across borders, shape the systems you want to inherit. Because when youth trust governance, democracy becomes stronger. When youth shape multilateralism, the world becomes more just. When we do it together, we will build a future that is not only inclusive but unstoppable. So, keep pushing. Keep organizing. Keep imagining. Because a more inclusive, just, and peaceful multilateral world is not only possible, but also necessary. And it begins with me; it begins with you. It begins with all of us.

Daniel Juma Omondi

Africa Regional Representative, Global Peace Foundation | KENYA

Short Bio: Mr. Daniel Juma Omondi is the Africa Regional Representative of the Global Peace Foundation with over 13 years of peacebuilding and youth development experience. He also serves as GPF Kenya’s Country Director, where he has curated and led initiatives that promote social cohesion, ethical leadership, and transforming education reform across Kenya. Under his leadership, programs such as the Great Places to School Awards, the Character and Creativity Initiative, and the President’s Fellowship have nurtured and empowered emerging African leaders. Before joining GPF, Mr. Omondi served as a Trade and Investment Promotion Officer at KOTRA, expanding Korea’s economic ties in East Africa. He was recently recognized as one of Kenya’s Top 50 Most Influential CEOs. An alumnus of the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities, Mr. Daniel Juma Omondi holds a B.A. in Political Science and Korean Studies from the University of Nairobi and a Diploma in International Studies from IDIS.

Event: SDGs Conference 2025 

Date: September 24, 2025

SPEECH: Our shared commitment to collaborative peacebuilding makes this platform not just a speaking opportunity but a testament to the power of partnership itself. Our founder, Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon, defines youth not by a number on a birth certificate, but by the state of one’s heart and mind, it is, fundamentally, the ability to dream. To look at the world not just as it is, but as it ought to be. And across the globe, we are witnessing a seismic shift, an awakening driven by a generation of dreamers who refuse to accept the status quo. We have seen the raw power of this dream on the streets of Nairobi, Dhaka, and Kathmandu. The Gen Z uprising is not a mere protest; it is the necessary pang of birth. It is the sound of a new civilization struggling to be born, one that rejects the old diseases of corruption and discrimination and demands a world built on integrity, justice, and the radical idea that all humanity is One Family Under God. But a dream, no matter how powerful, requires a blueprint for action. It requires us to equip these dreamers not just with passion, but with the tools for transformational leadership.

This is the mission of the Global Peace Foundation. Through initiatives like our President’s Fellowship, we are intentionally nurturing the next generation of African leaders. We move beyond skills to build character, instilling a values-based leadership of service above self and unity over division. We are preparing these young minds to lead a global renaissance because by 2050, Africa will be home to a quarter of the world’s dreamers.

And our work is a direct contribution to the blueprint you have all gathered here to discuss: the Sustainable Development Goals.

• In pursuit of SDG 4 on Quality Education, our initiatives have transformed over 5,000 educators, believing that to transform education, we must first transform people holistically.
• For SDG 8 on Economic Growth, our LEAP Hubs have empowered over 3,000 young entrepreneurs to innovate and create opportunities.
• For SDG 15 on Life on Land, our Chandaria nurseries have grown over 3 million trees, restoring ecosystems and fostering environmental stewardship.
• And at the heart of it all, SDG 16 on Peace and Strong Institutions is advanced through our global campaigns for dialogue and unity, from the One Korea campaign to programs preventing violent extremism here in Africa.

This is how we build peace, through concrete action aligned with global goals and powered by SDG 17: Partnerships. Yet, as the great Genghis Khan said, “If one person has a dream, it is just a dream. But if many share that dream, it becomes achievable.”

Today, from this global stage, I call on you to share in the dreams of those who are silenced. Let us share in the “Korean Dream” of our founder, Dr. Moon. We cannot speak of empowerment while the youth of North Korea remain isolated from civilization itself. We urge this global community to prioritize dialogue for a peacefully reunited Korean Peninsula. Let us share in the dreams of Afghan girls who dream only of classrooms, not confinement. We call for the immediate reversal of the ban on education for women and girls. To deny education is to murder a dream.

And in my continent, Africa, we must share the dream of a peaceful future. It is time to “Silence the Guns” in the Sahel, the Eastern DRC, and Sudan. The sound of gunfire is the sound of stolen futures. But peace is not just the absence of war; it is the presence of opportunity. For an African Renaissance to flourish, we must break down the walls between us. I call upon African leaders to eliminate visas and allow for the free movement of people across this great continent! Let our dreamers, innovators, and traders move as freely as our data.

To our partners in the West: we extend a challenge. Share in this dream. Dismantle the restrictive visa practices that target African youth. These barriers are not just policies; they are a statement of mistrust that undermines our shared future. Let us build bridges, not walls. The energy is here. The dreamers are emerging. The question before us is whether we will be the architects of their future or the guardians of a broken past. Let us choose to be architects. Let us choose a world of peace, of opportunity, and a world where every single person is valued as an essential member of our One Family Under God.

Adla Shashati

Director, Greek Forum of Migrants | GREECE

Short Bio: Ms. Adla Shashati is the Director of the Greek Forum of Migrants. She is a journalist and social activist with roots in Sudan and Greece. She holds a degree in Media and Cultural Studies and a postgraduate degree in New Media Technologies. Passionate about social justice, Adla has been actively engaged in efforts against racism and xenophobia at both the national and European levels. She has represented Southern European countries in the Board of the European Network Against Racism and currently serves on the Steering Committee of Equinox, Initiative for Racial Justice. Her advocacy focuses on inclusion, equality, and building cohesive societies that rely on care and not punishment. Ms. Adla Shashati has participated in conferences and public dialogues, highlighting the importance of inclusion and participation of migrants in the social dialogue to strengthen social prosperity and combat institutional racism.

Event: SDGs Conference 2025 

Date: September 24, 2025

SPEECH: As the Director of the Greek Forum of Migrants, I will address an issue deeply rooted in many of our communities, how intergenerational trauma can be mitigated, and the mental well-being of youth and women protected in times of conflict. More specifically, when I refer to intergenerational trauma, I refer to the transmission of trauma across generations, shaping identities and mental health long after conflict ends, and the way it is being addressed along with other issues in grassroots-level work.

Before I proceed, I would like to introduce you to the work done by my organization, which is a work done by grassroot, migrant led communities. The Greek Forum of Migrants (GFM) is a network of migrant and refugee organizations across Greece. We operate as a union since 2002, and GFMs members and the Board of Directors are exclusively representatives from migrant and refugee communities. Currently, our network numbers 44 organizations from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, including other associations and networks. We envision a society where migrants enjoy equal rights, fair treatment, and social inclusion. We deliver projects focused on equal rights, social cohesion, empowerment, and combating discrimination.

What do we have to face in Greece? Mainly, what most of the migrant communities are facing nowadays. The migrant population in Greece is approximately 600.000, and around 300.000 European migrants. The migrant population in Greece is composed of 501.093 third-country nationals, 90.174 beneficiaries of international protection, according to the info by the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum in May 2025.

The current challenges these people face are the following:

1. Criminalization of migration: The new law criminalizes undocumented migrants. If you are found without papers, you are immediately imprisoned and face deportation. It does not matter if you are 30 years in the country or if you came yesterday.
2. Invisibility for the state: Residence permits are issued expired because it takes too long to issue them, and the Greek reality is full of bureaucratic obstacles that create difficulties for the vulnerable communities. Today, more than 293.000* of our fellow citizens are still waiting for the renewal or the first issue of their residence permit. (*Greek Ministry of Migration & Asylum – May 2025)
3. No integration policy: Thousands of refugees who gained asylum face homelessness due to policy gaps in integration and shelter programs. This also reflects on the immigrant population. There are no state schools for learning the Greek language; if you are lucky, the Municipality will have a school, or your community will have volunteer teachers.
4. Danger: Especially vulnerable groups include survivors of gender-based violence, people with mental health issues, single women or single-parent families, and young adults. People who have faced traumatic experiences are being traumatized again through a different process. And it takes even more time to heal.

Impacts of trauma include personal and communal effects. We have seen that youth exposed to conflict may experience anxiety, depression, PTSD, and barriers to education and community integration. On the other hand, women face compounded stress, from caregiving burdens and trauma to gender-specific challenges such as violence and exclusion. The psychological approach requires time and attention. So, the re-emergence of the traumas suffered can be a long and difficult process. It cannot go away in a day. It needs time, and the states do not seem to care to provide this time. Moreover, they are putting more obstacles to vulnerable communities.

In Greece we are facing a systemic fallout due to the lack of a holistic approach to migration policies, migrants in Greece face a repetition of trauma in their everyday life. A trauma that reflects throughout generations (birth, school, regularization process, employment, and even death). Without proper support, trauma becomes entrenched across generations, weakening the social fabric. The support we try to give relies mostly on care and safety.

Pathways to Healing and Mitigation:
Community Support and Safe Spaces: Our Community-led groups and forums offer places of belonging and mutual support, which are fundamental for beginning healing. We try to address the lack of information | marginalization, and exclusion through several tools inside the communities, including safe spaces, which are places of care created and run voluntarily by migrant community-led groups.

We provide free and valid Information: the GFMs Summer Guide initiative offered vital services for health (including mental health), psychosocial support, legal aid, and job assistance for migrants & refugees in Athens. We also have an INFODESK initiative, which operates daily in GFM as an information office with referrals from and for migrants.

Moreover, we believe that there should be inclusive access to mental health services. Mental health care must be integrated into broader service provision, especially for single women and youth with trauma-related vulnerabilities. There is an extreme need for culturally sensitive, language-accessible mental health services, embedded in trusted community spaces. Every day, we receive calls from doctors & social workers to support them with translation, home support, or even care during patients’ cancer treatments. We create multi-language guides about gender-based violence, reporting hate crimes etc.

We also try to provide empowerment through integration, as GFM encourages policies that extend beyond emergency aid to long-term community support -housing, work, and social integration. In one of the pillars that we work which we call NEW CITIZEN, we have P2P training, for community representatives to lead and train others inside their community. GFM’s advocacy relies on legal inclusivity, fair migration law, and access to social services as critical to mental health recovery and prevention of destitution in collaboration with the community`s leaders to represent themselves.

Other important tools are education, leadership, and skill building. We have youth-focused programs with language classes, workshops, and leadership training, building resilience, self-esteem, and future orientation. There are also women’s empowerment initiatives with economic, educational, and psychosocial programs that restore agency and reduce trauma cycles. We are very proud of the work and efforts done by our women`s group, including United African Women Organisation, Nigerian Women Organisation of Greece, and Migrant Women Network.

The Role of Civil Society and Collective Action:
At the Greek Forum of Migrants, we recognize that healing and inclusion demand collective effort. We must unite governments, civil society, and migrant-led organizations, with migrants taking the lead in advocacy and empowerment. What is important is to emphasize migrant-led initiatives, informed by lived experience and community insight, as catalysts for sustainable inclusion. Trauma from conflict can echo for generations but so can healing. By investing in culturally informed mental health services, equitable policies, solidarity, community, and empowerment of youth and women, we can break intergenerational cycles.”

Call to Action could refer to the following:

• Treat mental health as an urgent, non-negotiable aspect of refugee and migrant policy.
• Champion inclusive integration, housing, psychosocial services, legal access.
• Elevate youth and women through leadership, education, and support programs.
• Support already-existing grassroots organizations and projects.

Together, we can ensure that future generations inherit resilience, hope, and the strength to thrive.

Kelly Kimball 

Managing Editor, More to Her Story | USA

Short Bio: Kelly Kimball is the Managing Editor of More to Her Story, a global newsroom amplifying women’s and girls’ voices through rigorous reporting, features and investigations. An award-winning reporter, editor and social media strategist based in New York City, Kelly also serves as an adjunct professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, where she teaches law, ethics and safety. Her reporting and editorial work has appeared in Foreign Policy, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Poynter Institute, Heat Map News, Long Lead, and more, reflecting her commitment to helping readers navigate the complexities of international affairs, war and conflict, the geopolitics of climate change, and the ripple effects of global flashpoints.

Event: SDGs Conference 2025 

Date: September 24, 2025

SPEECH: Our mission is urgent yet simple: to center the voices of women and girls through robustly reported journalism. Nearly every story we publish crosses my desk, and with each one, I am reminded of the weight of our responsibility, because many of these stories rarely make it into the headlines of mainstream media.

Our newsroom has grown rapidly in recent years, with over 120 reporters filing stories from underreported geographies, refugee camps, war zones, border crossings, rural villages, and protected wildlands. We have published investigations into everything from sexual abuse in Malawi’s tea plantations, period poverty in Gaza, to forced hysterectomies in India’s sugarcane belt, to Afghan girls defying Taliban restrictions by enrolling in underground schools or taking classes over clandestine radio programming.

These are not side stories. They are the story. They tell us about the ripple effects of global flashpoints and about how the status of women is inextricably tied to the state of our societies. As world leaders gather in New York, I want to share from my vantage point as a global affairs journalist what I believe is one of the greatest impediments to peace and prosperity today: the stagnating, and in many cases worsening, status of women worldwide.

Across the regions we cover, a sobering pattern emerges. In Afghanistan, four years after the Taliban’s return to power, women face what the International Criminal Court now calls gender persecution; women on the ground are calling it something far more severe: Gender Apartheid. From the banning of girls’ education beyond primary school to the imprisonment of women for defying dress codes, Afghan women live under a system of near-total erasure. Yet Afghan women continue to resist, it’s why our newsroom continues to keep their voices and experiences alive by partnering with Afghan women-led newsrooms Rukhshana Media and Zan Times, to remind the world that women are never passive victims of history, but agents of defiance and resilience.

In Iran, women remain on the frontlines of one of the most defiant civil rights movements in recent memory. The crackdown that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, which passed its third anniversary this month, has only intensified, but global headlines have precipitously fallen from the top fold. Women are surveilled, fined, beaten, electric shocked, and imprisoned for showing their hair or peacefully protesting, yet millions continue to engage in creative acts of daily resistance. Their struggle shows us that gender equality is not a cultural afterthought; it is a litmus test of a society’s democratic health.

In Gaza, our reporters have told the stories of women enduring the impossible: war, displacement, and deprivation layered upon entrenched gender inequality. We’ve covered the quiet yet pervasive crisis of menstrual dignity and maternal mortality, issues that rarely surface in international negotiations but that define survival for half the population. These stories are not distractions from geopolitics; they are its sharpest consequence.

In Sudan, where the war has fractured governance and left civilians unprotected, women are sustaining both survival and the vision for peace. Dr. Entisar Abdelsadig, a leading women, peace, and security expert, has repeatedly demonstrated that Sudanese women can and must be central to negotiations, as leaders shaping ceasefires and political transitions. Her experience in Geneva in August 2024, where Sudanese women were successfully part of peace talks, underscores that inclusion is possible when there is genuine will.

I know this not just as an observer but as a journalist. At More to Her Story, we have covered how women in Sudan, especially those operating emergency response rooms, bear the brunt of violence. As we speak, RSF bombardments are overtaking El Fasher and pushing into the Kordofan region, where civilians are enduring both persistent conflict and systemic neglect. We have reported on women who were the first to speak out about the atrocities unfolding yet again in Darfur, bearing witness to genocide when the world was not listening. We have documented how women are among the thousands arbitrarily detained as the war drags through its third year. And in the course of this reporting, I have spoken to Dr. Entisar herself, whose words embody both the frustration and the fierce determination of Sudanese women leaders.

In Ukraine, too, women bear the brunt of war. They are among the millions displaced, they sustain families under bombardment, they endure wartime sexual violence, and yet they are also leading local councils, volunteer brigades, and grassroots humanitarian responses. Their dual role, as targets of war crimes and as architects of resilience, underscores the paradox of women in conflict: indispensable, but too often invisible.

As a newsroom leader, amplifying these voices is not optional, it is what makes journalism responsible, rigorous, and relevant. Supporting women’s leadership is also the foundation of robust journalism that keeps the world informed, keeps policymakers accountable, and keeps hope alive in places where it is most under siege. This brings us to Sustainable Development Goal 5: achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Gender advisers, humanitarians, and advocates have told our newsroom that the reality is simple: without SDG 5, none of the other SDGs are achievable. 

You cannot eradicate poverty (SDG 1) when 351 million women and girls are projected to remain in extreme poverty over the next five years. You cannot achieve quality education (SDG 4) while girls are banned or blocked from classrooms. You cannot build peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16) while women peacebuilders are excluded from negotiations and gender-based violence remains normalized and unpunished.

Research shows that governments lose 4% of GDP to violence against women. Strong women’s rights movements stabilize communities and countries. When women’s rights are upheld, societies are more prosperous, more peaceful, and more democratic. Conversely, every crackdown on women’s rights signals democratic backsliding and fuels cycles of instability and impunity. There is another challenge we face: while the need for women-led solutions has never been more urgent, women’s organizations are facing unprecedented funding cuts. Less than 1% of global aid reaches women-led organizations.

A UN Women report that will be released later this month has found that 40% of groups it surveyed have scaled down or shut their shelters, emergency hotlines, and psychosocial support, turning survivors away. As Sarah Hendriks of UN Women said when presenting this report over the weekend, “The cost of global inaction is counted in lives.”

As a journalist, I see another danger: when women’s voices are lost, accountability disappears, and impunity grows, threatening to invisibilize the communities and movements the press so badly needs to cover. According to the latest Global Media Monitoring Project released earlier this month, women appear in just 26% of news stories worldwide, a figure virtually unchanged in 15 years. Only 2 out of every 100 stories challenge gender stereotypes. Journalism that counters gender bias has fallen to its lowest point in three decades. This is not simply a media crisis; it is a democratic crisis.

So where do we go from here? We must listen to what women activists from countries like Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine, Syria, Haiti, Myanmar, and elsewhere are telling us this week in New York: sustainable peace is impossible without the voices, leadership, and rights of women at the center. Women are not a footnote to peacebuilding and good governance; they are the backbone of it.

The Sustainable Development Goals are not 17 separate ambitions. Our journalism has found they are interdependent, and gender equality is the fulcrum on which all others rest. When women are empowered, societies are healthier, economies are stronger, democracies are more resilient, peace is more durable, and the press has true freedom. When women are silenced, the opposite unfolds.

As a journalist, my task is to tell these stories as the core of global affairs reporting. For policymakers and advocates, their task is to ensure women’s rights organizations are not the first to be defunded, or the first to be under threat, but the first to be supported. Because if there is one truth that has emerged again and again in my reporting, it is this: the fate of women and girls is not separate from the fate of our shared world.