Giving Compass' Take:

• Here are seven videos to powerful speeches from participants at the UN General Assembly, ranging from youth climate activists to the World Health Organization director. 

• How might these speeches help inform/persuade donors to focus on climate change?

• Read about the key takeaways from the Sustainable Development Goals Summit at the UN General Assembly. 

Let’s face it, many speeches from world leaders at the 2019 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) probably will not make the history books. But the inspiring oratory of many other attendees will and should.

Across the week, inside the UN and outside, a huge and diverse array of speakers proved themselves to be leaders. From the gut-wrenching passion of ‘how dare you,’ to a surprisingly personal moment from a Prime Minister, to impassioned arguments about the ecological expertise of indigenous communities, here are seven speeches that moved and mobilized us. We know there are many others, but want to share these with you.

  1. Youth Climate Activist Bruno Rodriquez: 'Power will cede nothing without struggle.'
  2. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterrez: 'We, the leaders, must deliver for we, the peoples.'
  3. Indigenous Climate Activists: 'Don't talk about the future of us without us.'
  4. World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus: 'Our vision is not health for some.'
  5. Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel: 'Homosexuality is not a choice.'
  6. Founder of SheSay,s Trisha Shetty: 'We're laughing to make sense of this madness.'
  7.  Youth Climate Activist Greta Thurberg: 'How dare you?'

Read the full article about speeches from UN General Assembly by Rajesh Mirchandani at United Nations Foundation.