Who's who at the UN Future Summit and UNGA 79

The United Nations Manhattan headquarters will be the site of not one but two world leader summits next week: The Summit of the Future and the U.N. General Assembly high-level debate, which will bring together presidents, prime ministers, ambassadors, and a small army of private NGOs. Among the attendees are U.S. President Joe Biden, delivering his farewell address to the 193-member General Assembly, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will speak at the Summit of the Future, and French President Emmanuel Macron, who skipped last year’s U.N. summit. No-shows include Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is not scheduled to address either high-level meeting, but she and former President Donald Trump are likely to be a hot topic for conversion. Here at Devex, we will tell you who among the thousands of attendees is worth keeping a close eye on. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist will make his first appearance as the head of state of Bangladesh, replacing former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and fled the country in August after years in power in the face of mass protest demonstrations. Yunnus is reportedly planning to come to New York with a small delegation. The event should provide an opportunity to demonstrate whether he can assure Bangladesh is back on track. The ascendance of Yunus — a pioneer in microfinance and founder of the Grameen Bank — has been extraordinary, given he was sentenced in January to six months in jail on charges of violating labor laws, a charge his followers claimed was politically motivated. Yunus has insisted he is innocent of the charges. Senegal’s new president has experienced a meteoric rise from imprisoned opposition leader to president of one of Africa’s most important diplomatic powerhouses. As Africa’s youngest democratically elected president, Faye will be the subject of immense interest among U.N. observers keen to see whether he has something to offer that the old guard can’t. “I’m very curious what vision he articulates that reflects his understanding of young people, the young people of the Sahel: What is it they can expect,” Martin Kimani, the former Kenyan ambassador to the U.N. who currently serves as executive director of New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, told Devex. “How does he think young leadership with a deeper understanding of the aspirations of the youth generation can reshape politics in Africa and the world.” Faye is scheduled to address the Summit of the Future on Monday, Sept. 23, and deliver his speech a the U.N.’s high-level General Assembly on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The newly minted British prime minister will also be making his first appearance since his Labour Party ousted the Conservative Party’s 14-year rule. The honeymoon has been short, with violent anti-immigrant protests roiling the U.K. Starmer is expected to miss the Summit of the Future, which runs from Sept. 22-23, to attend the annual Labor Party Conference, which kicks off on the 22nd. But he should have plenty of time to make it to New York in time for his scheduled speaking slot at the U.N. General Assembly debate on the 27th. His trip aims to reset the U.K.’s relationship with Europe (it broke ranks with the European Union in January 2020) and with governments from the global south. Climate, environment, and ending the war in Gaza and the wider Middle East, will be priorities. Sudan’s army chief will use his 15 minutes at the General Assembly podium to denounce his civil war rival, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and will try to put pressure on Dagalo’s chief military backer, the United Arab Emirates, to stop supplying arms. The two former partners in Sudan’s transitional government took up arms against one another in April 2023, and quickly transformed Sudan into the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 20,000 killed, according to the U.N., and famine in pockets in northern Darfur. Since the war began, some 10.3 million people, or one-fifth of the population, have been driven from their homes, making it the world’s largest displacement crisis. The warring parties, Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces and Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces, have both been accused of committing large-scale human rights violations. What’s next? As the leader of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Samantha Power holds the reins to the largest bilateral development agency in the world. A former war correspondent, genocide scholar, and government official, Power also used to roam the halls of the U.N. herself — from 2013 to 2017, she served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. under the Obama Administration. Today, Power is at the helm of a $42.8 billion federal agency, one that’s working in more than 100 countries across the globe. But despite her influence, most assume — given the typical tenure of her role — that this UNGA will be Power’s last as USAID administrator. Her three-plus years at the agency mark Power as the second-longest-serving administrator since 2000, and as the days tick closer to the U.S. election, we’re watching how Power will leave her mark. She’s likely to discuss the world’s most pressing conflicts, such as Sudan and Gaza, the latter of which has been a particularly thorny topic for U.S. government officials. In recent months, Power has spoken up about how Israel’s military operation is having “catastrophic consequences” on communities in the territory, and that the Israel Defense Forces “must do more” to protect aid organizations and civilians. But at the same time, she’s faced criticism for not doing enough — and earlier this year, a member of her own staff interrupted a speech given by the genocide scholar in Washington, D.C., stating that Power should have resigned over President Biden’s support for Israel. The Iranian president will have his debut appearance at U.N. high-level week, having replaced the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May 19 helicopter crash. The crash also killed Iran’s former foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Expect Pezeshkian to denounce Israel, and its chief American military backer, for atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territories, while fending off charges that Tehran and its satellite of armed proxy militias in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, bear responsibility for the escalation of violence in the region. Expect props. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has a reputation for rattling U.N. diplomatic sensibilities with annual denunciation of all things U.N. But his visits to the U.N. General Assembly are often remembered for his props — including the picture of a Wile E. Coyote-style bomb he displayed before the U.N. membership in September 2012 to illustrate Iran’s alleged march towards a nuclear bomb. It’s not clear that Netanyahu’s gambit moved the U.N. audience, which generally exhibits little sympathy for the Israeli prime minister. This time around, Netanyahu will face an even less friendly audience, amid claims by the International Criminal Court prosecutor that he, along with leaders of Hamas, have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the nearly year-long war between Israel and Hamas. The court’s judges have yet to act on a request by the prosecutor to issue an arrest warrant, which would require state signatories to the Rome Statute establishing the court to arrest him and turn him over to the Hague. The U.S. is not a signatory. Netanyahu will travel to New York this month for a gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, his office said Sunday. The prime minister will arrive in New York on Sept. 24 for the four-day trip, his office said. Netanyahu last visited the United States in July, when he met with President Biden and Vice President Harris. The Brazilian president will seek to use his speech at the U.N. General Assembly to make the case for reforming the international financial system and boosting financial assistance to the global south through a proposal for a 2% billionaire’s tax that could raise as much as $250 billion a year. Lula carries more weight than usual as Brazil holds the presidency of the G20, the Group of 20 economic powers, and is scheduled to host the coalition’s annual meeting on Nov. 8. But Lula is seeking to assert Brazilian leadership in a region that remains deeply divided over trade and human rights, particularly over an election in Venezuela. Latin America’s old guard of the political left, including Brazil and Mexico, have responded cautiously to Nicolás Maduro’s flagrant election steal, reflecting a long-standing reluctance of the region’s socialist leaders to point fingers at others in the socialist club. But not Chile’s 38-year-old socialist president, Gabriel Boric, who bluntly accused Maduro.“I have no doubt the Maduro regime has tried to commit electoral fraud,” Boric said. “What's more it is committing grave human rights violations.” The libertarian economist who carried a chainsaw during his successful presidential campaign to emphasize his plans to slash government spending will make his U.N. debut at the high-level debate. An admirer of Donald Trump, and a friend of former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro, Milei has already left his mark at the U.N., reversing the previous government’s support for Palestinian statehood, by casting an Argentine abstention in a general assembly vote on the matter. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk scolded Milei for adopting public spending cuts that “risk undermining human rights protection,” citing the closure of “State institutions dedicated to women’s rights and access to justice.” Despite his frequent denunciation of the political left, Milei has found common cause with his leftist counterpart in Chile, accusing Venezuelan strong man Nicólas Maduro of fraud in the country’s recent election. He claimed a “crushing victory” for Maduro’s opposition challenger Edmundo González, who was forced to flee the country for Spain. “DICTATOR MADURO, OUT!!!” he wrote in Spanish on X, formerly Twitter. The former top U.N. and Dutch government official was appointed in December 2023 to facilitate U.N. humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza. Kaag, who previously served as the head of the Netherlands’ Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation ministries, is said to be exploring a new job. In her current job, Kaag has secured a degree of access to the Israeli leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that has eluded other U.N. officials, including U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. But she made it clear in a briefing to the U.N. Security Council that the humanitarian situation remains dire. “It is hell on earth,” she told reporters. “I can tell you, every day that passes, life in Gaza is unlivable.” She had her eye on the top U.N. humanitarian job, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs. But that post is a lock for the U.K. There were some rumors about taking another senior job in the Middle East, possibly replacing the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland. Wennesland’s contract expires in January. It is unclear whether it will be renewed for another year. Another rumor is that she has expressed interest in leading the U.N. Development Programme. Its current head, Achim Steiner, is due to conclude his second four-year term next June. Asked by a reporter whether she would continue on in her current job, Kaag responded: “I can tell you what I won’t be doing. I’m not going back into Dutch politics.” The former Argentine foreign minister and top U.N. official, was one of several female dignitaries who campaigned for U.N. secretary-general in 2016, ultimately losing out to the former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres. Malcorra — a cofounder of GWL Voices, which promotes gender equality in global leadership positions — is returning to Turtle Bay later this month to make the case for the U.N. to select its first woman candidate. The summit this week is likely to serve as an unofficial starting point for a lively campaign for the 2026 election which is expected to feature several prominent female candidates, including Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Costa Rican economist Rebeca Grynspan. In June, the British CEO and president of the International Rescue Committee was spotted campaigning for the Labor government, fueling speculation that the former U.K. foreign secretary might be making a move, either as U.K.’s ambassador to Washington or as the new U.N. humanitarian czar. His staff shot down the prospect, noting that Miliband is perfectly happy with his current job, which pays him more than $1 million a year in salary, more than what he could make in the other jobs. Ukraine’s war-time president plans to present a so-called victory plan to President Biden, as well as Kamala Harris, and Donald Trump during his visit to the U.S., where he is scheduled to address world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly debate. “The main point of this plan is to force Russia to end the war,” he told reporters. “The success of this plan depends on him,” he said of Biden. “Will they give what we have in this plan or not? Will we be free to use what we have in this plan or not?” he asked. Zelensky didn’t provide a lot of details on what he called a four-stage plan, beginning with Ukraine’s recent capture of Russian territory. But he has been pressing the U.S. and other Western powers to lift restrictions on the use of long-range missiles, including the U.S. Army Tactical Missile System. Zelesnky’s visit will also offer an opportunity for world leaders to meet his new foreign minister, Andrei Sybiha, whose main priority is securing more “guns, guns, guns.” The Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley is one of the most skillful political orators of her generation and one of the world’s most vocal champions of financial reform. She developed the Bridgetown Initiative, which seeks to strengthen the capacity of low- and middle-income countries to better battle economic shocks, from climate change, pandemic, and grinding indebtedness. With the race for the next U.N. secretary-general set to go into high gear through 2025 and 2026, Mottley will have an opportunity to maintain her front-runner status. Elissa Miolene contributed reporting. Update, Sept. 20, 2024: This article has been updated to clarify that the election for next U.N. secretary-general is in 2026.