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This week, more than 100 world leaders and heads of government gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York to participate in several days of activities and speeches to commemorate the beginning of the United Nations General Assembly. 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The most famous gathering of the United Nations — one year after celebrating its 75th anniversary — began on Monday with high-level and bilateral meetings, as well as a speech by South Korean supergroup BTS, which attracted 1 million viewers to its YouTube channel.
On Tuesday, the 9-day annual general debate will begin. This will include opportunities for world leaders to address the wider international community, usually focusing on their own audience.
The party itself—partially back to normal after last year’s event was almost completely forced online—reflected the reality that the world is struggling to escape the coronavirus pandemic.
Alena Lyon, a United Nations expert at the University of New Hampshire, told Al Jazeera that due to the limited size of the delegation, at least 60 heads of government still chose to give speeches through virtual methods, and the potential of the event as a sideline diplomacy may be hindered. .
At the same time, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other officials are increasingly trying to persuade members of the organization to be relevant because the world is facing “global security issues related to COVID and climate policy”. key point”.
“The United Nations system was established while bombs were still flying during World War II, with the goal of creating a forum for diplomatic and political solutions, not resorting to violence and war,” Lyon said.
“So all the pipelines are in place for countries to do this within the UN system. It’s just whether those individual countries want to open the water source, and whether they have the ability to open it.”
Here are five things worth paying attention to:
“Multilateralism with teeth”?
Leading the effort to revive global cooperation through the United Nations is Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is about to enter his second and final term.
In a comprehensive report last week, Guterres envisioned “a stronger, more networked and more inclusive multilateral system” that would include new “emergency platforms” that are prepared for crises. , A stronger approach to global issues, and greater emphasis on youth and their role in the future.
“We need multilateralism with teeth,” he said.
Maria Ivanova, an associate professor of global governance at the University of Massachusetts Boston, said that the tone of the report shocked observers.
She told Al Jazeera: “This is a different Secretary-General we have seen. He has ambitions and a very clear North Star of global solidarity”, adding that to see how much Guterres’ vision is reflected in the leadership People. ‘speech.
In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Guterres also praised the “completely different environment” of the relationship between the United Nations and the United States under President Joe Biden’s leadership. His speech on Tuesday morning will renew the promise of the United States to the United Nations. Following the former president, Donald Trump withdrew from the organization.
But the United States’ hopes of reigniting a leadership role in international cooperation have lost luster to some allies, especially after Washington’s disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan and the simultaneous rise of the Taliban.
New Alliance—— Contract with nuclear submarine – There is further Alienating long-term ally France While irritating Beijing.
At the same time, although the new Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian (Hossein Amirabdollahian) is going to New York, some indirect diplomacy is expected this week, but efforts to restore the Iran nuclear agreement have largely stalled. .
Biden will also host a virtual summit on Wednesday, calling on vaccine-producing countries to better balance their domestic demand with the demand for exports to poorer countries.
“Great Power” Politics
It is expected that the increasingly confrontational situation between the United States and China will be highlighted in this year’s event.
The University of Lyon at the University of New Hampshire stated that Trump’s four years of disgust with the United Nations has also created opportunities for China to adopt a “subtle” strategy to strengthen contact with the organization. The most typical example is the increase in peacekeeping funds and personnel.
It also includes increased participation in several councils and committees, and many believe that Beijing is “trying to change the United Nations [in a way] This does not necessarily support democracy and human rights,” she said.
A few hours after Biden’s speech on Tuesday morning, Xi Jinping will give a virtual speech via a video link.
“Biden may talk about threats to human rights and threats to democracy in his speech,” Lyon said. “But he will try to shape the world into an authoritarian political system that threatens democracies, and at the same time try to introduce and unite democracies around a specific budget vision, which runs counter to China.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Associated Press on the eve of the general debate, Guterres, Call on China and the United States To avoid a “new cold war at all costs”.
He said that the “functional relationship” between the two countries “is critical to solving the vaccination problem, climate change issues, and many other global challenges, which cannot be resolved without the constructive relationship between the international community, especially the superpowers.” problem”.
The White House said it disagrees with this description of its relationship with Beijing. “We recognize that China is a country, and although we do, we may object to some of the ways they participate in the world. We also have areas where we hope to continue to cooperate,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday.
Climate Change Commitment
This week’s event is widely regarded as one of the last high-profile opportunities announced by UN members More specific steps To reduce emissions before COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Scotland in November.
A sort of UN report released last week In particular, major emitters including China, India and Saudi Arabia have not yet established stricter emission standards.
According to the analysis, according to the current commitments of various countries, by 2030, global emissions will be 16% higher than in 2010-far from the 45% reduction in 2030 required by scientists to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Several high-level meetings on the environment have been arranged, including a closed-door meeting between British Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Guterres and 35 to 40 world leaders on Monday.
According to a statement issued by Johnson’s office, “We all agree that’something must be done’,” Johnson told the leader. “However, I admit that I am getting frustrated. The’something’ promised by many of you is not enough. It is the largest economy in the world that causes problems, and the smallest economy suffers the most serious consequences.”
Following the Security Council Climate and Security Meeting on Thursday, Friday will host the first UN Global Conference on Renewable Energy since 1981.
Tackling vaccine inequality
The debate on the coronavirus vaccine has already marked this year’s UN General Assembly. Local officials in New York expressed concern that the gathering would become a super-spreading event. Brazilian President Jal Bolsonaro, who had not verbally vaccinated, participated in the UN test. “Honor System” for vaccines.
However, for leaders of developing countries, this year’s event will provide a global platform to solve what observers call the serious shortage of global vaccine promotion.
This is especially true in Africa, where it has Only received About 2% of the 5.7 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines vaccinated globally.
this The COVAX initiative supported by the United NationsAt the same time, it is far from reaching the African Union’s 60% vaccination target by 2023 or COVAX’s 20% vaccination target by 2022.
United Nations President Alanna O’Malley said: “I would like to know what some of the leaders of the Global South have to say about this, because they are receiving a brief blow in terms of vaccine politics and distribution.” Leiden, the Netherlands The university’s study of peace and justice told Al Jazeera.
“How will they go beyond inequality and better access to more vaccines?”
Afghanistan, Myanmar and human rights
In a statement last week, Human Rights Watch United Nations Director Luis Shabono called on world leaders who were on the podium at the UN General Assembly to “openly and directly talk about human rights crises in the world, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Ethiopia. , China, and other places”.
The unresolved issues related to whether the United Nations recognizes the military government in Myanmar are particularly relevant, which will be decided when the Credentials Committee of the United Nations General Assembly meets after the general debate.
What is more disturbing is that the United Nations recognizes the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which seeks international legitimacy but has not yet sought representation in the organization.
At the same time, Western countries are cautious about the Taliban government and may not be willing to threaten these relations by challenging the UN’s recognition.
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