The 79th session of the General Assembly will take place in mid-September and for many the focus will be on the annual general debate. But what exactly is that?
Here’s what you need to know about the debate, which begins Tuesday, September 24:
What is the general debate?
The General Debate is an annual meeting in September of the heads of state and government of the 193 member states of the United Nations. The meeting takes place at the beginning of the session of the General Assembly, commonly known as the UNGA.
This is usually the first debate of the session and, except for concurrent summit meetings, it is the only meeting in which heads of state and government regularly participate.
A United Nations security officer stands at the foot of the podium stairs in the General Assembly Hall.
Is this really a debate?
Not necessarily. The General Debate gives representatives of all member states (and some other entities) the opportunity to speak in the General Assembly Hall.
There is no discussion or debate immediately following any speech. However, member states have the right to reply, and this is done in writing by a head of state. The letter is sent to the Secretary-General, who circulates it to all member states. During the general debate, statements exercising the right of reply are made at the end of each day.
The theme for this September session, the 79th session, is Leaving no one behind: Working together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations. Decided during extensive consultation of President of the General AssemblyMany heads of state may mention it in their speeches but are not required to do so.
Hugo Chávez (center), former President of Venezuela, arrives at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in September 2006. (file)
Who said when?
According to current practice, after opening the meeting, the UN Secretary-General will make a statement, followed by the President of the General Assembly.
Traditionally, and at least since the 10th session of the General Assembly in September 1955, Brazil has opened the debate. According to the United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service, initially in the early days of the debate, no country wanted to be the first to speak, and Brazil joined in several times.
The United States, as host of the United Nations, will be next to step up to the plate.
The order in which the other 191 member states speak is based on criteria such as geographical balance and their level of representation and preferences – for example, a head of state may not be in New York when the debate begins.
Apart from member states, the only countries invited to participate are non-member observer states such as the Vatican and the State of Palestine as well as the European Union, which has observer status at the United Nations.
Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi addresses the General Assembly in September 2009. (file)
Flashing lights, explosive tempers
In general debate, a voluntary speaking time limit of 15 minutes is informally proposed, and speakers are discreetly warned by a flashing red light when their time is up, although they are never interrupted or stopped.
The key word here is voluntary, and many, if not most, Heads of State speak longer.
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro still holds the record that dates back to 1960. longest speech ever famously clocked in at 269 minutes, or just under four and a half hours, after promising “we’ll do our best to be concise”.
There were many other long and very long speeches, but they are perhaps more notable for their content than their length.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the General Assembly in September 2012. (file)
In 2006, amid rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez called then-US President George W. Bush “the devil” from the podium.
In 2009, the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi gave a 100-minute speech harshly criticizing the United Nations. Security Council and the veto power of the five permanent members
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held up a cartoon of a bomb in 2012 to warn the world that Iran was just months away from building a nuclear weapon.
And former US President Donald Trump in 2017 threatened to “totally destroy North Korea,” contemptuously calling the country’s leader Kim Jong Un “Rocket Man.”
The Hammer, the Give Up
The first general debate took place in 1946 and in the nearly 80 years since, many traditions, solemn rituals and a few legends have been associated with the event.
The hammerDonated to the United Nations by Iceland in 1952, it is used to mark the beginning of the morning and afternoon sessions of general debate and, when necessary, also to maintain order.
It was used to try to silence then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, According to legend, he took off his shoe and banged it on the podium. to make your point strongly.
Occasionally, diplomatic protocol is upset when an entire delegation decides to leave the General Assembly Hall in protest at the views and actions of another member state, although in recent years this has become so common that it is not shocking.
Israel regularly objects to Iranian speech and vice versa.
María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (right), President of the 73rd session of the General Assembly, holds the gavel after handing over from Miroslav Lajčák (centre), President of the 72nd session, to Secretary-General António Guterres in 2018. (file)
How to follow the general debate
Although the debate is not open to the public, all proceedings are available live and on demand at United Nations Web TV.
All general debate speeches are available in the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library.
Many of the previous 78 general debates, or highlights from them, are available at United Nations Audiovisual Library.
