World leaders will converge on New York next month for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, facing a crowded agenda of protracted wars, climate change and UN reforms, with the spotlight firmly on the return of US President Donald Trump.
The annual high-level debate, set to open under the theme “Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights,” will be dominated by the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
The session will be presided over by Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s former foreign minister, making her the fifth woman to lead the 193-member assembly in its eight-decade history. Ms Baerbock said her tenure will focus on strengthening multilateralism and fostering collective action to tackle global challenges.
Leaders from nations including Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Ukraine and France are scheduled to speak during the high-level week starting on September 23.
“It is almost certain that all eyes will be on President Trump as he returns to the UN,” Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group, told The National. “The US President's speech will overshadow what other leaders have to say, and there will be a long line of presidents and prime ministers trying to get bilateral meetings with him.”
Mr Gowan expects Mr Trump will use the platform to put pressure on the UN to refocus on global peace while amplifying his own claims to be a historic peacemaker.
“He really does seem to be running a campaign for a Nobel Peace Prize and the UN is a good place to make his pitch,” Mr Gowan added.
He said Syria’s President Ahmad Al Shara will probably “be a star, unless further instability in Syria complicates his visit”.
“Al Shara definitely has a charisma that most other leaders cannot bring right now, and I think quite Trump plus a lot of European and Arab leaders would be glad to welcome him into the UN club,” Mr Gowan said.
Meanwhile, diplomats will be closely watching a push for more countries to recognise the Palestinian state.
“The recent UN summit on the two-state solution created a lot of momentum in this direction, and France in particular will be wanting to nail down as many new recognitions as possible,” Mr Gowan said.
Tuesday, September 23
Morning: Brazil, US, Indonesia, Turkey, Peru, Jordan, South Korea, Qatar, Suriname, Lithuania, Portugal, Uruguay, Slovenia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Uzbekistan.
Afternoon: Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Chile, Tajikistan, Lebanon, France, Kyrgyzstan, El Salvador, Poland, Mozambique, Mexico, Vietnam, Angola, Romania, Morocco, Maldives, Iraq, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Wednesday, September 24
Morning: Algeria, Ukraine, Monaco, Iran, Panama, Czech Republic, Rwanda, Switzerland, Latvia, Kenya, Paraguay, Estonia, Argentina, Serbia, Syria, Croatia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Cyprus.
Afternoon: Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, Honduras, Guatemala, Comoros, Ecuador, Namibia, Guyana, Zimbabwe, Kiribati, Senegal, Slovakia, Marshall Islands, Central African Republic, Zambia, Albania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria.
Thursday, September 25
Morning: Tunisia, Somalia, Montenegro, Palestine, Yemen, North Macedonia, Haiti, Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, Burundi, Bolivia, Gabon, Ghana, Laos, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Eswatini.
Afternoon: Philippines, Libya, Botswana, Dominica, Republic of the Congo, Timor-Leste, Mauritania, Micronesia, Uganda, Sudan, Madagascar, Tonga, EU, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait.
Friday, September 26
Morning: Israel, Netherlands, China, Thailand, UK, India, Mauritius, Luxembourg, Armenia, Ireland, Georgia, Japan, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, Malta, Bhutan, Spain, Bangladesh.
Afternoon: Lesotho, Greece, Cabo Verde, Bulgaria, Saint Lucia, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Niger, Andorra, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Belgium, Barbados, Belize, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Fiji.
Saturday, September 27
Morning: Bahamas, Mali, Jamaica, Togo, Grenada, Burkina Faso, Canada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Nauru, Liechtenstein, Cambodia, the UAE, Russia, Norway, Cuba, Brunei, Germany.
Afternoon: San Marino, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Nicaragua, Singapore, Seychelles, Oman, Sweden, Malaysia, Bahrain, Djibouti, Iceland, Belarus, Venezuela.
Monday, September 29
Morning: Hungary, Malawi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Benin, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Holy See, Moldova, Afghanistan, South Sudan.
The order of nations can change on a daily basis.
