NEW YORK — President Donald Trump's twin appearances in New York this week — chairing a session on U.N. reform Monday and addressing the General Assembly Tuesday, plus whatever comments he might make on Twitter or to the press — could be the big story coming out of UNGA. But whatever he might say — and if history is a guide, there's every likelihood he'll be provocative and even divisive — I see a different narrative forming this week. It's the story of the global development community stepping up in a time of trouble.
Friday I went to see the new and outspoken U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, the Nigerian architect who engineered the Sustainable Development Goals. I asked her what this UNGA would be about.
She was characteristically blunt. “We are on a path to recalibrating our role in a very messed up world. That includes every single one of the members. Trump is a member of the U.N., and they must never forget that. Actions are about collective responsibility," she said.