Opening of the General Debate of the 78th United Nations General Assembly
The 78th General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly opened on the 19th at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The heads of state, government, and high-level representatives of multiple countries will express their respective national positions and propose solutions to major issues and challenges of common concern to the international community, such as advancing sustainable development goals, addressing climate crises, easing the deteriorating security situation, and promoting United Nations reform.
UN Secretary General Guterres warned in his speech that the world is becoming unstable, geopolitical tensions are heating up, the world is moving towards multipolarity, peace and security are facing unprecedented pressure, nuclear disarmament is stalled, and the world economy, financial system, and trade relations are "getting closer to serious rupture". At the same time, inequality is intensifying, hate speech is increasing, the humanitarian system is on the brink of collapse, and the international community is facing a series of threats related to human survival, from climate crisis to disruptive technologies.
Guterres called for reform of the global multilateral system, reforming the Security Council based on the current state of the world, reshaping the international financial architecture, making it truly universal, and becoming a global safety net for struggling developing countries. He called on countries to provide funding for global humanitarian fundraising efforts, take measures to advance the annual $500 billion stimulus package for sustainable development goals, while reducing the financial burden on developing countries and emerging economies.
Guterres emphasized that what the world needs is political wisdom, not power and stalemate. The international community should bridge differences, create peace, uphold the dignity and value of all, achieve sustainable development goals, not let anyone fall behind, and "reform multilateralism for the 21st century, unite for common interests.".
The 78th President of the United Nations, Francis, presided over the opening ceremony. He called on all countries to rebuild trust and unity in his speech. He said that the international community should release important financial and resource resources to support the most vulnerable populations in mitigating, adapting to climate change, and enhancing resilience. He called on the international community to take immediate action to address the diverse and complex challenges of today, striving to bring peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability to every person around the world by eliminating differences and narrowing differences.
The theme of this year's general debate at the United Nations General Assembly is "Rebuilding trust, revitalizing unity: intensifying action to implement the 2030 Agenda and its sustainable development goals, and promoting peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all.".
The United Nations General Assembly is the main deliberative, supervisory, and reviewing body of the United Nations, composed of all members of the United Nations. The conference holds regular meetings from September to December each year. The regular meeting is usually divided into two stages. The first stage is the general debate stage, and the second stage is the deliberation stage of the agenda items included in the conference.