The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) opened on September 5, 2023 and the General Debate was held between September 19 and 23 and then again on September 26, 2023 at the UN Headquarters, New York, USA. Dennis Francis, the Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the UN, was elected as the President of the UNGA on June 1, 2023.
Theme of the Session
The session was attended by leaders from a number of member nations, who discussed on a wide range of issues.
The theme of the General Debate was chosen by Francis as: Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDG) towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.
President’s Message
Outlining the session’s imperative, the UNGA President Dennis Francis said, it is essential to unite the nations, to unite in conviction of common purpose and in solidarity of joint action. He said that war, climate change, debt, energy and food crises, poverty, and famine are directly impacting the lives and well-being of billions of people around the world. He called on the Member States to rebuild trust and reignite global solidarity. Quoting the late United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, he said: “If the UN did not exist, we would have to invent it.” He continued that the world is fortunate that the Organization does indeed exist and called on member states to make full and effective use of this unparalleled resource.
Regarding Ukraine, he mentioned the continued violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty by another UN Member State. The war has unleashed untold suffering and destroyed countless families, communities, and lives, while the cascading impacts of the war are triggering food insecurity, volatility in energy prices, and the threat of nuclear warfare. He said, “We all want this war to end … we need just and sustainable peace in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world, in line with international law and with the UN Charter. Peace must also be given a chance in other parts of the globe—from Africa to the Middle East.”
Referring to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he said that there have been unacceptable delays and rollbacks with regards to the goals and called on Member States “to make up for the lost momentum and work much harder in the remaining seven years to accelerate progress”. As 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he reiterated: “As President of the seventy-eighth session, I am committed to championing vulnerable and marginalized groups.”
He said, “We do not lack capacity. What we lack is the will to act. By putting aside our differences and bridging divides we can deliver peace, progress, prosperity, and sustainability to everyone, everywhere.”
Agenda
The agenda of the 78th session of the UNGA, adopted at its 2nd plenary meeting, on September 08, 2023, is as follows:
- Promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and recent United Nations conferences
- Maintenance of international peace and security
- Development of Africa
- Promotion of human rights
- Effective coordination of humanitarian assistance efforts
- Promotion of justice and international law
- Disarmament
- Drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations
- Organisational, administrative and other matters
World leaders gather every year to engage in the annual high-level General Debate, discuss global challenges, and explore various solutions in an attempt to advance peace, security, and sustainable development.
As per the rule, Member States speak first, followed by observer states and then the supranational bodies.
Traditionally, Brazil has been the first country to speak. According to the UN Protocol and Liaison Services, no one seemed to want to be the first to speak except Brazil on many occasions. So, it became a tradition. Brazil is followed by the US as the host country. Thereafter, the order is as per the level of representation, geographical balance, request recorded to speak, and other considerations.
A supranational body is a type of international organisation which has the power to directly exercise some of the powers and functions which is not reserved for other states. European Union (EU) has been described as a supranational organisation as it has deep political, economic, and social integration, which includes common market, joint border control, a supreme court, and regular popular elections.
Discussions during the Session
SDG Summit 2023 The Sustainable Developmental Goals Summit 2023 was held in New York on September 18-19, 2023. The summit set a stage for a new phase of rapid progress made towards achieving SDG with high-level political guidance and taking metamorphic and quick actions. This summit marked the midway point to the time limit set for the attainment of the target of SDG 2030. Various complex and interlocking crises were discussed in this summit, setting off a sense of hope, optimism, and enthusiasm on the achievement of the goals listed in the 2030 Agenda.
Climate Ambition Summit The Climate Ambition Summit, held on September 20, 2023 at the UN Headquarters, New York, showcased the ‘first mover and doer’ leaders from government, business, finance, local authorities, and civil society. The representatives from all these fields proposed credible actions, policies, and plans to stimulate quick decarbonisation of the global economy. They pledged their commitment to delivering climate justice in line with the UN Secretary General’s Acceleration Agenda, which is the roadmap for a liveable planet.
India encouraged the Member States to present appropriate, earnest, and innovative climate actions and nature-based solutions. This would aid in moving forward and responding to the urgency of the climate crisis.
Financing for Development The Assembly also convened its second High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, since the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda was the outcome of the 2015 Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The agenda was adopted by the heads of States and governments on July 15, 2015. Even though significant progress has been made since the adoption of the agenda, there still persists uncertainties and risks that threaten the development progress of sustainable finance prospects. The High-level Dialogue aimed to renew the global commitment to financing at the highest political level. It would serve as a call from the UN for collective action for stimulating growth and tackling challenges in the global economy, encourage public and private investment to align with the 2030 Agenda. The Dialogue is also expected to serve as a medium to promote new and innovative initiatives that would target the gaps in financing sustainable development.
Pandemic Prevention Preparedness and Response During this meeting with the President of this session, Dennis Francis, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), an appeal was made to the heads of the Member States to adopt a political declaration aiming at the mobilisation of political will at the national, regional, and international levels for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The Summit of the Future A ministerial level meeting took place on September 21, 2023 to discuss and prepare for the September 2024 Summit of the Future. The leaders said, there have been major global crises happening recently. The COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine War, the triple planetary crisis, etc., have challenged the international institutions. There is a crucial and urgent need for unity around our shared principles and common goals. The Summit of the Future can be seen as an opportunity to bring world leaders on a common platform, leading to an increased cooperation on critical challenges. This would help in addressing gaps in global governance, fulfilling commitments on SDGs and the UN Charter, and moving towards a reinvigorated multilateral system, which would positively impact the lives of the people. The summit urged the Member States to consider ways for more effective global cooperation to deal with the challenges and the new threats in the future.
Universal Health Coverage The meeting on Universal Health Coverage presented an opportunity for the member nations to extend their efforts towards achieving the goal of health for all. This high-level meeting also served as a foundation for executing the policies and ensuring the responsibilities for strengthening health systems for the future. In September 2019, the heads of the States and governments had endorsed a political declaration for the right of every human being, without any distinction, to get the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and recommitting to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.
Fight against Tuberculosis During the 78th UNGA, the second high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis was held on September 22, 2023. The theme of the meeting was “Advancing science, finance and innovation, and their benefits to urgently end the global tuberculosis epidemic, in particular, by ensuring equitable access to prevention, testing, treatment and care”.
India’s Statement India was represented by the Minister of External Affairs, Dr S. Jaishankar. He spoke about various things including India’s G20 presidency, respect for territorial integrity, and global world order. At the outset, he extended India’s fullest support to the 78th UNGA’s theme.
The following were the points that he raised during his speech at the UNGA:
- He stated that it was an occasion to take stock of India’s achievements and challenges, while sharing India’s aspirations and goals. He stated that the world has been passing through an exceptional period of turmoil. Structural inequities and uneven development have imposed burdens on Global South. The situation has become worse due to the impact of the pandemic and the repercussions of the ongoing conflicts, tensions, and disputes. All these have hampered socio-economic gains in the recent years.
- He expressed India’s concern about the resources for sustainable development being severely challenged. It has been a struggle for many States to meet the ends. This has made future even more daunting. He stressed on India’s responsibility after it took up the Presidency of the G20. India has sought to focus the key concerns of many nations with its vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. He reiterated the New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Declaration, which has been set to bridge divides, dismantle barriers, and sow the seeds of collaboration that nourish a world where unity would prevail over discord, and where shared destiny would eclipse isolation.
- He emphasised that the New Delhi Summit has been able to keep aside the East-West polarisation and North-South divide and affirmed that diplomacy and dialogue are the only effective solutions. The international order is diverse and everyone must cater for divergences. To listen to others and to respect their viewpoints should not be considered as a weakness, rather, it is the basics of cooperation. This could lead to collective efforts on global issues to be successful. The G20 Presidency called for the ‘Voice of the Global South’ Summit, which led India to hear directly from 125 nations their concerns on the G20 agenda. He also mentioned the India’s initiative to admit the African Union as a permanent member of the G20.
- He hailed the transformative role that the digital public infrastructure (DPI) has been playing. He also appreciated the women-led development in building an inclusive and progressive society. He expressed that the New Delhi G20 outcomes would bring about cities for tomorrow and help in fighting corruption, eliminating hunger or delivering quality education, ending plastic pollution or preserving the ocean-based economy, enhancing food security or mapping global skills.
- The minister also highlighted the development made on Global Biofuels Alliance. India had hosted the creation of India-Middle East -Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
- He asserted that like every other nation, India, too, pursued on its national interests for the global good, and aspires to be a leading power only to take greater responsibilities and make more contributions. He stressed that India has demonstrated this during the COVID-19 pandemic through its Vaccine Maitri initiative. For enhancing food security, India embraced 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
- He also upheld India’s disaster management system for providing help to the world during disaster emergency situations, such as during the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria.
- He brought to notice that India had assisted Sri Lanka during their severe economic crisis. Further, away from home, India helped the Pacific Islands in meeting their needs in health, technology, and climate action.
- He stressed that India has been one of the largest contributors in meeting SDG targets as it expanded its capacities for regaining confidence.
- He emphasised that India has been instrumental in lifting 415 million people out of poverty, according to the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023. This has been made possible due to India’s ambitious socio-economic initiatives covering financial inclusion, food and nutrition, health and water supply, as well as energy and housing. India has been seeking to demonstrate that social welfare need not be the sole prerogative of the developed world.
- He highlighted India’s transformational role in digital delivery of public goods, which has significantly enhanced efficiency and combated corruption.
- He stated that rules work effectively only when they equally apply to all. A fair, equitable, and democratic order will emerge if the rule makers do not subjugate the rule takers.
- He called for a stringent climate action and condemned the practice of vaccine apartheid and using markets to steer food and energy from the needy to the wealthy.
- He stressed that terrorism, extremism, and violence should not be tolerated for the sake of political convenience. Further, there should be respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs of other countries. He also emphasised that all the nations must address global challenges and diffuse them with the conviction that “we are one earth and one family, with one future”.
- Hailing India’s successful Chandrayaan-3 Mission, he commended the talent and creativity showcased by the Indian Scientists during the mission.
- Apart from digitally enabled governance and delivery, India has widened its ambit to amenities and services. With its rapidly growing infrastructure and energetic startup culture, India has also become visible in vibrant cultural expressions such as arts, yoga, wellness, and lifestyle.
- On women empowerment, he asserted that in a path-breaking legislation, India is reserving one-third of the seats for women in its legislatures.
- He concluded that India is a society where ancient traditions of democracy have struck deep modern roots. Due to this, the thinking, approaches, and actions of Indians have now become more grounded and authentic. India is a civilisational polity which embraces modernity, and hence, equally brings out both tradition and technology.
About UNGA
The UNGA is one of the six principal organs of the UN. The UNGA serves the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN. It is responsible for the UN budget, appointment of non-permanent members to the Security Council, and the appointment of the UN Secretary General. The UNGA was formed in 1945 and has its headquarters in New York, the US. The first session of the UNGA was convened in January 1946 with 51 member nations. At present, all the 193 members of the UN are the members of the UNGA. Every year, the UNGA session is held in September, in New York.
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