After two years of a scaled back, mostly virtual gathering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual United Nations General Assembly is back in full force this year. The theme for the 77th UNGA — “A watershed moment: Transformative solutions to interlocking challenges” — is fitting for a moment in which crises are piling up and growing ever more complex, from the pandemic to the war in Ukraine to global economic turmoil and climate change. UNGA77 kicks off Monday, with the high-level meetings set for the following week.
The conference takes place at the halfway mark on the road to U.N. Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015. The outlook for achieving them by 2030 is not good. A U.N. Development Programme report released on Sept. 8 found that human development has declined globally for the last two years, falling back to levels last seen in 2016 and reversing progress toward achieving the SDGs. For many attendees, UNGA77 is a time to reflect on how to get the world back on track.
As heads of state, business and civil society leaders, philanthropists, and activists descend on New York City, here’s what our reporters hope to learn and report back.