The 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly continues with a fourth day of high-level meetings and addresses from world leaders.
Friday’s list of speakers includes the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, Germany, Nigeria, Pakistan and Japan.
On Thursday, leaders from across Africa condemned the unequal distribution of coronavirus vaccines, as access remains extremely limited on the continent.
This year’s gathering kicked off with a stark appeal from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who warned the world is on the “edge of an abyss” that can only be averted through global cooperation.
Here are all the latest updates:
Lebanon’s president calls for intl support amid crisis
Lebanon’s president Michel Aoun appealed for more international support amid the country’s dire financial crisis, which he blamed on corruption and mismanagement, during his address to the UNGA.
“We are relying on the international community to fund vital projects, whether in the public or private sector, in order to revive the economic cycle and create new job opportunities,” Aoun told the gathering via a recorded video message.
Aoun also called for support for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, while adding “we reject all proposals of integrating Syrians in Lebanon”.
The statement comes as UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet gave updated casualties numbers on the Syrian civil war. She said the total number of those killed – including civilians and combatants – between March 2011 and March 2021 is more than 350,000.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun remotely addresses the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in a pre-recorded message. [The Associated Press]
President of Cyprus targets Turkey in fiery speech
The President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades used his UNGA address to condemn Turkey and Turkish President Recep Erdogan.
In July, United Nations talks to unify the Island nation stalled.
Turkish Cypriots declared Northern Cyprus a Turkish republic in 1983, giving it the formal title of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), but the UN Security Council immediately denounced it as “invalid” and “incompatible with the 1960 Treaty” that established Cyprus’ independence from Britain.
Anastasiades said that Turkey’s proposal of resolving the conflict outside of the UN framework “reinforces the valid arguments that Turkey’s end game is not to solve the Cyprus Problem, but to turn Cyprus into its protectorate”.
Turkish-Cypriot President Ersin Tatar came to power last October promising a two-state solution.
Nicos Anastasiades, President of Cyprus addresses the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York. [John Angelillo/The Associated Press]
Drive to end energy poverty gets jump start at United Nations
The COVID-19 pandemic has set back decades of progress on poverty and development – including the drive to eliminate energy poverty for good by the end of the decade.
On Friday, world leaders gathered for the United Nations General Assembly are expected to recommit to pledges to end energy poverty – and take those efforts a step further by hashing out a road map to get it done.
The UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE) is expected to see nations commit to accelerating previous pledges to advance clean energy for all by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Member states will be recharging efforts to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the targets set out by the global 2015 Paris Agreement on climate-change mitigation.
Read more here.
Iran says talks on nuclear deal to resume ‘very soon’
Iran will return to negotiations on resuming compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal “very soon,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters on the sidelines of the UNGA.
“We are not seeking to quit the negotiating table,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said.
“We will certainly pursue a negotiation that serves the rights and interests of our nation.”
The foreign minister also described conversations between Iranian and Saudi officials as “constructive” and he said Tehran had put forward dynamic proposals towards achieving peace in Yemen.
Iran’s President’s Ebrahim Raisi remotely addressed the 76th Session of the General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday. [File: Timothy A Clary/Reuters]Youth return to streets worldwide to fight climate change
Young people around the world began taking to the streets to demand urgent action to avert disastrous climate change, in their largest protest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The strike takes place five weeks before the UN COP26 summit, which aims to secure more ambitious climate action from world leaders to drastically cut the greenhouse gas emissions heating the planet.
A landmark UN climate science report in August warned that human activity has already locked in climate disruptions for decades – but that rapid, large-scale action to reduce emissions could still stave off some of the most destructive effects.
Activists hold banners during a protest march as part of the Fridays for Future climate movement’s initiatives, in New Delhi, India [File: Manish Swarup/The Associated Press]
Top UN official urges Myanmar action ‘before it’s too late’
Michelle Bachelet, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, has warned of a human rights catastrophe under military rule in Myanmar and urged the international community to do more to prevent the conflict in the country from getting worse.
“The national consequences are terrible and tragic – the regional consequences could also be profound,” Bachelet said in a statement. “The international community must redouble its efforts to restore democracy and prevent wider conflict before it is too late.”
The warning comes as the military rulers of Myanmar have sought representation in the UN. More than 350 Myanmar and international civil society organisations have urged the global body to continue to recognise the representative of the removed government, Kyaw Moe Tun.
The UN Credentials Committee is expected to consider the issue in the coming weeks.
Read more here.
Rights groups have urged the UN to continue to recognise Kyaw Moe Tun as the representative of Myanmar. [File: AFP]Original News : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/24/world-leaders-speak-for-fourth-day-of-un-general-assembly-live
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