Key Trends and Takeaways from the 2024 U.N. General Assembly’s High-Level Week

More than 130 world leaders just completed a week of meetings in New York for the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly. This high-level week, as it’s called, began with States adopting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' "Pact for the Future,” a key document generated as part of the "Summit of the Future."  

The goal of the Summit, and the pact, is to recharge the idea of global cooperation, which is facing severe strain amid competition between the United States and its allies on the one hand, and Russia and China and their allies on the other. The U.N. meetings also occurred as conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, Sudan, and Myanmar, to name just a few, are killing tens of thousands of people and displacing millions. 

What were the key outcomes from the Summit of the Future and how might it shape future global diplomacy? And how can the U.N. more broadly remain relevant amid such geopolitical tensions? 

This is the Just Security Podcast. I’m your host, Paras Shah. Co-hosting with me today is Just Security’s Washington Senior Editor, Viola Gienger. 

Joining the show to assess the high-level week and the Summit of the Future is Richard Ponzio. 

Richard is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Stimson Center’s program on Global Governance, Justice & Security.

Show Notes:  

• Richard Ponzio (@RichardPonzio)
• Viola Gienger (@ViolaGienger)
• Paras Shah (@pshah518) 
• Richard's Just Security article "The UN's New 'Pact for the Future': A Milestone That Can Set a Path for Change"
• Just Security’s UNGA 79 coverage including expert analysis and resources
• Just Security’s U.N. Security Council coverage
• Just Security’s Russia-Ukraine war, Israel-Hamas war, and Sudan confect coverage   
• Just Security’s Summit of the Future coverage
• Music: “Broken” by David Bullard from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/david-bullard/broken (License code: OSC7K3LCPSGXISVI)