UN General Assembly's 76th session to draw 83 heads of state to convene discussions

Volkan Bozkir, President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), stated on Thursday that 83 heads of state are anticipated to attend the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, which begins on September 14. Bozkir had earlier said that to date, heads of 83 governments have directly expressed their desire to attend, and 26 have applied for a recorded performance.

Those who will participate in person include one vice president, 43 heads of government, three deputy prime ministers and 23 foreign ministers, Bozkir said, according to Xinhua.

The first day of the General Debate will be on Sept 21

He further stated that they have a lot of people, leaders who have the intention to come, but also a limited the number of people who will come into the building. Because the accompanying delegations are larger than the expectation, so there will be only 1+6 all together (for each delegation), said the UNGA president. The first day of the high-level General Debate of the UNGA 76 will be Sept. 21. It will conclude on Sept. 27.

Bozkir stated that in previous year, they emphasised the dire need for a revision of the UN's preventive tools and systems. He added that The United Nations cannot be a crisis follower. It must be a proactive entity that takes action to avert or prepare for disasters before they occur.

During the previous year, the Assembly convened discussions on contemporary concerns such as the Gaza conflict, Myanmar's human rights situation, and Syria's humanitarian situation. He expressed his hope that the organisation "continues on this course" and does not shy away from the critical issues that the world faces. Member States have immense faith and dedication to the United Nations, according to Bozkir. He also made some suggestions to his coworkers and successor.

More intense discussions with International leaders are needed

He believes the General Assembly's job should be streamlined and deepened. According to UN News, he said that success is evaluated not by the number of meetings people have, but by the quality, format, and impact of those meetings. He further added that they could hold 25, 30, or even 40 so-called ‘high-level meetings' per year, but that will be only beneficial if they are properly attended. They need fewer, more intense discussions with international leaders that are directly relevant to the subject at hand.

Image: AP