US President Joe Biden’s departure from the big stage of the United Nations will be the first highlight of the start of the General Debate of the UN General Assembly today. In addition to the US President, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his colleague Recep Tayyip Erdogan from Turkey are among the early speakers at the start of the 79th General Debate in New York (from 3 p.m. CEST).
At the United Nations, Biden has a much better reputation as an advocate of international cooperation than his UN-critical predecessor Trump – Biden is expected to emphasize the US’s return to international agreements and its commitment to multilateralism in his speech.
But many listeners will also blame the most powerful man in the world for the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip. The USA has repeatedly protected its ally Israel – for example with its veto in the UN Security Council.
Selenskyj comes with a “victory plan” in his luggage
In the afternoon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also plans to attend a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Russia’s war of aggression. Before his trip to the USA, Zelenskyy had raised expectations of a “victory plan” that had been announced for weeks, the details of which he wants to present to US President Biden first.
According to a report in the British newspaper “The Times”, it includes a demand for Western security guarantees similar to those of NATO membership. In addition, unspecified specific weapons and further financial aid are to be requested. Zelensky is scheduled to speak to the General Assembly on Wednesday morning (local time).
Focus on Lebanon
The start of the UN General Debate is overshadowed by the escalation in the Middle East. Daily new heavy attacks by Israel on the Shiite organization Hezbollah in Lebanon, resulting in many civilian casualties, are raising fears of a major regional war. It is assumed that UN Secretary-General António Guterres will make clear statements in his speech calling for moderation towards Israel and its allies.
In the coming days, around 120 heads of state and government are expected to give speeches at the general debate. The Middle East conflict and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine are likely to play an important role in many of the speeches. Germany will be represented by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens), who landed in New York on Monday and will give Germany’s speech to the largest UN body later in the week.
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