Against the backdrop of the 2020 elections, America’s climate conversation has been given new energy by the call for a “Green New Deal” and proposals to create sustainable infrastructure and jobs at home. But global crises worsened by a changing climate also create an urgency for America to invest in development and diplomacy, in order to build resilience in the parts of the world where vulnerable geography and limited resources multiply the negative effects of threats to our own security, from conflict to pandemics.

An unusual coalition – from Secretaries of State, Commerce, Treasury, and Defense to the heads of America’s development agencies, from a Democratic Senator to a Freedom Caucus member, and from a National Security Advisor to leaders of private and public sector organizations including the World Bank, UNICEF, UPS, P&G, Deloitte, and Walmart – joined the President this week, committing America to promote women’s economic empowerment around the world.

As Americans, it is easy to take electricity for granted. But for over a billion people in the developing world, accessing this life-changing resource is not as simple as flipping a switch. Check out the first of the USGLC’s Global Impact Project videos – the story of how the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is working with USAID to light the way— giving millions of people in rural communities around the world access to electricity.

The path forward in Venezuela remains uncertain since National Assembly President Juan Guaidó took the oath of office and declared himself the legitimate interim president of Venezuela. He was quickly recognized by the United States, Canada, and much of Central and Latin America, even as Russia, China, and Turkey warned they would continue to support President Maduro. While the Administration insists that no options are “off the table,” it has so far focused on a strong diplomatic and economic response to defend democratic values and encourage a peaceful transition of power. As the crisis unfolds, here are three critical issues to watch as the hunger and political crisis in Venezuela continues to spiral downward.

Each year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) draws leaders and luminaries from every corner of the globe and all spheres of influence, including government, business, civil society, academia and media, to Davos, Switzerland. Many high-profile presenters were in attendance at this week’s events, speaking on the theme of Globalization 4.0—both a nod to the increasingly digital, interconnected world and a call for heightened global cooperation in the face of rising nationalism.

Originally developed by Creative Associates International as a benefit to staff of the Creative-implemented Read to Succeed program, which was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, Mimi’s Place has since expanded to include the children of civil servants, parents and friends of the original class of families, and others.

1992 was the “Year of the Woman.” America saw a record number of women elected to 106th U.S. Congress. One of those new members was Marjorie Margolies, the first woman elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania in her own right. I spoke with Congresswoman Margolies— who founded nonprofit Women’s Campaign International after serving in Washington— about the implications of this new era in women’s empowerment, not only for the United States, but for communities around the world.

Corporations are increasingly building sustainability into their business strategies, and linking outcomes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as seen in the 7,500 companies issuing annual sustainability or corporate responsibility reports in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative. Given this evolution in corporate thinking and action, the pertinent questions are “why” and “how.”

There’s new hope this week for the tens of millions of trafficked and enslaved persons around the world as new bipartisan legislation has been signed into law in an effort to fight sex and labor trafficking both here at home and abroad. The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act, championed by Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Karen Bass (D-CA) and signed by President Trump on Tuesday, is designed to further the U.S. fight against modern slavery.

The newly-minted 116th Congress boasts the youngest freshman class in history. And as a record number of millennial lawmakers have taken their seats in Washington for the first time this month, a question arises: where will this new generation of lawmakers choose to focus their attention? These members of Congress may have just begun calling their votes, but new information suggests that how they prioritize American leadership on the world stage could be quite different from some of their elder peers. A recent study sheds light on the foreign policy interests of younger Americans.