75th UNGA high-level meeting begins Monday

The 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) began last Tuesday with the General Debate scheduled to begin on September 22.

According to the list, 119 Heads of State and 54 Heads of Government are scheduled to speak.

A high-level meeting to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the UN will be held on Monday where there is expected to be a declaration.  On Wednesday, there will be a biodiversity summit, the first of its kind for the UN. The high-level meeting on the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women will held be on October 1.

On October 2, a high-level plenary meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons will be held.

The UNGA will be meeting in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. During an interview, President-elect of the 75th session, Volkan Bozkir, a Turkish Diplomat, noted that COVID-19 has become an overwhelming priority and focus right now. He explained this was the reason the 75th session’s theme was adopted: “The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism.”

“COVID-19 is a global crisis the world hasn’t known since the UN was created out of the ashes of World War Two.  It is not only a health crisis, but a social and economic crisis, which has exacerbated existing challenges the UN is seeking to overcome through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Mr. Bozkir said. He added that this is a time for unity as the whole of humanity is in this fight. “Member States have never had a more compelling reason to work closely together for the common good. And I am certain that, together, we will come out of it stronger.”

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