The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is underway at the UN Headquarters in New York, bringing together heads of state and foreign ministers for five days of discussions on critical global issues.
The UNGA will also host multilateral meetings within the BRICS framework and the Group of Twenty (G20).
The general debate commenced on Tuesday, September 24, with President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva among the first speakers. In his address, he drew attention to the problems of global warming, emphasising that 2024 could be the hottest year in modern history. Lula da Silva also called for UN reform.
“In nearly 80 years of its existence, the United Nations Charter has never undergone comprehensive reform. <…> When the UN was founded, we were 51 countries. We are now 193 countries,” the Brazilian leader said.
More than 30 heads of state, including the leaders of Argentina, Vietnam, Iran, Qatar, Morocco, Serbia, and South Africa, were scheduled to address the Assembly on the first day of the debates. The South African delegation is led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is expected to focus on issues related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is reported by Prensa Latina, a partner of TV BRICS.
The Summit for the Future, held from September 22-23, focused on developing more effective and inclusive systems to counter emerging threats, accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and promote multilateralism in global politics.
Wang Yi, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the two-day summit as the special representative of President Xi Jinping. He highlighted Chinese initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, as innovative solutions to global challenges and key contributions to building a better world.
The High-Level Week of the UNGA remains a significant annual event where world leaders convene to discuss and address pressing global issues.
