Reporting from the Floor of the 2023 UN General Assembly

Author: Emily Smith, PhD, MSPH

Dr. Emily Smith, an epidemiologist at Duke University, took part at the UN General Assembly in New York last month. She wrote two pieces in her newsletter on her experience and reactions. She graciously allowed EpiMonitor to reprint. We combined and shortened them for brevity.

I’m taking part in a few events on universal health coverage at the UN and attending many of the side events happening. Tomorrow, September 21, 2023, is the biggest day that happens at the UN itself and includes an advocacy meeting on children with congenital anomalies and the big meeting on universal health coverage in the afternoon.

Entry 1.

I attended a side event on the missing populations in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals were set in 2015 to reach by 2030 and include 17 global goals like no poverty, clean water, etc. The panel highlighted several key populations that can easily be missed in these goals, like providing healthcare to LGBTQ populations or maternal and reproductive care to mothers or rural communities in poverty. These “hidden” populations are where the health need is, though. I was struck by one panelist who said, “If you want to know what health conditions need to be paid attention to in countries, look at the people on the streets.” In other words, look at what the poorest of the poor are dealing with and start there. The discussions were incredibly on-the-ground honest, and raw, which were refreshing here at UNGA with lots all of them.

of big-picture ideas. The panelists also included activists from 4 countries working hard to bend the arc of justice in their communities. It reminded me that there are neighbor champions worldwide doing the hard, quiet, and persistent work of neighboring. I want to be friends with all of them.

Later in the day, I attended another side event that felt like a whiplash from the previous one. It was in a super swanky venue with lots of security to even get in and tons of food. The panelists included major philanthropists and leaders of big organizations with lots of money. The discussions focused mainly on bigger-picture

- UNGA cont'd on page 3 ideas but lacking on specific plans. To their credit, they only had 2 hours to cram everything in. But this meeting was so different than the first one. The venue was different, the panelists and ideas were different, and even the audience was.

Here’s the deal. I think we need both events, for sure. I just wish they would be together or have a diverse set of voices at each. The first event with the activists talked about needing more funding and money to keep going, while the second one seemed to not include those voices but had the money. I think we need both perspectives - but together. I recognize that is happening at some places already, like USAID. USAID has done a great job at including on-theground champions with the communities they work in and letting them lead the way. So has Mercy Ships and I’m sure many others. I think neighboring takes both of people, especially when we look at global health work.

1. There are also tons of activists and protestors here raising their voices and signs on a myriad of topics. We need them too.

2. Which one are you? Be that. Let’s just do that with others.

3. Ok, I’m off to another full day of joy and walking. =)

Entry 2:

Last Thursday was the big day at the UN for me. The organizations I was representing, the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery and the Duke Center for Global Surgery and Health Equity, were invited to the high-level meeting on universal health coverage at the UN.

The day started with a fantastic meeting of doctors, NGOs, advocates, etc on congenital anomalies, particularly the disproportionate doctors, NGOs, advocates, etc on congenital anomalies, particularly the disproportionate burden in low-income countries. (Also, can we pay attention to that wood wall in the picture?!)

Then the big meeting started. All of us in the civil society space (NGOs, organizations, academics, etc.) were in the back, and we all knew that only a select group would be able to make their statement on universal health coverage from the floor. But we were there nonetheless. I sat by a student representing a coverage from the floor. But we were there nonetheless. I sat by a student representing a global migration group, a woman from Oxfam, a woman working for global reproductive rights, an LGBTQ advocate, and many others I didn’t get to meet.

As a side note, these selections on who gets to speak always seem very random too. Here’s what I observed, though. It seemed like we were all a fun rag-tag group of like-minded individuals just trying to get a seat at the table where typically governments and parliamentarians reside. Over the next few hours, several people around me that I had already met (because I’m too friendly) made statements, and I gave them a hearty ‘well done’ and thumbs up when they returned to their seats. And, then, most of us were not selected to make statements. Here’s the deal: that’s not equity, and that’s not the table that means so much to me. Let me tell you about that one.

In 2019, I went to the UN for the first time advocating for the inclusion of children’s surgical care in universal health coverage packages. (The picture on the left is me and my favorite collabo-friend in the main assembly hall at the UN, Dr. Henry Rice. The book is in part dedicated to him! The picture on the right is me fangirling to meet Dr. Tedros, head of the WHO. ha!) backgrounds and beliefs.

The final day of that trip, I rounded the corner on the 3rd floor and was met with the Norman Rockwell painting of the Golden Rule. I’ve always loved that painting and included a chapter about why in my upcoming book because it and this 2019 trip mean so much to me. So, when I saw it in the mosaic form and me. So, when I saw it in the mosaic form and over 10 feet high at the UN, it kind of took my breath away.

There at the UN is what I think equity looks like. But, it wasn’t the massive table for the government officials. It was in the painting of simple people from all over the world of many countries and ages and cultures and backgrounds and beliefs.

I left the UN last week with a heart full and way too many pictures of that painting and my book on neighboring and equity that I’m so proud of. But, I also left with another reminder that this world is full of great people doing loud and quiet things to create a new table too. ■

Dr. Smith’s new book, The Science of the Good Samaritan: Thinking Bigger about Loving Our Neighbors

Dr. Smith’s Substack, Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist

Dr. Smith’s Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist Facebook page

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