IRIA News

The gathering of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) started on September 19, 2023, at the UN headquarters in New York.

Leaders from 140 countries have come together to address pressing issues including the Russia-Ukraine war, humanitarian rights violations in Palestine and Kashmir, and rehabilitation of the masses affected by the natural disasters in Morocco and Libya.

The UNGA summit will go on over the course of this week. Leaders and representatives from all over the world will take the dais in midtown Manhattan to voice their concerns about the ever-evolving political and economic situation of the world.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the first one to address the general assembly. The South American leader opened his speech by calling on nations to increase taxes on their wealthier citizens to mitigate global financial inequality. Lula also asked for a stronger protection mechanism to combat the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.

President of the United States Joe Biden was the only permanent member of the five-member UN Security Council to attend the summit in person. Biden took the podium to call for an international intervention in Haiti, as the Caribbean nation suffers from severe gang violence.

The U.S. president urged the UN Security Council to authorize a mission for Haiti. More than 2,400 people have been killed in Haiti since the start of the year amid rampant gang violence, the UN reported earlier this month.

Biden also urged the world leaders to stand with Ukraine against Russian invaders. He said in his speech to UNGA, “Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequence. If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?”

Climate change and disaster management

Alarming threats of climate change and management of natural disasters in Africa and the Middle East remained a pressing issue during the UNGA summit. African and Middle Eastern leaders urged for global action to tackle large-scale natural disasters.

A devastating earthquake in Morocco killed 3,000 people and even a higher number was recorded in Libya after deadly floods. Africa has experienced an unprecedented series of tragedies linked to climate change including drought and famines.

Today at #UNGA, world leaders have answered the call to rescue the #GlobalGoals.

Now is the time to get to work on the policies, budgets & investments needed for a better, healthier, more peaceful, sustainable & prosperous world. pic.twitter.com/G4zZ9DWwRl

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 20, 2023

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also highlighted the floods in the Libyan city of Derna during his speech as he urged the member states to take serious actions to counter climate change and its negative impacts.

Guterres added, “Derna is a sad snapshot of the state of our world. The flood of inequity, of injustice, of inability to confront the challenges in our midst.”

Ukrainian President warns world leaders about dangers of war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to New York to attend the UNGA summit in person as his forces are indulging in back-and-forth attacks with Russia.

Zelenskyy used his 15-minute time slot at the UN headquarters to warn his fellow members of the dangers of war and the consequences of not standing up against Russian aggression.

The Ukrainian president said that Russia has weaponized essentials like food and energy “not only against our country but against all of yours as well.” Earlier, President Biden said the world must continue to stand with Ukraine.

“The world is bigger than five” – Erdogan

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated the slogan, “The world is bigger than five,” during his passionate speech at the UNGA as he referred to the shortcomings of the United Nations Security Council and its lopsided discussions revolving around the issues related to the five members of the council.

He urged for reforms and re-evaluation of the current international institutions to better reflect the realities of today’s world. Erdogan noted that “the Security Council has ceased to be the guarantor of world security and has become a battleground for the political strategies of only five countries.” 

Bu sene 100’üncü yılını kutlayan Türkiye Cumhuriyeti olarak herkes için barış, refah, güvenlik yönünde tüm insanlığın yararına adımlar atmayı sürdüreceğiz.

Dünya 5’ten büyüktür, daha adil bir dünya mümkündür… pic.twitter.com/rIam7Bp6Aw

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) September 20, 2023

Erdogan also highlighted his country’s efforts to lead peaceful negotiations between the warring states of Russia and Ukraine. “Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, we have been endeavoring to keep both our Russian and Ukrainian friends around the table with the thesis that war will have no winners and peace will have no losers,” the Turkish President said. 

Turkish President met with Greek and Israeli leaders

While in New York, the Turkish President held two separate bilateral meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The Israeli Prime Minister discussed his country’s effort to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia during his first-ever known meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Netanyahu and Erdogan also agreed to coordinate mutual visits in the near future, according to Netanyahu’s office.

Met with President Erdogan at Turkish House, NY. Encouraged by the improving ties between our nations, we are committed to advancing bilateral relations in trade, economy, and energy. Thankful for our security services' cooperation in preventing attacks and saving lives. Looking… pic.twitter.com/fbf4DvdciP

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 20, 2023

The leaders of Greece and Turkey also met on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York. The two leaders agreed to coordinate another high-level meeting within the next three months to discuss the territorial issues and to de-escalate tensions. The two NATO member states have been at odds with each other for years over sea boundaries and drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

“We agreed to continue working to deepen the positive climate in Greek-Turkish relations that has been established in recent months,” Prime Minister of Greece Mitsotakis told reporters in New York after the hour-long meeting with Erdogan.

Biden holds first C5+1 summit with Central Asian leaders

Another important development at the sidelines of the UNGA summit was the first collective meeting between the Central Asian leaders and the U.S. President Joe Biden. The U.S. President met with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in a meeting format that he described as C5+1.

“Today, we’re taking our cooperation to new heights,” Biden said, noting that efforts would include strengthened counterterrorism cooperation and increased U.S. security funding in the region, new business connections with the U.S. private sector, and “the potential for a new critical minerals dialogue.”

The former Soviet Union states have been holding foreign minister-level meetings with the U.S. under the same format. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was also present during the meeting.