As the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly commenced last week, news outlets widely covered the impassioned speeches of world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama. But have you heard what other U.S. officials were talking about in New York during UNGA? Here are a few highlights.

 

 

  • As the UN’s Human Rights Council took another stand on the importance of the freedom of peaceful assembly and association, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, “This U.S. sponsored resolution reaffirms a basic truth: civil society plays a central role in promoting and protecting the enjoyment of human rights, but civil society can only serve the common good when the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association are protected.”
  • At the 2012 Social Good Summit, Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the UN discussed the State Department’s use of technology to allow for broader public discussions on foreign policy, and the Administration’s work with partners at the UN towards “common solutions to our most pressing challenges.”
  • Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, joined UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and heads of state from Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan at the “The Legacy of a Polio Free World” event at the UN. In 1988, when the global fight against polio began, there were 125 countries where polio raged; today, there are only three.

As the General Assembly debate wraps up this week, U.S. leaders will have a lot to say about where we go from here. Stay tuned for more on how U.S. leaders are connecting to the important and lifesaving work of the UN. Be sure to follow the Better World Campaign on Facebook and Twitter!