UN General Assembly's Real Value Found in Informal Encounters, Not Speeches
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) serves as a platform for informal discussions rather than just formal addresses. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham makes his debut at the UNGA as a G7 leader, with his upcoming meeting with Donald Trump drawing significant attention. Each of the 193 member states takes the stage, where memorable speeches have occurred, such as Fidel Castro's in 1960 and Yasser Arafat's in 1974. Representatives often face criticism for wasting time by restating familiar viewpoints. Historical encounters include Manmohan Singh and Pervez Musharraf in 2004, as well as John Kerry and Mohammad Javid Zarif in 2013. Prospects for Security Council reform appear bleak, making an extension of the UNGA for informal talks a potential solution.
Key facts
- Andy Burnham arrives in New York this week for his first UNGA as UK prime minister, leading a G7 economy and a permanent UN Security Council member.
- His first meeting with Donald Trump is one of the most closely scrutinised encounters of the event.
- All 193 UN members can speak from the same green marble podium.
- Fidel Castro spoke for four-and-a-half hours in 1960; Yasser Arafat may have worn a loaded pistol in 1974; Muammar Gaddafi complained about jet lag in 2009.
- In 1960 Nikita Khrushchev reportedly thrashed his desk with a shoe during a speech by Filipino senator Lorenzo Sumulong.
- Last year 77 countries staged a walkout during a speech by Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- North Korea's vice-foreign minister Kim Son-gyong spoke last year and is attending again this year.
- In 2004 Manmohan Singh and Pervez Musharraf spoke, boosting a tentative Kashmir peace process; in 2019 Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Uhuru Kenyatta, restoring Mogadishu-Nairobi ties; in 2013 John Kerry and Mohammad Javid Zarif talked, aiding an Iran nuclear deal.
Entities
Artists
- Andy Burnham
- Donald Trump
- Fidel Castro
- Yasser Arafat
- Muammar Gaddafi
- Nikita Khrushchev
- Lorenzo Sumulong
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Kim Son-gyong
- Manmohan Singh
- Pervez Musharraf
- Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
- Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
- Uhuru Kenyatta
- John Kerry
- Mohammad Javid Zarif
Institutions
- United Nations General Assembly
- United Nations
- UN Security Council
- G7
- Workers' Party of Korea
- Monocle
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Kashmir
- Mogadishu
- Somalia
- Nairobi
- Kenya
- Iran
- North Korea
Sources
- Monocle —