By Janet Ekstract
UNITED NATIONS (TURKISH JOURNAL) – This year’s 76th UN General Assembly will be the first in-person assembly since the COVID-19 pandemic with 83 world leaders expected to participate when the General Assembly officially opens Tuesday in New York City. On Tuesday, the Assembly will formally elect its new president, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, Abdulla Shahid. Shahid told Al-Jazeera about the theme of the General Debate session: “(The session will build) resilience through hope – to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainability, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations.”
Meanwhile, the General Debate where each world leader will address the General Assembly will also begin on Tuesday with U.S. President Joe Biden scheduled to speak during the General Debate which is an opportunity for a wide array of international issues to be addressed. In addition, the White House named four representatives to the General Assembly: Representatives Barbara Lee, D-California and French Hill, R-Arkansas as well as energy developer Tom Carnahan and Sim Farar, chair of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.
The 76th UN General Assembly will meet between September 21-27 and a large part of the program will be addressing sustainable development goals (SDG) as well as the culture of peace and human rights. How to forge ahead to meet target goals in these areas will be foremost on the agenda. Major issues that will be discussed in detail include Progress of SDG 17 and partnerships for SDGs, Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, Quality Education in the Post-COVID era and Digital Technologies.
.
