UN General Assembly debates begin in 'hybrid' format
A police officer stands at a blocked intersection in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday, September 20, 2021, as the leaders of more than 100 countries will be in attendance this week for the United Nations General Assembly.
AP - Seth Wenig
Text by: Marie Normand Follow
5 mins
A week after the start of its work, the 76th session of the UN General Assembly begins its debates this Tuesday, September 21 in New York.
The 193 member countries will speak at the podium for a week, against the backdrop of the submarine crisis and the debacle in Afghanistan.
Advertising
Read more
Unlike last year, when the event was entirely virtual, New York once again welcomes delegations from all over the world. A General Assembly described as a “hybrid”: from the American Joe Biden to the Briton Boris Johnson, via the Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro who will speak first as tradition dictates, more than half of the leaders will be physically present. Even if the delegations are small, their arrival generated a great confusion. New York City Hall required proof of vaccination, much to the chagrin of some leaders. After
much procrastination
, the UN will ultimately only ask for a sworn statement.
The Covid-19 has had a heavy impact on all UN cases.
"
It is a contact diplomacy, often informal
" which has necessarily suffered from social distancing, explains Guillaume Devin, professor at Sciences-Po Paris.
"
The epidemic has shown deficits in terms of cooperation, solidarity and trust between States
", notes Alexandra Novosseloff, associate researcher at the Thucydide center at the University of Paris II.
“
The challenge today is to re-mobilize nations at a pivotal moment.
"
►
See also: UN General Assembly: President Xi Jinping finally at the podium, but on video
A highly anticipated speech by Joe Biden
193 countries are invited to speak at the podium for a week. Each year, “
this general debate is an opportunity for the representatives of States to express their position with regard to major world affairs, but also with regard to the functioning of multilateral institutions. It is an important moment to grasp the spirit of the times, the evolutions of the moment
”, recalls Guillaume Devin, author of“ The United Nations General Assembly ”(Presses de Sciences Po). Joe Biden's speech, who will speak for the first time in this forum, is one of the most anticipated, after four years of Trump presidency. "
We can expect a speech more favorable to multilateral deliberation, to international cooperation
", Suggests Guillaume Devin, who nevertheless notes a"
very difficult
"
context
,"
worrying in the Middle East, conflictual in Asia and Central Asia
", and undermined by"
Sino-American rivalries
". “
There is a lot of noise from boots, but the General Assembly is one of the few forums in which we can talk to each other,
” summarizes the professor at Sciences Po.
For Alexandra Novosseloff, Joe Biden is expected, more generally, on his vision of the world, on "
his tone vis-à-vis Russia and especially China
". “
The United Nations is also that. It is a platform, it gives legitimacy to a certain number of causes and projects,
”adds the author of“ The United Nations Security Council ”(CNRS Editions). “
The American president is also expected at the turn in a context where he has not shown very great solidarity with his allies, especially in the Afghan crisis. He is expected on the pledges he could give to restore this confidence.
However, Joe Biden should not return in his speech on the hasty withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.
For the former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Bernard Miyet, the American president "
will be more in a logic of preparing the future than of explaining the past
".
Who to represent Afghanistan and Burma?
More than a month after the Taliban's return to power, Kabul's legal representative before the United Nations is still that of the former regime. Between him and the candidate proposed by the Taliban, the UN will have to decide, but it seems urgent to wait. “
As every year, before each General Assembly, a credentials committee meets to find out whether the representatives of each country are valid or not,
” explains Bernard Miyet. “
For now, things remain as they are, there has been no real discussion. It is convenient for everyone not to open the question today, not to pose the basic problem. But it should be understood that these representatives will keep a low profile during the General assembly to avoid problems
“, Says the president of AFNU.
►
To read also: Afghanistan: the treatment of women by the Taliban will be a "red line", warns the UN
The same goes for Burma, which suffered a coup in February.
If we are to believe the American media, the United States and China have negotiated with the Burmese junta so that it does not speak at the podium.
As for the current permanent representative of Burma to the United Nations, who had taken a stand against the military, he too will have to remain silent.
►
To read also: Coup d'état in Burma: the ambassador to the UN spectacularly breaks with the junta
Prepare for COP26
A few weeks before the
COP26 in Glasgow
, the gathering of States around this debate of the General Assembly is also a way to relaunch cooperation on the
climate issue
. “
Many countries, especially France, attach a lot of importance to it. It is also an important element for Joe Biden. Awareness is strong for all countries, including China,
”notes Bernard Miyet, President of the French Association for the United Nations (AFNU) and former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, in charge of peacekeeping operations. the peace.
From Monday, September 20, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres organized with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a closed-door global climate summit. “
We have the impression that these summits are not used for much, but it is a way of mobilizing the attention to generate cooperation on a certain number of subjects for which… we cannot do without cooperation
», Comments Alexandra Novosseloff. And to convince politicians, it is also necessary to reach public opinion. Once again this year, the UN has gone to great lengths and invited BTS, the Korean pop star group. Last year, their performance blew up the UN website.
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
United States
UN
our selection
Diplomacy
Defense