UN: Over 130 World Leaders to Address UN General Assembly's Annual Debate on Opening Day
Some 130 world leaders are set to gather at United Nations headquarters in New York for the General Assembly's annual General Debate, which kicks off Tuesday and aims to set the stage for building a new global development agenda which both protects the planet and promotes equity, justice and prosperity for all people. A news release by the UN said, thus far, 84 heads of states, 41 heads of governments, 11 deputy prime ministers and 65 foreign ministers are scheduled to address the 68th Annual Session of the UN General Assembly.
The 68th Annual Session of the General Assembly begins on Tuesday and will continue through till Oct 1.
The news release said the General Debate will provide an opportunity for high-level political officials and state heads to weigh in on what John Ashe, president of the Assembly's 68th session, has called "pivotal" talks on identifying the parameters of the post-2015 sustainability agenda.
The post-2015 is set to succeed the Millennium Development Goals - the eight anti-poverty targets that galvanised the world in 2000.
Ahead of the Annual Session, UN officials have been holding wide-ranging consultative dialogues with a range of stakeholders including civil society representatives, NGOs, youth, organisations working with the disabled, among others.
Underlining the need for dialogue with multiple stakeholders, UN 68th General Assembly President John Ashe said there was a need for unprecedented levels of collaboration to set the post-2015 development agenda.
"Embarking on the post-2015 development agenda will require levels of collaboration among all stakeholders, the likes of which we have not seen before," Ashe was quoted as saying.
"The upcoming year will be pivotal for this Assembly as we seek to identify the parameters of the post-2015 development agenda," Ashe told the 193-member state body in his opening address last week.
The UN news release added that thus far, 84 heads of states, 41 heads of governments, 11 deputy prime ministers and 65 foreign ministers are scheduled to address the assembly on sustainable development, poverty eradication, climate change, human rights, and a range of peace and security issues.
