Global Initiative: The UN opened the anniversary session in search of unity

The 80th anniversary session of the UN General Assembly has opened in New York. The forum is held under the slogan "Work together," but its launch is accompanied by sharp political contradictions, from sharp criticism in Moscow of Annalena Berbok's election as session chair to the visa scandal surrounding the Palestinian delegation. The Russian side, which will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, intends to focus on strengthening multipolarity and countering Western "neo-colonial practices." The Russian Federation will also promote its approaches to the settlement in Ukraine at the General Assembly meeting. Which topics will be the main ones at the high week of diplomacy can be found in the Izvestia article.

The General Assembly: scandals and contradictions

On September 9, the 80th session of the General Assembly kicked off at the UN headquarters in New York. The anniversary forum is held under the motto "Working together: 80 years of joint work for peace, development and human rights and the way forward." The full range of international issues is on the agenda: from strengthening the foundations of global security and countering new challenges to combating climate change and reforming the global governance system.

The Russian delegation is headed by Sergey Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow intends to focus on strengthening "fair multipolarity", restoring the central role of the United Nations in solving global problems and countering "neocolonial practices of the West." The delegation's focus will remain on the promotion of Russian approaches to the settlement in Ukraine. Lavrov's speech from the rostrum of the General Assembly is scheduled for September 27.

The Russian diplomat emphasized at last year's session that the United Nations can be revived only through restoring trust, and not through declarations divorced from reality. He also recalled that the UN Charter provides not only for respect for territorial integrity, but also for the right of peoples to self-determination, which is especially important in the context of the Ukrainian crisis.

Former German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock was elected Chairman of the session. Her appointment has already caused controversy. Moscow believes that such a choice in the anniversary year of the United Nations has become an "anti-symbol." At an international anti-fascist forum, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Berbok an "odious figure."

She also drew attention to the Burbok family history: "The granddaughter of a Nazi. And we don't know which families we're born into. But Germans either repent for what their grandfathers and great-grandfathers did, or are proud, as in her case. She herself told reporters about how her supposedly heroic grandfather fought in Kaliningrad, although it is known which side he was on — the side of the Third Reich. It's a shame."

The 80th session of the General Assembly is taking place amid escalating international contradictions, from the conflict in Ukraine to the Middle East escalation and trade wars. In these circumstances, the motto of the session, "Work together," is facing increasing political barriers in practice.

On September 22, the General Assembly will become a platform for an international conference on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-State formula. France and Saudi Arabia will serve as co-chairs. The discussions focus on the recognition of Palestinian statehood and the mechanisms for resuming the peace process.

However, the preparations were complicated by the US decision to deny visas to representatives of the Palestinian Authority, including President Mahmoud Abbas. Ramallah called this step a violation of international law and the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement. Moscow expressed concern, saying that such actions "will negatively affect the prospects for reviving the Middle East peace process."

Meanwhile, Paris and London have toughened their position: French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris would recognize Palestine at the GA session, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer linked recognition with the end of Israel's military operation in Gaza and the lifting of the humanitarian supply blockade.

Orientalist Leonid Tsukanov noted that, despite the high probability of a collective decision to recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming conference, the absence of a delegation from Ramallah will significantly reduce the effectiveness of cooperation between Palestine and its supporters at the UN.

"Even taking into account the fact that President Abbas will speak online, the Palestinian side will be deprived of the opportunity to conduct behind—the—scenes negotiations with partners," the expert emphasized in an interview with Izvestia.

According to him, recognition on paper alone does not guarantee the implementation of the agreements reached. "Moreover, the United States does not demonstrate its readiness to support the two—state project," Tsukanov added.

UN reforms and challenges

The main event of the new session will be the general policy debates within the framework of the high-level week, which will be held from September 23 to 27, as well as on September 29. On the eve of the 22nd, a solemn meeting dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations will be held. The Heads of State and Government will summarize the work of the organization over eight decades and discuss how to make the system of multilateral institutions more flexible and inclusive. The agenda includes issues of Security Council reform, enhancing the role of developing countries and strengthening crisis response tools.

The reform of the UN Security Council, the main body that is designed to ensure global security, is constantly being discussed, because international relations have changed significantly since the organization was founded in 1945. Today, the world order is no longer defined by two opposing blocs, as in the Cold War era, or by a Western group of countries led by the United States, as it was after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many new centers of power have emerged on the global stage, seeking to assert themselves in the Security Council. At the same time, the international community has not yet managed to achieve concrete results in this direction.

— The topic of UN Security Council reform has been discussed for many years and has been repeatedly raised by Western countries, but no real results have been achieved. The right of veto will not be granted to new states in any case, but an expansion of the number of Security Council members remains a possible scenario," Mehdi Mehdiyev, a leading researcher at the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia.

According to him, Russia has consistently advocated strengthening the central role of the United Nations on the basis of international law. Moscow intends to promote multipolarity and reduce the dominance of Western countries in the work of the organization's secretariat.

The Russian position suggests the expansion of the Security Council at the expense of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, but the choice of specific states may cause serious disagreements. Germany and Japan are actively vying for a permanent seat on the basis of their financial contributions to the UN budget, but it is not like Russia and China are pushing for diversification and better representation in the countries of the Global South. Vladimir Putin previously named India, Brazil and South Africa as priority candidates. It is noteworthy that Germany, Japan, India and Brazil previously formed the "group of four" and proposed to expand the Security Council to 25 members, creating six new permanent and four non-permanent seats.

Another important topic of the high week will be the climate. On September 24, the General Assembly will hold a summit convened by the UN Secretary General. Against the backdrop of accelerating global warming and extreme weather events, world leaders will present updated national plans to reduce emissions, as well as measures to switch to renewable energy sources. The summit is seen as a key stage in the preparations for the COP30 conference, which will be held in Brazil in 2025.

Moscow, in turn, proceeds from the need to take into account the interests of developing countries and avoid imposing "green" standards on them that are not supported by real financial and technological support. The Russian side emphasizes that climate policy should be based on the principles of equity and equal access to technology.