UN General Assembly: AI for Good Makes its Case | Brazil Minister of Environment Marina Silva: Climate Ambition Summit Had Amazon Rainforest at the Heart of Debate | WHO at UNGA78

This is a snapshot of last week at UNGA78 in New York. More in the coming weeks. Interviews, analysis, conversations. WHO: Universal Health Coverage Report Shows Need for Acceleration

It is a wrap.

Well, almost.

The UN General Assembly High-Level Debate wraps-up, but the work is just beginning. Secretary of State Blinken said it well, cracking a joke at the press briefing on Friday, “We are now closing the 27th day of the GA…”. It felt like it, a month’s work compressed in a week, seasons went by and the days in a flash. Talk, hope, more talk, promises, pledges. More promises. Rwanda paid its dues in full, so we are told, and now 135 of country members of the UN have fully paid their obligations towards the organisation.

UNGA in Numbers

The UN Secretary-General held 96+ bilaterals (that was until last Friday). In a week.

In terms of the numbers of leaders who participated in the past week, the last numbers (as of Friday 22 September) were 88 Heads of State, six vice presidents, 43 heads of government, four deputy prime ministers, 41 ministers, seven chiefs of delegations, plus three high-level speakers from observers, making a total of 192 high-level participants.

Missing: President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.