The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly is now underway in New York City. The big highlight: the general debates, where world leaders address the assembly.
What is typically the largest gathering of world leaders each year now comes amid concurrent global crises. Nearly a year since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s subsequent, ongoing military attacks in Gaza, tensions in the wider region have soared while the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated. The U.N. Secretary General himself has pushed for a cease-fire, while Israel has faced serious allegations over its conduct in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the threat of climate change continues to become more acute, especially in the Pacific, where small island nations face a sea rising faster than global averages.
But complicating potential progress on climate, education and more is the global debt crisis, which the United Nations describes as “a growing burden to global prosperity.” Debt held by governments is now nearly equal to global gross domestic product. According to the International Monetary Fund, “more than half of low-income developing countries are in or at high risk of debt distress.”
PBS News breaks down three main topics to watch for ahead of the UNGA general debates, set to run from Sept. 24 through Sept. 30.
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