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Ukraine, Climate, Cost of Living – What's On the Table at The 2023 U.N. General Assembly
photo courtesy of The Economist
By Jullian Cauntay
As people navigate the ongoing war in Ukraine, rising global temperatures, the cost of living crisis, and the post-pandemic era, world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
Despite this, only the United States, 1 of 5 of the world’s superpowers in the high-profile U.N. Security Council, sent their leader to attend. China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin have sent representatives on their behalf to address the assembly. The latter previously had a warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron are a no-show as well with the UK’s King Charles III making a state visit in France the same week.
Even as Ukraine's conflict in Eastern Europe rages on, more of its Western allies want a pivot, focusing more on climate and economic issues troubling the globe. In response, U.N. Secretary General António Guterrez is making efforts to host separate summits to address these pressing issues in regards to the 17 Sustainable Development goals that member nations signed in 2015.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was physically present this year after addressing the assembly virtually in 2022. The Ukrainian head of state urged nations all over the world to form a united front against Russian aggression, slamming the Russian government’s “weaponization” of innocent people. “The goal of the present war against Ukraine is to turn our land, our people, our lives, our resources into weapons against you — against the international rules-based order.” Zelensky said. In his address, US President Joe Biden rallied support for Kyiv’s effort to push back the Russian led invasion with seemingly no end in sight. Biden argues that Russia is prolonging the war, hoping people across the globe would grow tired of shouldering the cost of the war. The US president called on world leaders to remain steadfast in their support for Ukraine: “I ask you this: If we abandon the core principles of the United States to appease an aggressor, can any member state in this body feel confident that they are protected?” Biden continued, “If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?” Both heads of state were scheduled to meet at the White House in the same week with allies and adversaries alike watching closely.
Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/un-general-assembly-2023-ukraine-zelenskyy-biden-russia-china-absent/
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