What to expect on day two of the UN General Assembly 2023
EXPLAINER
World leaders have gathered in New York to have high-level discussions for the 78th session this week.
The 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) continues for a second day on Wednesday.
World leaders and representatives have gathered at UN headquarters in New York for the high-level debate, which will run through September 26.
Here is what to expect on the second day of UNGA:
Who will be speaking on day two?
Key speakers include:
- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
- Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati
- Libyan Minister of Youth Fatalla AF Elzuni
UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in the same room as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for the first time in two years.
This will be at the UN Security Council special meeting on the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said during his UNGA speech on Tuesday that he will talk more about the Ukraine peace plan and UN Charter at the Security Council meeting.
Biden and Netanyahu to meet
US President Joe Biden will have a series of bilateral meetings, including one with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This is the first meeting between the two leaders since Netanyahu returned to office in November last year.
A large protest against Netanyahu is expected at the same time.
UN Climate Ambition Summit
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will convene the Climate Ambition Summit to accelerate climate change policy, climate justice and decarbonisation through collective efforts.
What happened on day one?
- Motorcades and barricades choked midtown Manhattan as the world’s top dignitaries convened for the annual meeting.
- UNGA kicked off with a stern speech from Guterres focused on the geopolitical tensions largely fueled by the war in Ukraine.
- The first day saw speeches from high-profile leaders, including Biden, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Zelenskyy and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
Where can you follow UNGA?
All the speeches can be followed live on the UN’s WebTV live streaming platform.
