World leaders to gather at UN as crises grow and conflicts rage

At the United Nations’ annual hallmark gathering on Sunday, world leaders will converge on the organization’s New York headquarters against a volatile backdrop of escalating conflicts, rising populism, and impasse in diplomatic relations.

Among the contentious topics on the agendas of the presidents and prime ministers attending the UN’s premier event, the high-level week of the General Assembly, are the war in Gaza, the rising tensions in the Middle East, the starving conditions in Sudan’s civil war, and the grueling struggle in Ukraine.

Nonetheless, this week UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized that the world could “avoid moving to World War Three.”

At a briefing, Guterres stated, “What we are witnessing is a multiplication of conflicts and the sense of impunity.”

The meeting “could not come at a more crucial and difficult time,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the UN representative from Washington, stated.

“It’s easy to become cynical when faced with the seemingly never-ending list of crises and conflicts that require attention and action.

“But we can’t afford to do that.”

It is uncertain what, if anything, the massive assembly, the World Cup of diplomacy, will accomplish for the millions of people trapped in poverty and violence around the world.

According to Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group, “Gaza will obviously be the most prominent of these conflicts in terms of what leaders are saying,” with Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Mahmud Abbas of Palestine, and Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran scheduled to attend.

The prearranged diplomatic platitudes and speeches, he said, would “not actually make a great deal of difference to events on the ground.”

After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, more than 1,200 Palestinians died as a result, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures. This marked the beginning of the Gaza conflict.

The health ministry in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas, reports that since the start of the conflict, Israel’s military campaign in the region has claimed the lives of over 41,272 Palestinians. These numbers have been approved by the UN as accurate.

There is great concern that the fighting may spill over into Lebanon, where Hezbollah’s communications appear to have been the target of several devastating bombings this week. Israel has not yet provided a statement.

With a “Summit of the Future,” Guterres’ centerpiece initiative to foresee global difficulties in the years ahead, the action gets underway in New York on Sunday.
World leaders to gather at UN as crises grow and conflicts rage