Podcast Summary: A Shot in the Arm – Reflecting on the UN Summits with Wame Jallow

Host: Ben Plumley
Guest: Wame Jallow, Executive Director, MTV Staying Alive Foundation
Date: October 12, 2024

Overview

In this episode, Ben Plumley and Wame Jallow reflect on the whirlwind of global health, climate, and youth advocacy events surrounding the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) week in New York City, including the UN Summit of the Future, Climate Week, and the Youth Power Summit. They dissect the state of global policymaking, the interconnectedness—and persistent siloing—of urgent crises, and the enduring role of young people, storytelling, and mental health in driving equitable solutions.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

The Overlapping Storm of Summits (00:53–02:24)

• UNGA Week’s ‘Perfect Storm’: Multiple summits and side events (UNGA, Summit of the Future, Climate Week, Youth Power Summit) collided in New York, leading to both energy and confusion.
• Siloed Conversations: Despite many overlapping issues, event structure kept discussions fragmented.

  “It was actually quite a pity that we didn’t have more integrated spaces for all three to kind of like be combined as a full on conversation.” – Wame Jallow (01:15)

Inside vs. Outside the UN: Where Action Happens (02:24–03:55)

• Most Action Outside: Ben points out most buzz came from external gatherings like the Clinton Global Initiative and side summits rather than inside the UN itself.
• Lost Focus on Key Issues: Major discussions (e.g., Pact for the Future, antimicrobial resistance) risked being overshadowed.

The Challenge of Siloes & Missed Connections (03:16–03:55)

• Connecting the Dots: Wame stresses the long-standing issue of siloed approaches and the need for meaningful integration—"Otherwise it’s siloed conversations and we’ll keep having those."
• Civil Society’s Marginalization: Many civil society actors only get heard at the UN, highlighting the need for more consistent, country-level engagement (07:08–08:19).

Youth, Data, and Optimism (03:55–05:27)

• Global Listening Project: Ben and Wame praise the initiative for capturing youth perspectives across 70 countries, moving the narrative beyond a crisis lens for young people.

  “You did something that is a big glaring gap—data.” – Wame Jallow (05:00)

Polycrisis and the Role (or Lack Thereof) of Nation States (05:40–07:08)

• A Moment of Polycrises: Ben lists ongoing emergencies—COVID, H5N1, Middle East conflicts, Ukraine, and the US political climate.
• Is the UN (or nation-states) Fit for Purpose?: Ben argues the core problem may be outdated reliance on nation-states:

  “It’s the member states, is the nation state fit for purpose?... relying on nation states, it just doesn’t feel adequate.” – Ben Plumley (06:47–07:03)

The ‘Behaving’ Narrative — Civil Society vs. Authoritarian Worldviews (08:29–10:50)

• Authoritarian ‘Obedience’ vs. Civil Society’s Voice: Rising rhetoric from some countries that civil society voices are ‘tokenistic’ or in conflict with order. Wame counters with examples of youth-driven change empowered by digital platforms:

  “What does it mean to behave?... If that’s not behaving, then I don’t know what is.” – Wame Jallow (09:39–10:50)

Mental Health as a Crosscutting Priority (11:09–14:44)

• Mental Health’s Prominence: Wame identifies mental health as her UNGA week highlight—“Mental health prevailed in terms of the key theme for this conference for me, and that was powerful.” (11:55).
• Integrated Approach: At MTV Staying Alive, mental health is woven into broader youth health narratives, not siloed.
• Cultural and Systemic Barriers: Limited vocabulary around mental health in many cultures and lack of access to services. The urgent need for early education and normalization—“Education. So educating young people about what mental health is from the onset.” (14:50).

Resource Allocation & Peer Support (15:54–18:27)

• Insufficient Funding and Differentiated Care: Mental health receives <5% of health budgets; of this, most goes to hospital-centric care. There's a pressing need for community and non-clinical support systems, including models like peer hotlines.

Protest, Security, and the Meaning of the UN (18:33–21:13)

• Protests Marginalized: Wame is troubled by the sidelining of protesters, seeing it as emblematic of growing detachment from people’s voices.
• Ben’s Reflection: “The vision of the United Nations is about the people…not just the nation state.” (20:43)
• Lack of Implementation: Wame laments declarations often aren’t operationalized—“We come back next year and do it all over again.” (21:13)

The Power & Ethics of Storytelling (22:35–24:55)

• Resisting ‘Story Harvesting’: Young advocates urge that communities own their narratives, not have their stories extracted by outsiders.

  “We need to stop harvesting the stories and the issues from people. Let the communities that have those issues speak up and let them be the ones to create those issues.” – Waisha (as referenced by Wame) (22:40)

• Imagination & Policy: Ben references ‘The Ministry for the Future’ by Kim Stanley Robinson, suggesting policy must be accompanied by bold narratives for change.

Youth-Created Content and Media Democratization (25:10–29:52)

• MTV’s ‘PrEP Fairy’ Campaign: A youth-led, creative South African initiative celebrated for using humor and relatability in health messaging.
• Platforms Evolve: Democratized content creation—short-form (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts) and long-form podcasts—are key to reaching new audiences, embracing the strengths of each format.

  “The podcast platform gives us an opportunity and it’s cross-generational…” – Ben Plumley (27:07)

Trust and Information in Crisis (30:37–34:07)

• Who Do You Trust?:
  • Ben: Trusted Tony Fauci and (controversially) Debbie Birx during COVID, but questions where he’d turn in a future crisis, noting societal ‘amnesia’ post-pandemic.
  • Wame: Relied on a collective of experts, community-driven sessions, but is uncertain given the current cacophony of information.
• Distrust in Twitter/X: Both agree the platform is no longer a trusted information space.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Siloed Conversations:

  “If you didn’t know what was happening across the street, you wouldn’t participate... connecting the dots in a more meaningful way.” – Wame (03:16)

• On the Nation State vs. The UN:

  “Is the nation state fit for purpose? So for climate, for conflict, for pandemic preparation, relying on nation states…it just doesn’t feel adequate.” – Ben (06:47–07:03)

• On Youth Voice:

  “If that’s not behaving, then I don’t know what is.” – Wame (10:50)

• On Prioritizing Mental Health:

  “It has been very much integrated and interwoven and we’ve tried to bring it out in a way that is also ethically responsible…” – Wame (12:57)

• On Protest Suppression:

  “The barricading off of protests and pushing it far away from the conversation, far away from public eye, I think was quite bizarre and painful for me to see.” – Wame (19:01)

• On Community-Led Storytelling:

  “Let the communities that have those issues speak up and let them be the ones to create those issues.” – Wame, relaying Waisha’s intervention (22:40)

Key Timestamps (MM:SS)

• 00:53 – 02:24: The ‘perfect storm’ of overlapping NYC summits
• 03:16 – 03:55: The pitfalls of siloed events
• 05:00 – 05:27: Praising the Global Listening Project's data
• 08:29 – 10:50: The ‘behaving’ narrative and rising authoritarianism
• 11:09 – 14:44: Mental health as a cross-cutting and urgent theme
• 18:33 – 21:13: Protests ignored and UN’s purpose for ‘the people’
• 22:35 – 24:55: Storytelling and imagination for future policy
• 25:10 – 27:52: PrEP Fairy campaign, youth content, and platform changes
• 30:37 – 34:07: COVID, future crises, and trust in information sources

Conclusion

Ben and Wame deliver a compelling post-mortem on UNGA week, interrogating the system’s shortcomings, celebrating youth agency and creative advocacy, and calling for better integration of voices, stories, and solutions—especially for mental health and future generations. While honest about frustrations, they ultimately reaffirm the essential role of optimism, storytelling, and grassroots power in moving global health and equity forward.