Tag: general debate
So, as the busiest week in international diplomacy is over now, here is what I thought of the general debate this year. The 72nd session of the UN General Assembly is well underway and of course keeps going on until next fall. Its most prominent week though with high level officials representing their countries on the GA floor is over now, with the closing of the general debate on Monday. The general debate must seem boring for many. I don’t think there is any one person who sits down and listens to almost 200 speeches in a row for days….
Again, better late, than never, right? This time, I am moving forward with the spearkers of the second half of the general debate. I was pleasantly surprised by the speech of President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic of Croatia, it almost consoled me for the absence of the British Prime Minister, she is such a good speaker. I wanted to follow her speech of course for the Croatia’s involvement in the European refugee situation. In solving this crisis, she emphasized that we will have to find balance between national, regional and global interests. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas elaborated on the Palestinian issue in…
A promise, now overdue, but better late than never. I will post my review of the general debate in two parts and of miscellaneous events of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly so far in a third. This year I followed more speeches than in previous years, as the refugee crisis in Europe puts many countries in the spotlight that otherwise would not be of interest in terms of world affairs. The theme of the general debate of the 70th session was „The United Nations at 70 – a new commitment to action”, but besides the theme, the…
The World is Watching – are you? The General Debate of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly just started yesterday. As President Obama pointed out in his speech, world leaders gathered in New York, because “others realized that we gain more from cooperation than conquest”. As it is a democratic institution though, there are quite a few speakers at the General Assembly representing member states that still don’t seem to realize that. Anyway, the theme of the general debate this year is “Delivering on and implementing a transformative post-2015 development agenda”, as this one is the last UNGA…
