Children International builds partnerships at UN General Assembly

Children International was once again a strong presence at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) high-level debate week, participating from Sept. 23-25 in key events and building relationships with partners from around the globe. We marked our third consecutive year of participation, highlighting the vital role of multisector partnerships in achieving our mission. This year we focused on Concordia Summit and co-hosted a roundtable discussion that Children International President Susana Eshleman and I helped moderate with our partner, Abbott: Collaborating to Reduce Malnutrition: Building Capacity at the Community Level With Abbott & Children International. 

Highlights from Concordia 

The Global Strategic Partnerships team also engaged in private meetings, panels and other impactful discussions focused on critical issues: 

• Impact Beyond Income With International Development Enterprises & The Rockefeller Foundation  
• Navigating Well-Being in the Digital Era: Collaborative Strategies for Support With TikTok  
• Investing in Health Equity: Global Vision, Local Impact With Operation Smile  
• Accelerating Global Good — Igniting Local Digital Transformation, Globally Scaled With NetHope 
• 100,000 Strong in the Americas: Building Higher Education Partnerships Across the Americas 

We participate with the objective of meeting with potential and active partners from all sectors, including other nonprofit organizations, corporations and governments, all of which are fundamental to advance our work.  

During the Summit, we emphasized the importance of listening to our communities and working with them to bring about long-lasting change. Communities are Children International’s most vital partners and co-creators. 

As we continue to build multisector and multifaceted partnerships for meaningful impact, we are inspired to amplify the voices of communities centered on children and youth to ensure critical needs are heard and addressed. 

Christina Becherer, Senior Director of Global Partnerships, and Children International CEO & President Susana Eshleman co-hosted a roundtable discussion along with CI partner Abbott.

A decade of impact 

I have personally been participating in UNGA events for nearly a decade. I’m pleased to see growing diversity in the sectors involved and greater recognition of the intersectionality of global issues.  

Another theme that inspired us as a team is the increasing number of topics that focus on young people and include them as active participants. This is aligned with critical initiatives being implemented in the organization today. 

We continue to work to give much greater visibility to our organization and all the great work we do in our agencies and communities because we know that powerful partnerships can take us much further than we could ever go alone.