The General Debate: An International Politics Big Show

By Javier Surasky-

 

In a week, a new edition of the greatest annual spectacle in international politics will take place: the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with its star figures taking turns to occupy the main stage of the event: the podium in the largest hall of the UN headquarters in New York where the General Assembly convenes.

The UNGA 79th session (2024-2025) was inaugurated on September 10. Philémon Yang, who served as Prime Minister of Cameroon for almost a decade (2009-2019) and is currently the country's ambassador to the UN, was elected in June to be its president. He decided that the theme for UNGA 79 would be "Unity and diversity for advancing peace, sustainable development and human dignity, everywhere and for all." Let's remember that the annual theme is a simple indicator of the orientation of the Assembly presidency and an invitation to member states to consider the theme in their presentations during the General Debate.

This year's high-level week will have the following agenda:

  • General Debate: Tuesday, September 24, to Saturday, September 28, and Monday, September 30, 2024.

The General Debate is the moment when most leaders of member countries parade through the UNGA giving speeches on the central elements of their international vision. Each leader is asked to keep their presentation within 15 minutes, which is possibly the least heeded requirement by world leaders, who evidently still need lessons in mutual respect and time management.

In any case, this year's General Debate will feature the presence of 149 heads of state or government, six deputy prime ministers, and 39 ministerial-level representatives. As has been the case historically, Brazil will be the first state to speak, followed by the United States. Both "Lula" Da Silva and Biden have confirmed their attendance.

Some of the speeches generating the most attention this year, although everyone will have their own agenda of "speeches to listen to," are:

  • United States (Joe Biden). Marked by the end of his term. On the morning of the 24th.
  • Argentina (Javier Milei). A "Trump" of underdevelopment. On the afternoon of the 24th.
  • Ukraine (Vladimir Zelensky). On the morning of the 25th.
  • Palestine (Mohammad Mustafa). First UN appearance of the new Palestinian government leader. On the morning of the 26th.
  • Sudan (Abdel Fattah al-Burhan) amid the escalation of internal armed conflict in the country's territory. On the morning of the 26th.
  • Israel (Benjamin Netanyahu). On the afternoon of the 26th.
  • European Union (Charles Michel, President of the European Council). On the afternoon of the 26th.
  • United Kingdom (Keir Starmer). General Debate debut of the current UK government leader. On the morning of the 27th.
  • Bangladesh (Muhammad Yunus). He is an internationally recognized and controversial leader who comes to lead his country's government in search of national pacification. On the morning of the 27th.
  • China (Ding Xuexiang, Vice Premier). On the morning of the 28th.
  • Russia (Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs). On the morning of the 28th.
  • Venezuela (at ministerial level, representative unconfirmed). On the morning of the 30th.

Among the particularities of this year's General Debate, it will be the first in which the delegation of the State of Palestine will be seated in the hall in the seat that corresponds to it according to the alphabetical order of delegations. Until now, it occupied a place after the last member as it was considered an "observer," like the Holy See, but that changed with the adoption of resolution 10/223 by the UNGA during its special session in May 2024 (A/RES/ES-10/23).

Regarding the seating order of delegations, the delegation of Yemen will be the one occupying the first desk in the hall this year, which is decided by lottery before each session begins.

To conclude, and after many years of following the UNGA general debates, I share with you some questions that can help those who want to analyze the speeches to understand their messages:

  • What message is the speech trying to convey, and what are the objectives?
  • Are there clear central themes? Are they coherently structured?
  • Who are they speaking to in the speech? (other States, the country's internal audience, a specific group of States, etc.)
  • Is the government of which the speaker is a part opening or closing its mandate? If closing, is the president running for re-election?
  • What power resources does the leader/country giving the speech have or believe they have?

And always remember, what you're watching is a spectacle: don't be surprised if magicians, acrobats, or even clowns appear on stage.