World leaders are about to descend on UN headquarters in New York for the opening of the 78th UN General Assembly.
Here are three things to expect:
Sustainable Development Goals summit
Today, the summit on Sustainable Development Goals kicks off.
A huge, multi-coloured and multi-million-dollar pavilion has been built in the grounds of UN headquarters, featuring real plants and trees inside, to draw attention to the 17 SDGs, sometimes called the 2030 Agenda.
It's what the UN calls the blueprint for the survival of the planet and the people on it, by tackling things like poverty, hunger and gender inequality.
But the agenda is way off track and the UN leadership is planning to get representatives from the private sector, NGOs and government inside the pavilion to "put their money whether their mouth is" and reinvigorate the goals.
High-level week
Tomorrow, security will be extra tight for the first day of high-level week. That’s the moment when the speeches by heads of state to the General Assembly start.
US President Joe Biden will be here. But the star turn will likely be Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who will attend the GA in person for the first time.
On Wednesday, there’s a Security Council meeting on Ukraine.
The big question is whether president Zelensky and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov will go head-to-head in the Council or whether they boycott each other’s speeches.
Climate Ambition Summit
On Wednesday, the Climate Ambition Summit starts.
UN Secretary General António Guterres has said the sustainable development is the most important thing this week.
But his climate messaging will, no doubt, be heated.
His rhetoric has become increasingly apocalyptic with phrases like the planet "boiling" and the start of "climate breakdown."
Yet, UN data shows the use of fossil fuels has not decreased. Youth activists from all over the world, including Ireland, have been invited world to help him drive home his message.
But with so much else going on during General Assembly week, will world leaders be listening?
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