UNderstanding the UN: What Happened During UNGA
UNderstanding the UN is done in partnership with PassBlue.
New Yorkers rejoice! Gridlock along the east side of Manhattan is coming to an end as the 74th General Assembly wraps up. While the spotlight was on President Trump, there were other major moments during the General Assembly that are noteworthy and have important implications.
Check them out below.
Young activist breaks onto world stage.
Swedish teen Greta Thunberg took the stage last Monday to call out world leaders for their lack of action in the face of climate change. Thunberg confronted leaders, who she says care more about profit than climate. In her impassioned speech, Thunberg’s most memorable line came when she told world leaders:
“All you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth-how dare you?”
Thunberg’s activism has been met with support from prominent leaders, like former President Barack Obama. She also inspired the #FridaysforFuture campaign, which came to fruition nearly two weeks ago when thousands of New Yorkers took to the street to demand climate action.
Bloodshed in Kashmir
While mainstream news has kept relatively quiet about the now almost two-month curfew and communications block on Kashmir at the hands of India, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan used his time on the stage to shine a spotlight on the dire issue.
Khan warned the world that this conflict will end in bloodshed. He says the people of Kashmir will not accept the treatment once the curfew is lifted, and will most likely riot. He urged world leaders to act on behalf of the Kashmir community. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi avoided the subject best he could during his address.
Iran Challenges the U.S
Leaders from Iran and the United States took more swipes at eachother during last week’s General Assembly. While President Trump said world leaders should unite against Iran’s “bloodlust”, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused the United States of “merciless economic terrorism”.
Rouhani said Iran would never negotiate with “an enemy”, and if the U.S was willing to work together, the U.S would have to pay more, implying Iran got the short end of the stick in the controversial 2015 Iran Nuke Deal.
UNGA President Calls for Unity
The 74th President of the General Assembly Tijani Muhammad-Bande urged world leaders to come together in the face of issues he finds pressing. Echoing globalist sentiment, Muhammad-Bande said nations need to come together for financing and experience-sharing cooperation in order to fight global challenges like healthcare, terrorism and climate change. He said pooling resources “to urgently address major global challenges confronting humanity” should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
He also stressed the need for nations to work together to eradicate poverty, noting that climate change has only exacerbated poverty. He says climate change has led to food shortages worldwide and poses “grave dangers for our world, now and in [the] future”.
