Mark's Personal UNGA 2024 Preview

Some stories I'll be following during UN Week

Photo by the blowup on Unsplash

Ah, UNGA. I love it! I know it sparks dread among many of my colleagues in journalism, but for me, it’s the most exciting week of the year. It’s hectic, yes, but I thrive on that energy.

In many ways, the opening of the 79th United Nations General Assembly this year is similar to the very first UNGA I covered as a journalist back in 2005. Then, as now, the focus was inward—towards reforming the UN itself. The 2005 UNGA coincided with the 60th anniversary of the United Nations and resulted in lasting reforms championed by Kofi Annan.

This UNGA comes at the 79th anniversary of the United Nations. The Summit of the Future kicks off “High-Level Week” on September 21 and 22, with the expected adoption of three outcome documents intended to outline a new set of reforms aimed at making the UN more responsive to future global challenges. (More on those below the fold.) The Summit of the Future is the culmination of years of diplomacy and discussions focused on enhancing the UN's ability to tackle current and future challenges. While the Summit of the Future hasn’t garnered much attention outside the UN bubble, within UN circles, it carries a level of significance that is hard to overstate.

But UNGA79 is about much more than just the Summit of the Future! After all, this is the one time of year when hundreds of world leaders gather in the same place at the same time. There’s a lot on the agenda—both at the UN itself and around town.

2024 will be my 18th UNGA in 19 years. (I missed 2015—the year the Sustainable Development Goals were agreed. But still not worth missing the birth of my second child, born in the passenger seat of our old Toyota. Here’s that story, courtesy of the Washington Post, which I will never tire of sharing!)

Needless to say, I have developed some expertise on UNGA over these years. So with less than one month before the 79th United Nations General Assembly kicks off, I wanted to give readers a personal preview of how I’ll be approaching the week — including some of the key stories and events I’ll be following.

What follows for paid subscribers includes:

• A brief rundown of some of the key events taking place at the United Nations from Sunday, September 21 to Friday, September 27.

• Some notable events happening elsewhere in New York during High Level Week.

• A preliminary rundown some of the stories I’ll be covering

• A sneak preview of my plans for covering UNGA on the newsletter and podcast

• Personal musings about UNGA, and what I think will make this UNGA particularly unique.

Two more things:

1. If you have an UNGA-related event you’d like to advertise to our community of global affairs aficionados, please fill out this form. You will need a paid subscription, but it’s an inexpensive way to get the word out.

2. I’ll be in Geneva from September 9-12, recording a live taping of the Global Dispatches podcast at the World Trade Organization’s Public Forum. Drop me a line if you’d like to meet up.

Read on for my personal UNGA preview!