About 150 world leaders will participate in the high-level General Debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which will start next Tuesday at a time when the world is witnessing an unprecedented accumulation of crises reinforced by the division caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inequality, wars, economic challenges, poverty, climate chaos and other factors. "Our world is blighted by war, battered by climate chaos, scarred by hate, and shamed by poverty, hunger, and inequality," the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in his opening speech at the UNGA last week. "Geostrategic divides are the widest they have been since at least the Cold War. They are paralyzing the global response to the dramatic challenges we face," Guterres added, urging world leaders to work together to find solutions. During the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020-21, some leaders gave their speeches through video, however this year the usual protocols will be returned for leaders to be present to speak before the UNGA, with the special exception to the President of Ukraine due to the circumstances of war. With the new Hungarian UNGA President Csaba Korosi receiving the General Assembly's gavel, he pledged to work on finding solutions to the issues facing the world through solidarity, sustainability and science, with a focus on enhancing the role of science in shaping the decisions of the UN body. The discussions will overlap with the Global Goals Week full of virtual and real events that will take place from September 16-25 and will bring together over 170 partners across civil society, business, academia and the UN system to accelerate action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition there is Climate Week in New York City, which covers a wide range of climate-related challenges and the UN Private Sector Forum moderated by the UN Global Compact, which brings businesses, the UN and civil society together to address global crises. The climate change crisis is expected to be discussed, especially with the terrible floods in Pakistan, extreme heat in Europe this summer, humanitarian disasters, the civil war in Ethiopia and the Ukrainian crises, where people worry about the conflict's long-term implications. Food security is linked to climate change, as the floods in Pakistan and the war in Ukraine are putting serious pressure on global food and stocks, while several countries are already suffering from massive increases in food prices and it will get much worse next year. During the discussions, there are several other issues, including the accumulated debts of poor countries, as well as the Iranian nuclear file, given the stalled negotiations between Tehran and the West to resuscitate the nuclear deal signed in 2015. — Agencies
