President Biden to focus on combating COVID-19, climate crisis, defending human rights, democracy in first UNGA address

The U.S. envoy to the U.N. also noted that she expects numerous discussions on Afghanistan next week as world leaders gather at the U.N. headquarters for a hybrid high-level General Assembly session

Joe Biden will focus on ending the COVID-19 pandemic, combating the climate crisis and defending human rights, democracy and the international rules-based order in his first address as the U.S. President to the high-level next week, Washington’s envoy to the U.N. has said.

During a press briefing previewing America's participation and priorities for the session, U.S. Representative to the U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and other senior officials from the State Department will be in New York for the 76th U.N. General Assembly High-Level week and “will have a full agenda.” “President Biden will speak to our top priorities: ending the COVID-19 pandemic; combating climate change — climate — the climate crisis; and defending human rights, democracy, and the international rules-based order. All three are challenges that stretch across borders. They involve every single country on Earth,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said on September 17.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Biden on September 20 in New York City. President Biden will address the General Debate on September 21, the first address of his presidency to world leaders from the iconic General Assembly hall.