The general debate of each new session of the General Assembly is held the week following the official opening of the session, typically the following Tuesday, and is held without interruption for nine working days. The general debate is a high-level event, typically attended by Member States' heads of state or government, government ministers and United Nations delegates. At the general debate, Member States are given the opportunity to raise attention to topics or issues that they feel are important. In addition to the general debate, there are also many other high-level thematic meetings, summits and informal events held during general debate week.[1][2][3]
General debates
The general debates are:[4]
References
- The 6th session opened on 6 November 1951, unusually late, because the 5th session (1950–51) had been substantially prolonged by the Korean War.
- The 11th session opened on 12 November 1956, delayed by the convening of the First and Second Emergency Special Sessions concerning the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, respectively.
- Dag Hammarskjöld died on 18 September 1961, one day before the 16th session opened. U Thant of Burma served as Acting Secretary-General from 3 November 1961 and was confirmed in office on 30 November 1962.
- The 19th session opened on 1 December 1964, severely curtailed by the Article 19 financial dispute over peacekeeping assessments. Substantive debate was minimal and no formal votes were taken during the session.
- The 56th session general debate was postponed from September to November 2001 following the September 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.
- The 57th session general debate was held 12–16 September 2002, earlier than the standard late-September slot. Resolution 57/301, adopted later that session, subsequently standardised the debate to open on the Tuesday of the fourth full week of September.
- Held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Held in a hybrid format
- Manhire, Vanessa, ed. (2019). "United Nations Handbook 2019–20" (PDF). United Nations Handbook (Wellington, N.z.). (57th ed.). Wellington: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand: 17. ISSN 0110-1951. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- "What is the general debate of the General Assembly? What is the order of speakers at the general debate?". Dag Hammarskjöld Library. United Nations. 10 July 2019. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". United Nations General Assembly. United Nations. n.d. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- "Index to Proceedings of the General Assembly - Regular sessions". United Nations.