On this United Nations Week, Lady Mariéme Jamme welcomes John McArthur, a senior adviser to the UN Foundation.

John is a senior fellow and director of the new Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution, which is launching today, October 21st. He serves as a member of the UNICEF Advisory Group. In 2018 he co-founded the “17 Rooms” initiative as a new approach to catalyzing action for the Sustainable Development Goals. He served as manager and then deputy director of the UN Millennium Project, where he supported leaders like Kofi Annan, then UN Secretary-general, and many more.

Lady Mariéme and John met at Yale University as Young Global Leaders. They formed a friendship based on mutual respect, learning from each other, and holding each other accountable. He convinced her that progress is possible, especially if you have the right people demanding change.