Despite COVID concerns, over 100 world leaders will meet in New York next week for the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 76). The first day of the annual United Nations extravaganza will be held on Tuesday, 21 September 2021. The General Debate is scheduled to take place from 21st September to 27th September 2021 including Saturday, 25th September.
Although the size of the delegations allowed into the General Assembly Hall will be limited. Some of the UN Member States have been encouraged to provide pre-recorded statements in lieu of traveling to the UN headquarters.
This year the UNGA will look to build momentum to reach an ambitious climate agreement and seek unity after Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan. In lieu of the high tension between the United States and China, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres claimed, “we need to re-establish confidence. The current geopolitical division in the world is an obstacle”. He further added that the world is in a really dangerous situation and a sound alarm is needed to wake up the political leaders.
United States President Joe Biden will address the General Assembly for the first time on Tuesday and a day later will convene a virtual summit on COVID-19 as he seeks to show US leadership on vaccines.