The Global Dispatches podcast is teaming up with the United Nations Foundation for a special daily series during the 78th United Nations General Assembly. You can listen to this episode and our full UNGA series wherever you get your podcasts by searching for Global Dispatches–World News That Matters, or following this link.
Tuesday, September 19th marks the start of the General Debate. This is the parade of Presidents and Prime Ministers who address the world from the rostrum in the United Nations General Assembly hall. The day follows a familiar pattern each year: the Secretary General kicks off, followed by the new President of the General Assembly, who is Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago. By tradition the President of Brazil is the first leader of a UN member state to speak, followed by the President of the United States.
Joining me to discuss these speeches and more is Anjali Dayal, Associate Professor of International Politics at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center Campus and Maya Ungar of the International Crisis Group. We spoke just as Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded his first in-person UNGA address since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That is our first segment today. Our second segment features Butti Almheiri, UN Foundation Next GenerationFellow for Climate, who previews some of the climate focused themes this week.