Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the general debate of the 75th United Nations General Assembly on the 22nd, discussing world peace and development plans with leaders of various countries in the "cloud".

  When it comes to "debates," people often come and go and talk, but the general debates of the UN General Assembly are different from common ones.

On September 22, 2020, the general debate of the 75th UN General Assembly opened.

The picture shows the exterior view of the United Nations Headquarters.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Ma Delin

  The United Nations General Assembly holds a regular session from September to December each year. The regular session is usually divided into two stages. The first stage is the general debate stage, and the latter stage is for the general assembly to consider various issues included in the agenda.

In the general debate, the member states of the United Nations can express their views on a wide range of international issues.

  Unlike the debates in which one side refutes the other side, the General Debate of the General Assembly tends to provide UN member states with equal opportunities to discuss international issues. Representatives of all countries can use this platform to show themselves, express their concerns, and clarify their positions and views. Make appeals and initiatives.

  In addition, the general debate is also an important place for countries to strengthen unity and jointly cope with difficulties and challenges.

Therefore, the general debate has become an important stage for member states to carry out multilateral diplomatic activities, in which leaders of many countries meet on issues of common concern in order to achieve positive results.

  Like daily debates, the general debates of the General Assembly usually have topics.

This year's theme is "The Future We Want, The United Nations We Need: Reaffirming Our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism" and will be held from September 22 to September 26 and September 29.

Due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, leaders or senior representatives of 193 member states, 2 observer states and the European Union will express their positions on major international issues through pre-recorded video speeches.

  The order of speeches by countries is also unique in the general debate.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the General Assembly usually speak first, and then the representatives of the member states will speak one after another.

Among all the member states, Brazil has been the first country to speak for decades, and this tradition that has been maintained over the years began only by accident.

According to the UN Protocol Office, at the beginning of the establishment of the UN, all member states were "ashamed" to be the first to speak, and Brazil often volunteered to "take the lead."

So the tradition of Brazil as the first country to speak continues.

As the host country, the United States will speak in the second.

The order of the speeches of all other member states will be determined by taking into consideration factors such as the level of representatives of each country and the geographical balance.

  During the general debate, there is no mandatory limit on the time for delegates to speak. However, in order to give all Member States an equal opportunity to speak, the General Assembly recommends that all speakers voluntarily limit their time to less than 15 minutes.

In order to help speakers to speak according to the schedule, a light reminder device will be installed on the podium.

  Since there is no time limit, "timeout" situations are not uncommon in general debates.

In 1960, the first speech of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the general debate of the UN General Assembly lasted four and a half hours, setting the record for the longest speech in the history of the general debate of the UN General Assembly.

  When world leaders gathered at the United Nations for a general debate, a series of memorable speeches were written into history, either passionate, affectionate, or exciting.

As one of the founding members of the United Nations, China has repeatedly used the platform of general debate to make a Chinese voice.

  In addition to the general debate of the General Assembly, there are many "cold knowledge" about the United Nations that "you don't know" worth collecting.

Data map: In 1945, representatives of 51 countries gathered in San Francisco to sign documents.

Image source: United Nations official website

Where did the name "United Nations" come from?

  According to the official website of the United Nations, the name "United Nations" was conceived by US President Franklin Roosevelt.

The name was first used when the "United Nations Declaration" was issued on January 1, 1942.

During World War II, representatives from 26 countries promised that their governments would continue to fight the Axis powers together.

  Which language does the United Nations use?

There are six official languages ​​of the United Nations, namely Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

According to the UN Charter, all official languages ​​have the same legal effect, but English is still the most used language in the UN.

Is the United Nations General Assembly "meeting"?

  The United Nations General Assembly that people usually discuss, although the name "General Assembly" has the word "Assembly", is not a "meeting" but the main deliberating, monitoring and reviewing agency of the United Nations, referred to as "General Assembly".

The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six major institutions established at the beginning of the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. The remaining five are the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat.

Therefore, the "United Nations General Assembly" is not a meeting that can be held. Countries can only hold a meeting of the General Assembly.

The picture shows the United Nations flag.

Image source: United Nations official website

Who owns the United Nations land?

  As everyone knows, the United Nations headquarters is located in New York, but the land on which it is located is an international territory.

This piece of land was donated by American oil tycoon John Rockefeller, and the United Nations headquarters building was jointly built by French architect Le Corbusier, the "standard bearer of modern architecture", and Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect "Picasso of architecture".

The United Nations Headquarters building and its location are considered international territories, so it is not necessary to comply with New York City’s fire and building codes.

Who are the UN Deputy Secretary-General?

  The "big name" of the UN Secretary-General may already be familiar to everyone, but the Deputy Secretary-General is not necessarily.

The UN Deputy Secretary-General is an international civil servant who serves the UN and can no longer represent the interests of any country.

According to UN practice, people from the five permanent members of the Security Council cannot serve as UN Secretary-General, but can serve as UN Deputy Secretary-General.

In the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, the five permanent countries have a position.

Since China resumed its legal seat in the United Nations in 1972, nine Chinese diplomats have successively served as United Nations Deputy Secretary-General. The current Chinese Deputy Secretary-General is Liu Zhenmin, in charge of economic and social affairs.

  Author: Huang Yu Chin