UN Week officially kicks off on Sunday, September 22, and Monday, September 23, with the Summit of the Future — a highly anticipated event for the United Nations (more on that below the fold).
But it is on Tuesday, September 24, that the so-called “General Debate” begins. This is the official name of the procession of world leaders who stand before the green marble backdrop of the General Assembly dais to address their peers at the United Nations General Assembly.
There’s nothing quite like it—and I love it!
Here’s What to Expect at UNGA79
This is the 79th United Nations General Assembly. The incoming president of the General Assembly is Cameroonian politician and diplomat Philemon Yang, who will ceremonially take the gavel from outgoing President Denis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago. Yang will then preside over the General Debate. As per tradition, Brazil delivers the first speech, followed by the host country—the United States. This will be President Biden’s final UNGA speech, so we can likely expect it to have something of a valedictory tone (more on that below).
You’ll see “HS, HG, M, DPM, CD” next to each country’s name. This denotes who is scheduled to deliver the address: Head of State, Head of Government, Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, or Chief of the Delegation. Heads of State and Heads of Government speak before lower-level officials. And since neither Putin nor Xi are attending UNGA this year, Russia and China are scheduled to speak late in the week.
I’ll be watching Biden’s speech, of course. The address by the U.S. President always sets the tone for UNGA. Some other interesting and notable speeches to track include Zelenskyy on Wednesday morning, Palestine’s Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday, and Netanyahu on Thursday. Keir Starmer will make his UN debut on Friday. He’s not someone with much of a foreign policy profile, so it will be interesting to see how he frames some of the big issues of the day.
The cringiest speech of the week will likely come from General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan, the Sudanese general who toppled the civilian-led government of Sudan last year. He’s technically Sudan’s head of state, even as he fights a brutal civil war for that title against his military rival, fomenting the world’s largest humanitarian crisis in the process.
The obvious crises will likely dominate discussions—Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan. But there are also numerous events, meetings, and summits, such as one on sea level rise and another on antimicrobial resistance, that will keep world leaders (and us journalists chasing them around town) as busy as ever.
With more than 140 world leaders all in the same place at the same time, UNGA is one of the busiest, and often most consequential, weeks of international diplomacy. UNGA79 will be a big one.
My UNGA Preview — Including the stories and events that will drive the agenda during UN Week.
UNGA79 will be my 19th UNGA. I’ve developed something of an expertise in navigating the week and bringing highlights to my audience. I posted this last week, but wanted entice any new followers to upgrade your subscription!
What follows for paid subscribers includes:
A day-by-day rundown and explanation 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 sneak preview of my plans for covering UNGA on the newsletter and podcast
Some musings about UNGA in general, and what I think will make this UNGA particularly unique.
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