One week before the general debate, the UN General Assembly officially opened its 76th session.
At the beginning, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Guterres, spoke of a time of great challenges. He mentioned in particular climate change and the coronavirus pandemic – and called for more commitment in the fight against it.
The new President of the General Assembly, the former Foreign Minister of the Maldives, Shahid, officially took office. He was elected in June and has held the chief ceremonial post for a year.
The General Assembly is the United Nations Parliament, in which each member country has one vote. The session periods last around a year. The high point every September is the general debate at the General Assembly, which is attended by heads of state and government from all over the world.
This message was broadcast on September 15, 2021 on Deutschlandfunk.
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