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UN General Assembly 74th Session

Special Coverage of the 74th General Debate
24 September-30 September 2019

As world leaders gather in New York in the coming days, the curtain will rise on the busiest diplomatic season of the year at United Nations Headquarters.

Here, UN News gives you a front row seat to all the action during the General Assembly’s annual high-level segment, known as the general debate. This year, the debate will run alongside a series of key summits and meetings, guided by the UN’s landmark Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), seeking to boost action on climate change and accelerate progress on sustainable development:
♦ 21 September – Youth Climate Summit;
♦ 23 September – Climate Action Summit and the High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage;
♦ 24 and 25 September – Sustainable Development Goals Summit;
♦ 26 September – High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development;
♦ 27 September – Small Island Developing States.

Displays at the United Nations Headquarters in New York illustrate the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN Photo/Manuel Elías

Sustainable Development Summit: ‘We must step up our efforts - now’, Guterres declares

“The 2030 Agenda is coming to life”, declared the UN chief on Tuesday, referring to the blueprint for a healthier planet and a more just world, as he launched the first Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit in New York. However, despite encouraging progress, António Guterres warned that much more needs to be done, and “we must step up our efforts. Now”.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, addresses the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly’s General Debate. (24 September 2019)
UN Photo/Cia Pak

Only international actions can settle the world’s ‘enormous and diverse cross-border challenges’, Qatar tells UN Assembly

In a world facing “enormous and diverse cross-border challenges”, the Emir of Qatar told the United Nations General Assembly’s high-level session on Tuesday that only international mechanisms can deter violators of international law, ensure sovereignty, prohibit land annexation and prevent armed conflicts through peaceful dispute resolution.