B&K Newsletter: An overview of the 79th UNGA Session

Between 23 September and 28 September, EU leaders are expected to attend the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the main legislative and policymaking body of the United Nations. The theme for the general debate of the 79th session of the General Assembly is "Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations”. The theme is expected to be reflected in the speeches of world leaders, which will start on September 24 during the High-Level week. The Summit will be presided over by the elected president,?H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang of Cameroon. The High-Level Week, where the biggest meetings will take place, will run from September 23 to 28.??

Other main events to be expected are: ?

? the High-level plenary meeting on addressing the existential threats posed by sea level rise, planned for Wednesday, September 25?

? the High-Level Plenary meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on Thursday, September 26?

? and the High-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance on the same day.??

This year the UNGA will coincide with the Summit of the Future, a high-level summit aiming to address long-term global challenges, advance progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and shape a new consensus for the future. In addition, the annual?Climate Week NYC?– hosted by the Climate Group and New York City – will take place between Sunday, 22 and Sunday, 29 September, providing a platform to showcase leading climate action and discuss how to do more.??

The discussions to expect: Topics at the UNGA ?

This year’s session happens against a tumultuous backdrop, with notable developments on a global level. While world leaders are still grappling with the war in Ukraine, the situation in Gaza has been rapidly deteriorating in the past year, and recent developments are leading world leaders to fear an escalation of violence in the region. Attention is also turned to the presidential race ahead of the US elections in November 2024 – which is seeing Democrat Candidate Kamala Harris competing against former president Republican Candidate Donal Trump. Whether Harris or Trump wins will make a difference in the type of approach that the US will take to foreign policy and affect the type of cooperation that can be expected at the UN level.??

From the war in Ukraine, the situation in Gaza and the threatened stability in the Middle East to climate, these are the topics that we expect will be debated at the highest level in the next week.??

Ukraine

Two and a half years into the war in Ukraine, the topic is bound to be discussed at the UNGA. In the past years, the UNGA has been vocal in calling for an immediate end to the war and for Russia to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces from the territory of Ukraine, in the latest occasion on 23 February 2023. During the first year of the conflict, the Eleventh Emergency Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, which opened on 28 February 2022 to address the situation in Ukraine, adopted 6 resolutions on the topic, calling for a cessation of fighting, for the full protection of civilians, including humanitarian personnel, journalists and vulnerable persons, suspending Russia’s membership of the UN Human Rights Council, and recognising that Ukraine retains the internationally recognised borders. While the decisions are crucial in demonstrating support to Ukraine, they are also non-binding in nature. Russia’s veto power as one of the Permanent-5 members in the Security Council has been seen as an obstacle to meaningful multilateral response from the international community at UN level.??

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to address the General Assembly on Wednesday 25, while Russian President Vladimir Putin will be replaced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.??

The situation in Gaza & the Middle East??

In the past year, the UN has been grappling with the consequences of the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October. While leaders are united in denouncing the atrocities that Hamas has committed and in calling for Israel to respect international law and, in particular, international humanitarian law, the UN’s inability to make more of a difference in the course of the conflict has been placed under scrutiny by many. De-escalating, ensuring humanitarian access, improving the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and defining a path forward after conflict have been complex issues that the UN has not been able to confidently address. Recent developments are pointing towards a potential escalation in the Middle East, leading European leaders to reiterate their support for peace.?

On 18 September, the different positions between member states became evident during the voting for a Draft Resolution brought forward by the Palestinian Authority demanding Israel to end “without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” within 12 months and to comply with its obligations under international law, including those set out by the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024. The Resolution was adopted with 124 votes in favour, 43 abstentions and 14 against. Amongst the votes against were Israel, Czechia, Hungary (the only EU countries to vote against) and the US. In a statement before the vote, the latter had claimed that a “one-sided resolution that selectively interprets the substance of the ICJ’s opinion” could not advance progress towards two states living in peace. Several EU member states abstained, including Germany and Italy. EU member states that explained their vote pointed to the fact that direct negotiations between the parties are crucial for a sustainable solution and the only viable path to lasting peace.??

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - who has long accused the U.N. of being anti-Israel - and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are both scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 26. It is uncertain whether any concrete, feasible solutions for the region with a strong degree of support will emerge from the UNGA.??

Summit of the Future??

In his latest press conference on 18 September, UN Secretary-General Guterres focused on one of the main events happening on the sides of the UNGA: The Summit of the Future, the outcome of which will be three negotiated documents: a renewed Pact for the Future - a plan to address crucial global issues – with two annexes: A Declaration for the Future Generations and a Global Digital Compact. The documents are the culmination of a process started in 2021, which is meant to make UN institutions better prepared and legitimate in addressing current global crises, reinforcing trust that international cooperation can effectively achieve agreed goals. While consensus on the Pact for the Future seemed hard to achieve, the Pact was adopted by consensus on Sunday, 22 September, with a small group of 7 states abstaining after failing to pass a last-moment amendment. The amendment, brought forward by countries including Belarus, Russia and Iran, would have called for reaffirming that the “United Nations shall be driven by intergovernmental decision-making process and that the United Nations and its system shall not intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State”.?

Speaking after the adoption, Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that the Pact for the Future and its annexes, “open pathways to new possibilities and opportunities”. But for many, the important changes purportedly to be gained from a renewed pact for the future might be overshadowed by other more pressing debates on current crises.??

European Council President Michel attended the Summit of the Future on 22 and 23 September and addressed other leaders on Sunday in a?speech?in which he urged for a reform of the international financial architecture and for countries to strengthen their ODA commitments. Commissioner for International Partnerships Urpilainen also underlined the need to strengthen the international finance system in a side session on the future of global governance, to deliver more financing needed “to help developing and emerging economies fight poverty and tackle global challenges, to avoid deepening inequalities”.??

Climate?

Climate change is a crucial issue to be discussed at the UNGA and a topic of particular importance for smaller island states as well as other countries that are most impacted by climate change – which have consistently been warning about the dangers of climate change. Globally, but for these countries in particular, failing to meet the 1.5°C agreed threshold could have drastic consequences. And for the first time, in 2023 the world broke through the annual average of 1.5°C temperature rise.??

Leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, and Brazil — the previous, current, and upcoming hosts of the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP) — have pledged to kickstart the next round of talks on national reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions at this year’s UNGA, leading to hopes for new ambitious targets. Addressing the triple planetary crisis is also one of the EU’s priorities, as set out in a Council resolution from June 2024. To stress the importance of finding rapid and effective solutions, the High-level plenary meeting on addressing the existential threats posed by sea level rise will also be held next week. This will be the first on this issue at the General Assembly.??

In addition, the annual Climate Week NYC will be taking place between 22 September and 29 September, organised by the Climate Group with the theme “It’s Time”, - highlighting the urgent need for progress, to increase renewable capacity and to improve energy efficiency through scalable innovation. Topics of particular importance that will be discussed are innovation in technology to achieve net zero, including innovating and investing in energy storage, grid infrastructure, low carbon steel and concrete production. Events during the Climate Week will also focus more specifically on climate finance but also climate and human security – a topic that will gain increasing importance with the effects of climate change. The EU has been an active actor in promoting the clean transition, and the European Commission has recognised the importance of the issue in its new political programme.??

UN Security Council Reform??

A topic of continued discussion in the UN is the reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC). The current structure of the UNSC – with 5 countries holding a permanent seat and veto power (the so-called ‘P5’) and 10 countries elected on a two-year, non-consecutive term – has been long questioned and contested for its lack of representation. Additionally, the conflicting interests of P5 members have significantly affected the Security Council’s ability to respond to major conflicts and crises in recent years. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the current conflict between Israel and Hamas are only the latest examples of a trend in which the privileged veto power has deterred any significant concerted action, questioning the ability of the UN to act concertedly to uphold international peace and security and to demonstrate effective international cooperation.?

?A crisis in multilateralism???

“While all of the planet’s problems won’t be solved during these few short weeks,” writes the UN Foundation “debates and conversations at UNGA 79 could set the stage for solutions to devastating global trends.” Nonetheless, it is uncertain whether the debates and conversations will achieve enough to strengthen the trust in the international cooperation to be achieved through the UN, crucial to address the current challenges that the world faces. As we have highlighted, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the Israel-Hamas conflict and potential escalation in the Middle East, and the war in Ukraine – but also other crises such as Sudan or the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss - are all too vivid reminders that the UN might not be able to deliver on its promises and goals.??

The Pact of the Future, at its heart, is meant to address what Secretary-General Guterres has often pointed out as an inability of the UN to meaningfully address current new interlocked challenges through old structures. For some, its adoption proves that multilateralism can be reformed and that it will benefit from a new impulse. Nonetheless, this might not be easy with countries pushing for different priorities: Developing countries have insisted the focus should be on international economic cooperation, and many have pointed out that without change in the UN Security Council, little can change to address current crises. The best way to pursue multilateral cooperation around new technologies, while covered in the new Global Digital Compact, is still not fully agreed upon. Ultimately, while the adoption of the Pact for the Future might be important, its real impact will become visible in the reforms that member states will be willing to undertake to implement it and bring about change.??

And the EU???

The heads of state or government of the 27 EU Member States are expected to participate in the High-Level Week, where they will give speeches. In addition, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, High Commissioner for the EU Josep Borrell, and European Council President Charles Michel are expected to attend. Outgoing Commissioners, including Commissioner Suica, Commissioner Vestager, Commissioner Urpilainen and Commissioner Hoekstra, will?participate in discussions?on sustainable development, the digital future, and sea-level rise. The EU’s priorities for the 79th UNGA were adopted by the Council in June 2024, and centre on promoting multilateral solutions based on the UN Charter and pushing for 'peace in all its dimensions' through international cooperation. While EU Member States are members of the UN, the EU itself has permanent observer status, meaning that it can participate in debates but not cast a vote.?

2024 has been an exceptional year for elections, with over?two dozen countries hosting half of the world's population holding national elections,?including in several EU member states, which have, in some cases, led to weaker ruling coalitions. After holding elections in June 2024, the EU is currently in a transition period. The new Parliament has already started its work, while a new College of Commissioners is bound to take office in December this year. The EU Representatives that will attend the UNGA are currently at the end of their term, except for Commission President von der Leyen, whose position has been reconfirmed. Amidst this background, it is unsure whether the EU or any of its member states will play a strong leading role. Lack of a common EU position on many crucial issues discussed in the next weeks will also question the block’s ability to act as a strong and coherent actor.??

Enjoying this newsletter? Forward it to your colleagues who might find it interesting. Subscribe to receive our weekly take on global policy transformations.