UNGA79: Leaving no one behind

Written by

Daisy Huntington

Published on

October 2, 2024

From September 10-24, 2024, the 79^th session of the United Nations General Assembly convened in New York City gathering heads of state, diplomats, civil society leaders, and experts to address the world’s most pressing challenges. The High-Level General Debate took place from September 20-30, during which key issues such as peace, sustainable development, global health, and climate change were central themes. Core events like the Summit of the Future and high-level meetings on sea level rise, nuclear disarmament, and antimicrobial resistance underscored the urgency of global cooperation in an increasingly complex international landscape. Former Prime Minister of Cameroon Philemon Yang was elected to serve as President of the 79^th Session.

This year’s theme, Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for present and future generations, reflected a growing focus on tackling global security concerns, particularly tensions in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan. Numerous side events during UNGA spotlighted climate action, reflecting the growing urgency to address environmental challenges on the global stage. New York Climate Week 2024 ran parallel to the UNGA, complementing the Assembly’s focus on climate issues.

Below, the Donor Tracker provides an overview of all the key events that took place during the 79^th UNGA and highlights the key announcements and commitments made, with a particular focus on developments in global health, climate change, security, and multilateral cooperation.

Summit of the Future

On September 22-23, 2024, the UNGA, with the Netherlands and Jamaica as co-facilitators, hosted the Summit of the Future. Titled Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow, it sought to reaffirm cooperation on the SDGs and address gaps in global governance. The summit showcased the global leader's significant interest in combating future challenges, such as increased digital inequality with the first international agreement on AI regulation, enhancing climate action, creating new health initiatives, and pushing for reform in the UN Security Council. Key commitments during the Summit include:

The summit concluded with the adoption of the Pact for the Future, which contained 56 actions to strengthen multilateral cooperation. The Pact of the Future included a Global Digital Compact which aims to ensure that digital technologies contribute to SDGs and uphold human rights by addressing the digital equality gap and is the first global agreement on the international regulation of AI. Early drafts of the pact established an explicit link between climate change and peace and security, however, this language was removed following objections from Russia and other large emerging economies;
The Declaration on Future Generations was another important pledge made at the Summit of the Future, which sought to emphasize the importance of youth in decision-making processes and secure the well-being of future generations with commitments to climate and equality;
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot called for reforms to the UN Security Council to enhance African representation and highlighted the necessity of technological expansion to support SDGs; and
In a significant initiative, MDBs launched a Health Impact Investment Platform aimed at strengthening health system resilience and expanding access to primary care services in underserved communities.

High-level representatives from major donor countries used the summit to highlight their priories related to multilateral cooperation and progress towards the SDGs:

UK Foreign Minister David Lammy proposed a Global Clean Power Alliance, emphasizing the need for a more representative Security Council and a shift from paternalistic development approaches to partnerships that prioritize Indigenous peoples and local communities, particularly women and girls;
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez advocated for enhanced international cooperation to achieve the 2030 SDGs, stressing the importance of strengthening multilateral institutions and MDBs. He also proposed the implementation of a new global tax on substantial fortunes to support these efforts; and
Dutch Ambassador Andreas von Brandt underscored that a core aspect of the Pact for the Future is to improve the effectiveness of multilateral organizations in achieving the SDGs, particularly through decisive action on climate change.

General Debate

On September 24-28, 2024, the General Debate of the UNGA took place. The General Debate is the opportunity every year for Heads of State and Government to come together at the UN Headquarters and discuss global issues. Similar to the Summit of the Future, the reform of the UN Security Council was a significant topic of discussion throughout the debate, with considerable reference to the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine. In addition, the state of progress on the SDGs and the push to meet climate and sustainability commitments were areas of concern for member states. Highlights from the General Debate include:

Leaders called for stronger commitments to combat climate change, as emphasized by Brazilian President Lula Da Silva, who urged nations to meet global climate pledges and vowed to tackle environmental crimes and deforestation in Brazil. Similarly, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, and Brazil reaffirmed their commitment to producing NDCs following the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C;
A pivotal topic was the reform of the UN Security Council. Sierra Leone advocated for two veto-carrying permanent seats for African nations, a sentiment echoed by the Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who stressed the need for better geographical representation and called for a permanent seat for Africa. Additionally, many leaders highlighted concerns over Israel's attacks on Palestine and Lebanon, drawing attention to ongoing regional conflicts and the need for diplomatic resolutions through the UN Security Council; and
Economic recovery and sustainable development were featured prominently, with Tajikistani President Emomali Rahmon warning that the international community is only on track to meet 17% of the SDGs by 2030. Throughout the debate, there was a clear focus on reforming international systems and reinvigorating the role of the UN to address pressing global issues more effectively.

Sea Level Rise

On September 25, 2024, the high-level plenary meeting on sea level rise was hosted by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and addressed the domestic and international impacts of rising sea levels, and urged recommitments to climate pledges and treaties as well as increased funding for monitoring, preparedness, and response. Key appeals and commitments include:

Mitsotakis called for an adequate infrastructure base for a resilience plan and an adaptable combination of natural and green solutions, despite the disproportionate costs and technological challenges this infrastructure will incur, he emphasized that it is a matter of urgency;
Leaders from small island countries called for decisive action on climate change, a recommitment to climate pledges and treaties, and treating the subject with the same urgency as global security. Seychellois President Wavel Ramkalawan compared the US$2.5 trillion global military expenditure in 2023 to the US$100 billion highest estimate of funds for the predicted loss and damage caused by sea level rise; and
The US committed to investing in science to improve sea-level rise monitoring and predictions; supporting efforts to translate and integrate scientific data for improved disaster preparedness; and collaborating with local partners to support regional and global efforts.

Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

On September 26, 2024, global leaders and representatives discussed the critical importance of nuclear disarmament and the ongoing threats posed by nuclear weapons at the High-level plenary meeting on the 79^th UNGA International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. Key takeaways include:

Participants reaffirmed their dedication to achieving nuclear disarmament, stressing the importance of a world without nuclear weapons. Key discussions focused on the current geopolitical tensions, the growing risk of nuclear proliferation, and the necessity for renewed international cooperation to tackle these pressing issues;
Member states were encouraged to bolster existing treaties, particularly the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and to engage in dialogue aimed at reducing the risk of nuclear conflict;
The humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons was underscored, reinforcing the moral obligation to pursue disarmament; and
Additionally, the essential role of civil society and grassroots movements in advocating for disarmament was acknowledged as crucial for advancing this agenda.

Antimicrobial Resistance

On September 26, 2024, the 79^th UNGA held a high-level meeting on AMR, which convened significant global leaders, policymakers, and health experts and aimed to address the rising threat of AMR, which is when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites become resistant to medications, making infections harder to treat. Global leaders demonstrated their commitment to tackling AMR deaths through global coordination and comprehensive strategies. Key commitments include:

Global leaders set a goal to reduce the 5 million annual deaths from AMR by 10% by 2030. To achieve this, the meeting established a political declaration called for US$100 million in funding and aims for at least 60% of countries to have financed national action plans on AMR by 2030. It promotes a One Health approach, integrating human, animal, and environmental health to tackle AMR comprehensively;
The declaration calls for at least 70% of antibiotics used in human health to come from the WHO Access group, with all countries meeting basic infection prevention, control standards, and providing adequate sanitation in healthcare settings. There is a strong focus on reducing antimicrobial use in agriculture through infection prevention and responsible use, as well as preventing antimicrobial discharge into the environment and advancing research on its environmental impact;
Global coordination will be led by the FAO, UNEP, WHO, and WOAH, which will update the Global Action Plan on AMR by 2026 and create an independent panel for evidence-based actions; and
Countries are also urged to report surveillance data on AMR and antimicrobial use, aiming for 95% compliance by 2030.

Climate Events

New York Climate Week is an annual event that took place this year from September 22-29, 2024, overlapping with the UNGA. As climate is a core theme many side events at UNGA focused solely on the issue. The various climate events that took place throughout Climate Week and UNGA predominately focused on the need to track donor countries’ commitments to climate and the intersection with health and ensure that there is new and additional funding for the issues. There was significant emphasis on including the voices of marginalized and vulnerable communities who are on the front lines of the climate crisis who emphasized that climate finance is about climate justice, not charity, and must be flexible, multi-year, and not perpetuating debt distress. Key events and takeaways include:

New York Climate Week meeting Navigating to COP29 and the road to Belém discusses the strong leadership shown by Brazil in advancing the climate agenda, especially financing its G20 Presidency, and the hope is the successor will continue this. There was a focus on the many barriers facing countries accessing climate finance; amongst these include many parallel processes splitting constrained resources ( NDCs, NAPs);
The UNGA co-hosted a side event on Pandemics, Climate, Conflict: Preventing Future Shocks Multiple examples were provided by country and CSO representatives on the interrelatedness of health, climate, and conflict. Funders like Wellcome advocated for the consideration of climate actions that deliver health co-benefits and the WHO promoted better connections between local, national and international data to facilitate decision-making;
The UNGA hosted another side event, Advancing political commitments on climate and health financing: Where is the Global South Voice?, which also emphasized the interlinkages between climate and health and the need for flexible response to high debt distress in vulnerable countries; and
Global Citizen NOW: Health and Climate Financing Sessions was hosted by keynote speakers Mia Mottley and Ban Ki Moon with multiple panel representing funders, countries, the private sector, Indigenous peoples, and local communities discussing climate, health, gender equality, women’s economic development, global health, agriculture, underlining financing for the nexus requires solutions from multi-sector, multi-actors/stakeholders. Some significant short-term potential solutions discussed were expanding debt suspension from just SIDS to all LMICs; channeling SDRs as soon as possible; and donors to support IDA replenishment to increase available concessional financing.

A platform for dialogue

In the midst of intensifying global challenges, the 79^th session of the UNGA proved essential in reinforcing its role as a platform for dialogue and action amongst world leaders and key stakeholders. From the Summit of the Future’s focus on digital equity and governance reform to the General Debate’s emphasis on UN Security Council reform and climate commitments, the Assembly underscored the urgency of multilateral cooperation. The New York climate Week and discussions on antimicrobial resistance, nuclear disarmament, and sea level rise further highlighted the interconnected crises especially impacting low- and middle-income countries.

While conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East dominated headlines, considerable commitments and initiatives for sustainable development and climate action have been put forward at UNGA 2024. These provide a roadmap for future action, but achieving these goals will require sustained effort, increased funding, and strengthened cooperation.