UNGA 80: When the World Converges on New York
From Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and Iran, I (with the help of others) cut through the noise at the “Super Bowl” of global diplomacy.
Welcome to UNGA 80 from New York City — the annual Super Bowl of international diplomacy.
Just walking through midtown Manhattan these past hours, it’s clear this is the moment when the world truly descends on the Big Apple. In a single day’s worth of daylight conversations, we’ve touched on everything from universal jurisdiction and the hostage convention to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza — not to mention Sudan and Iran.
French President Emmanuel Macron seized the UN stage to announce that France will join the UK, Canada, and Australia in formally recognizing a Palestinian state. “We can no longer wait,” he declared, framing recognition as an essential step to break the spiral of violence and to open a pathway toward lasting peace. The move places Paris firmly among a growing bloc of major powers willing to challenge decades of diplomatic inertia on the Palestinian question.
In my main video, as well as a special guest video, I try to untangle some of these strands and make sense of the week ahead. More tomorrow when U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the assembly, followed Wednesday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This is an experimental new format I’m trying out for UN Week, and I’d love to hear what you think.
— Michael Bociurkiw
My initial thoughts from the first daylight hours of UNGA 80
Inspiring food for thought by Emi Mahmoud - Poet, Activist, Founder and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador