Amir to deliver speech at UN today

QNA Doha The General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which will run from September 21 until September 27, is the ...

QNADohaThe General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which will run from September 21 until September 27, is the highlight of each new session of the General Assembly, and it begins a week after the official opening ceremony.This General Debate is a global summit during which a large number of presidents and leaders of states and governments meet at the United Nations headquarters, where each leader stands on the platform of the General Assembly Hall to address an issue of their choosing before the globe.His Highness the Amir of State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is participating in the meetings of the 76th session of the General Assembly, as His Highness will deliver a speech in the opening session of the General Debate on Tuesday. HH the Amir’s speech is expected to address the constants of the Qatari policy, and the state’s stances on the most prominent local, Arab and international issues and files.The participation of HH the Amir in new session of the international organization comes as an affirmation of Qatar’s belief in the importance of the UN and its various bodies, as well as its lofty message to the international community, its stability and well-being, and the preservation of its rights without discrimination or exception.The participation of HH the Amir in the session also reflects His Highness’ keenness to highlight the distinctive image of Qatar and its positions before international forums, as well as the state’s keenness to participate in all international activities, dialogues and meetings, which aim primarily to consult and exchange views on issues, topics and files presented on the regional and international arenas.In an indication of the relative recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the atmosphere of this year’s session will be different from last year’s session in terms of participation. It will include a mixture of actual attendance by delivering speeches on the platform of the General Assembly, or virtual participation by delivering speeches virtually or via video recordings - which was the case in the previous session.Eighty leaders are expected to participate in the new session in person, while about a third of the leaders of the 193 member states decided to deliver their speeches via video recordings.The speeches of leaders and presidents before the General Assembly will focus on the most prominent current international crises and conflicts and issues of concern to the international community that require concerted efforts and mobilization of energies to confront them, foremost of which is the coronavirus pandemic and its various repercussions, in addition to the issue of climate change, and the fight against terrorism.Climate change and dealing with the coronavirus pandemic are expected to top the list of issues and topics on the agenda of the new session of the General Assembly.The White House announced that US President Joe Biden will directly deliver a speech to the participants in the General Assembly meeting, in his first visit to the United Nations Headquarters since his presidency. American press sources reported that Biden plans to tell the General Assembly that he wants to vaccinate 70 percent of the world’s population by September 2022. He will also invite rich countries to buy or donate one billion additional doses of vaccines and fund another $10 billion to prepare vaccines over the next year and a half.Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most difficult periods the world has witnessed since World War II, as it deepened inequalities, destroyed economies, and plunged millions into extreme poverty.