Manhattan seems to be the center of the world this week as the United Nations General Assembly convenes, and yet the attention of the world’s leaders is fixed on an array of conflicts and crises elsewhere. These include an escalating Middle East conflict, an intractable crisis in Sudan, and Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
According to Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe, this period is a challenging one—but also an exciting one. That’s because, while freedom, democracy, and other core facets of the world order are under threat, it is also a moment of opportunity to defend and build upon them.
Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has supported democracy in his country and committed to strengthening the US-Ghana relationship. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have played pivotal roles in NATO, the European Union, and the transatlantic alliance. In addition, the event honored CJ Group Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee for her commitment to championing South Korean films and culture globally.
“This evening, the Atlantic Council recognizes a rare few who inspire us and the world to shine, to believe in something better, and strive for something brighter, and safeguard those ideals we hold sacrosanct. They represent the very best of our transatlantic partnership and serve as beacons, guiding us toward our highest aspiration,” said Atlantic Council Chairman John F.W. Rogers.
Adding to the celebrations in the room, Kempe hailed the August release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from imprisonment in Russia, and recalled how, at last year’s Global Citizen Awards, Olaf Scholz—the German chancellor and a recipient of the 2023 Global Citizen Award—met with Gershkovich’s parents. The newspaper’s publisher, Almar Latour, told Kempe that the meeting had played a role in securing Gershkovich’s release. Gershkovich, in a note he asked Kempe to read aloud at the awards dinner, said, “My parents were in the room with you last year, and it meant a lot to them and to me. It will take some time to fully know everything that happened while I was away. But I know a number of you in this room tonight worked on my behalf, and for that I am grateful.”
Kempe later warned about Russia’s actions, specifically touching upon its increasing collaboration with China, Iran, and North Korea. The extent of that collaboration, wars in the Middle East and Europe, and tensions with China “require us to double down on the Atlantic Council’s mission of ‘shaping the global future together,’” Kempe said.
Below are more highlights from the event, which honored leaders who, in their own unique ways, are shaping what lies ahead for the world. The 2024 Global Citizen Awards will be broadcast in full on Thursday, October 3, at 9:00 a.m. ET. Learn more here.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo: ‘No nation can stand alone’
- “This moment cannot just be about me,” Akufo-Addo said while accepting the award. “It is about the people of Ghana who inspire me with their resilience, their strength, and unwavering belief in a brighter future. They are the true global citizens, and I accept this award on their behalf.”
- “In today’s interconnected world, no nation can stand alone,” said Akufo-Addo. “Our future as Ghanaians, as Africans, and as members of a global family depends on our ability to work together and lift each other up.”
- “Receiving this award is not a conclusion,” said Akufo-Addo. “It is a call to action,” he added, noting the global challenges that Ghana faces, including climate change, inequality, and terrorism.
- Akufo-Addo said Ghana and the United States have together “made real progress in advancing human rights and the rule of law, but there’s still so much more we can do and achieve as long as we remain united, especially at this time when terrorism and violent extremism are threatening to submerge West Africa and, indeed, the rest of the world in darkness and tyranny.”
- Before presenting the award, Kenyan President William Ruto noted that Akufo-Addo is the son of one of Ghana’s founding fathers. Ruto said of Akufo-Addo that the “spirit of duty to serve runs through his veins,” adding that from an early age, the Ghanaian president “embraced the belief that true leadership is about making a difference in people’s lives.”
Giorgia Meloni: The West must find the strength in itself to move forward
- There is a dangerous paradox in the West today, Meloni explained in her acceptance speech, which is that the West often looks down on itself while making claims about being superior to others. “We have to start with ourselves. To know who we really are, and to respect that, so that we can understand and respect others as well,” she said.
- “We need to recover an awareness of who we are as Western peoples,” Meloni urged. If the West takes a thorough and honest look at itself, and in particular at its values, she said, it will rediscover much to celebrate and the strength to move forward. “We should not be ashamed to use and defend words and concepts like nation and patriotism, because they mean more than a physical place,” she explained. “They mean a state of mind to which one belongs in sharing culture, traditions, and values.”
- “The West is a system of values in which the person is central, men and women are equal and free, and therefore the systems are democratic. Life is sacred. The state is secular and based on the rule of law.” She then asked: “Are these values of which we should be ashamed of?”
- “Our freedom and our values and the pride we feel for them are the weapons our adversaries fear the most,” Meloni said. “We can surrender to the idea that our civilization has nothing more to say or no more . . . routes to chart. Or we can remember who we are,” she added.
- Authoritarian regimes, she added, promote “the idea of the inevitable . . . decline of the West, the idea that democracies are failing to deliver. An army of foreign and malign trolls and bots is engaging in manipulating reality and exploiting our contradictions. But to the authoritarian friends, let me say very clearly that we will stand for our values.”
- The stakes are already high. Meloni talked about the dangers of a world in which might alone makes right. “We know how to face the impossible challenges that this era confronts us with only when we learn from the lessons of the past. We defend Ukraine, for we have known the chaos of a world in which the law of the strongest prevails.”
- In presenting the award, SpaceX Chief Engineer and Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk spoke of his admiration for Meloni. She has done an “incredible job” as prime minister, he said, noting Italy’s strong economic growth and low unemployment. “She’s authentic, honest, truthful—and that cannot always be said about politicians,” Musk added.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: What Greece’s turnaround can teach the world
- Not too long ago, Greece was perceived as the “sick man of Europe,” a country that had suffered a “profound” economic depression, went through social upheaval, and “experimented with populism,” Mitsotakis explained. But now, he added, Greece has “convincingly turned the corner and is becoming again a stable democracy with a growing economy.”
- How the country turned the corner is relevant beyond Greece, Mitsotakis said, and not simply because Athens is now a more stable and predictable ally and partner. There is a wider political lesson as well. “What we have achieved in Greece is to demonstrate that one can actually govern from the political center,” he explained.
- Too often in politics today, he said, too much emphasis is put on pure ideology and too little on delivering results. “The keys to success of every government at the end of the day is effective delivery, and not all issues are ideological,” Mitsotakis said.
- At the same time, when fighting against populists, who believe they have “simple solutions to complicated problems,” it is critical to remember that “the grievances of the people who vote for populists are very much real,” he said. These grievances might stem from economic inequality, issues of identity, or the consequences of globalization, but, Mitsotakis said, “We need to be very careful to address them and certainly, certainly not appear condescending to the concerns of average people.”
- Before presenting the prime minister with the award, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla—a 2021 recipient of the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Leadership Award—said that Mitsotakis’s impact reaches beyond Greece, throughout Europe, and across the transatlantic alliance. He praised Mitsotakis for being “a rising voice for peace and equity” globally and “a visionary champion of a new era of economic prosperity.”
Miky Lee: The stories we tell help us navigate toward a more compassionate future
- Lee recounted how in 1953, after the end of the Korean War, her country—from its infrastructure to its economy—had been destroyed. But nevertheless, powered by its culture and the help of a global community, South Korea began rebuilding. “Culture is like oxygen,” Lee said. “It’s there in the background and easy to take for granted. But you can’t survive without it.”
- “Over the years, we have witnessed how entertainment can be a bridge,” Lee argued. She pointed to the film Parasite, which she produced, saying that it started “important conversations,” including about inequality. “From our K-pop to our K-dramas, we have shown that cultural boundaries can be blurred, and that joy, laughter, and love are universal.”
- “But it’s not just about the content we make; it’s about the connections we create,” Lee continued. “Entertainment gives us a space where people from different backgrounds can come together and share something beautiful. Entertainment may not have the power to end wars, but it does have the power to build bridges: bridges of compassion, hope, and empathy.”
- “At the end of the day, no matter where we are from, no matter what language we speak, we are all part of one global community, and the stories we tell can help us navigate the roads together towards a more compassionate future,” Lee said.
- While introducing her before she received the award, Paramount Global Chair Shari Redstone, called Lee a “champion of creativity,” whose company, CJ Group, “isn’t just a leader” in the modern Korean entertainment industry, but “practically invented it.”
John Cookson is the New Atlanticist editor at the Atlantic Council.
Daniel Malloy is the managing editor at the Atlantic Council.
Further reading
Tue, Sep 24, 2024
Full transcript: The 2024 Global Citizen Awards
Transcript By
The Atlantic Council honored four leaders—from governments and the private sector—who are seeking to change the world in their own unique ways.
Sat, Sep 21, 2024
How the Atlantic Council contributed to Evan Gershkovich’s release
Inflection Points By Frederick Kempe
An encounter at the Global Citizen Awards played a modest but vital role in the exchange that released the Wall Street Journal reporter who was imprisoned in Russia.
Wed, May 8, 2024
The 2024 Distinguished Leadership Awards: Celebrating leaders with insight, experience, and resolve
New Atlanticist By Katherine Walla
On May 8, the Atlantic Council honored Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, General Christopher G. Cavoli, and actress and producer Michelle Yeoh for their leadership.
Image: John F.W. Rogers speaks at the opening of the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards in New York, September 23, 2024.