BRAC at UN week: Three priorities we’re advocating for
BRAC leaders from across the globe were in New York this week alongside the United Nations General Assembly advocating for a range of priorities. Here are the top three messages we delivered in Manhattan.
BY SARAH ALLEN
Alongside the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), BRAC teams set out to deliver a message of hope — and urgency. With just six years left until the 2030 deadline, the global community is far behind: We still need to make significant progress and enact ambitious solutions if we hope to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We have the solutions, and we know they work. It’s time for the global community to work together and take bold action.
“This week BRAC refreshed our lasting partnerships and opened new doors — all fueled by a sense of shared energy, optimism and urgency,” shared Julia Roberts, CEO of BRAC USA. “The challenges are great, but so too are opportunities and commitment for impact.”
Read on to discover three of BRAC’s top priorities during UN week, and how we’re working together with partners to make progress on the SDGs.
1. End extreme poverty
The United Nations has set an ambitious goal to end poverty in all its forms, everywhere by 2030. Of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the United Nations has set out to achieve, No Poverty has been prioritized as SDG 1 — indicating how formational ending poverty will be to achieving other goals.
Since its founding in 1972, BRAC’s core mission has always been to empower people and communities in situations of poverty: And it’s still what drives our work to this day.
Approximately 700 million people still experience extreme poverty, living on less than $2.15 per day.
We know that we can end extreme poverty — we have the tools to do it, and proof that our methods work. That’s why this week alongside UNGA, BRAC is shedding a spotlight on our flagship Graduation approach: an evidence-backed, highly effective, multifaceted approach that enables participants to build long-term pathways out of poverty within two years.
We’re calling on the international community to step up for families living in extreme poverty and follow the evidence. Together, we can end extreme poverty.
At Partnerships to Catalyze Action to End Hunger and Malnutrition on Wednesday, BRAC came together with Hungry for Action, World Food Program, SDG 2 Action Hub, World Vision, Ação da Cidadania, and The Government of Brazil to discuss extreme poverty and hunger.
Alongside trusted partners such as the World Bank and Innovations for Poverty Action, Heidi McAnally Linz (pictured at right), Global Lead for Policy and Partnerships at BRAC, shared how we can work together with governments to scale evidence-based approaches like Graduation to reach people living in extreme poverty.
“[The Graduation] approach has been shown time and time again across dozens of contexts and dozens of randomized trials to be effective,” Heidi shared. “But scale for this approach has to be driven by governments.”
BRAC is already working alongside five governments across Africa and Asia to scale the approach through existing government systems, but there is far more work to be done.
“The spirit of BRAC really truly is about achieving bold action together,” Heidi said. “That is exactly what we’re here for, and why we do this every day.”
Learn more about the Graduation approach.
2. Let kids play
From left to right: Asif Saleh, Executive Director of BRAC; Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Co-Director of NYU Global TIES for Children; Dr. Muhammad Musa, Senior Advisor at BRAC Institute of Education Development; and Julia Roberts, CEO of BRAC USA pose with three Muppets, including Elmo, and twins Noor and Aziz, Sesame Street’s Rohingya refugee Muppets.
Children love to play. Their laughter tells us they enjoy it, but the evidence shows just how much they need it. Play is pivotal for young children, helping them develop the social, emotional, critical thinking, and problem solving skills that will help them become well-rounded productive adults.
BRAC believes that all children deserve the chance to participate in joyful, play-based learning opportunities. Starting in early childhood, we make it a reality.
For many, education can be the key to unlocking a pathway out of poverty: But by the time learners start formal schooling, many are already behind due to a lack of quality early childhood opportunities.
That’s why BRAC designed its flagship Play Labs, community-based early childhood development centers that provide children under five with quality, playful learning opportunities. The evidence is promising: research shows that children in Play Labs are more equipped to start primary school, and Play Labs help narrow gaps between learners.
This week alongside UNGA, BRAC partnered up with our friends at the LEGO Foundation, Sesame Workshop, International Rescue Committee, and New York University Global TIES for Children to advocate for playful learning opportunities in humanitarian settings.
The event, From Investment to Impact: Learning, play and healing in the midst of crisis, celebrated the achievements of Play to Learn, our ambitious partnership that has delivered strong results for young children living in humanitarian contexts.
Asif Saleh (pictured at left), Executive Director of BRAC, shared his experience visiting the Rohingya refugee settlements — and how children’s laughter can be heard from far away as you approach the Humanitarian Play Labs BRAC runs.
We were also pleased to lend our support to campaigns like the Minifesto. Part of Theirworld’s Act For Early Years campaign, the Minifesto advocates for increased investment in early childhood. We couldn’t agree more!
3. Center communities in climate change solutions
Climate change is an urgent threat. Each year, climate shocks like extreme heat crises or climate-fueled storms impact tens of millions of people. Those who experience poverty are often the most vulnerable to climate change — but they’re often the least involved in forming climate solutions.
From BRAC’s roots in Bangladesh to our offices across Africa and Asia, we’ve seen time and time again that people living in poverty are already fighting climate change on the front lines.
This year alone, we’ve seen massive floods in East Africa, drought and desertification in West Africa, and erratic cyclones and flooding in Bangladesh impact the families we serve.
“With climate impacts worsening rapidly, we need to scale innovations that solve real problems even quicker,” said Asif Saleh, Executive Director of BRAC.
“We can already see in Bangladesh that poverty is the highest where the effects of climate change are hitting the hardest,” he added. “Six of the seven poorest districts in Bangladesh are also the most climate vulnerable.”
The time to act is now. This week, BRAC’s climate experts are sounding the alarm: While rich countries argue about how to mitigate climate change, developing countries are bearing the worst of its impacts.
Meanwhile, these countries are only receiving three percent of the funds they need to adapt to climate change. But lives and livelihoods are at stake.
Asif Saleh (pictured above) spoke at the Science Summit — hosted by the Innovation Commission for Climate Change, Food Security, and Agriculture in partnership with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, The Arab Gulf Programme for Development, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa — to underscore the urgent need for action.
Learn more about how BRAC is helping families adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Sarah Allen is Communications Manager at BRAC USA.