UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2019) The 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly will begin on Tuesday and last until September 30.
During the session, 196 representatives from around the world will deliver statements, some 560 official meetings are planned to be held and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will participate in 140 bilateral meetings.
Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of Nigeria will preside over the UN General Assembly session. Muhammad-Bande will replace outgoing UN General Assembly President and former Ecuadoran Foreign Affairs Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa.
The Youth Climate Summit, scheduled to take place on September 21, will be the first event during which young activists will demonstrate potential solutions to combat climate change.
The Youth Climate Summit will lead up to UN Secretary-General's Climate Action Summit on Monday, September 23, which will bring together political leaders to showcase their national plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent over the next ten years and commit to a zero-emission standard by 2050.
Monday will also mark the convening of the Universal Health Coverage high-level meeting that aims to deliver actions and funding for such coverage and set a specific plan to implement by 2030.
On September 24, the General Debate week will kick off during which political leaders will take to the General Assembly's floor to deliver speeches. According to the United Nations' tradition, the leader of Brazil will be the first to speak, followed by the United States as a host country.
Although there have been reports about the possibility the US President Donald Trump and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani will meet during the Debate Week, the counterparts will not convene for bilateral talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron are also scheduled to speak on the first day of the high-level discussions.
Apart from the General Debate, the UN General Assembly session will, for the first time, review the progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on Tuesday. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015, include eradicating poverty, hunger, reducing inequality, combating climate change, achieving gender equality, quality education and responsible consumption, among others.
On Wednesday, the General Debate will continue with statements by Rouhani and the head of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez Sarraj.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky will also take the UN General Assembly's floor. Media has reported that Zelensky is expected to meet with Trump during the General Debate week and discuss the settlement in the Donbas.
On Thursday, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza will represent Venezuela at the event, where they plan to address US sanctions imposed against the country.
Yemen's President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi will also speak on same day and will address the armed conflict that has been ongoing in the country since 2015.
The United Nations has repeatedly called the Yemeni conflict the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 24 million people - nearly 80 percent of the country's population - currently in need of aid and protection.
On September 27, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will deliver his speech to the world body. According to Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow's priorities include the promotion of multilateralism, arms control and cybersecurity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the representatives of China, India, Pakistan, Sudan and the Bahamas, will also convey their messages to the world on that day.
On September 28, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Al Mekdad may address the UN General Assembly about the creation of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.
On the final day of the General Debate, September 30, representatives of Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and North Korea - among other states - will highlight the event.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho will skip the UN General Assembly session this year the country's Ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Song, will represent North Korea, according to published reports.
The North Korean government has recently expressed readiness to resume denuclearization talks with the United States in the second half of September, but Pyongyang has at the same time been conducting missile tests.
The General Debates segment of the General Assembly will conclude later on Monday, September 30.
