Follow our live coverage on the UN General Assembly
The annual United Nations General Assembly begins on Tuesday at the world body's headquarters in New York, with global leaders gathering to address pressing international issues.
This year's high-level discussions are expected to focus heavily on the continuing conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, as well as the escalating climate crisis.
The event kicks off with a summit aimed at galvanising efforts towards the Summit of the Future, set for September 22-23.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called the summit a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to renew multilateral co-operation. Delegates are expected to endorse the "Pact for the Future", a far-reaching document designed to reform the UN system to better address 21st-century challenges.
The General Debate, the key event of the session, begins on Tuesday, September 24, with speeches from leaders of the UN’s 193 member states. Each country will be given 15 to 20 minutes to speak before the international community.
As is tradition, Brazil’s president will be the first to take the podium, followed by the US President Joe Biden. Over the course of six days, a succession of world leaders will address the assembly, laying out their national priorities and views on global affairs.
This is the complete schedule of countries due to speak at the 79th UN General Assembly in New York:
Tuesday, September 24
Morning: Brazil, US, Turkey, Jordan, Guatemala, Switzerland, Colombia, Qatar, South Africa, Maldives, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Sierra Leone and Serbia.
Afternoon: Peru, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, Argentina, Morocco, El Salvador, Iran, Estonia, Chile, Latvia, Paraguay, Vietnam, Angola, Poland, Monaco, Nauru and Nigeria.
Wednesday, September 25
Morning: Mongolia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Ghana, Bulgaria, Suriname, Cyprus, Ecuador, Slovakia, Namibia, Libya, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Romania, Brunei Darussalam, Democratic Republic of Congo, Honduras and France.
Afternoon: Cabo Verde, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Guyana, Panama, Mauritania, Senegal, Liberia, Togo, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Dominica, Marshall Islands, Guinea-Bissau and Bolivia.
Thursday, September 26
Morning: Malawi, Cameroon, Kenya, Yemen, Burundi, Gabon, Central African Republic, Palestine, Gambia, Haiti, Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe, Lesotho, South Sudan, North Macedonia, Uruguay and Fiji.
Afternoon: Micronesia, Djibouti, Mauritius, European Union, Cote d'Ivoire, Palau, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Bahrain, Portugal, Japan, Netherlands, Armenia, Iraq, Israel, Georgia, Greece, Barbados and Nepal.
Friday, September 27
Morning: Slovenia, Pakistan, Italy, Spain, Bhutan, UK, Andorra, Bangladesh, Moldova, Canada, Vanuatu, Croatia, Papua New Guinea, Ireland, Malta and the Bahamas.
Afternoon: Montenegro, Antigua and Barbuda, Albania, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Laos, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Timor Leste, Tonga, Somalia, Eswatini, Tanzania and Chad.
Saturday, September 28
Morning: Grenada, Uganda, Guinea, Holy See, China, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, New Zealand, Luxembourg, Mali, Indonesia, Russia, Mexico, Norway, Hungary, Singapore, Cuba, Philippines, San Marino, Malaysia and Australia.
Afternoon: UAE, Turkmenistan, Germany, Liechtenstein, Saudi Arabia, Zambia, Sweden, Austria, India, Belarus, Iceland, Oman, Denmark, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Trinidad and Tobago, Ethiopia and Belize.
Monday, September 30
Morning: Syria, Venezuela, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Benin, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Costa Rica, Niger, South Korea, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Belgium, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Congo and Sri Lanka.
Afternoon: Myanmar, North Korea and Kiribati.
The order of nations can change on a daily basis.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m
Winner: AF Mozhell, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Majdi, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Athabeh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Eshaar, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi
4pm: Gulf Cup presented by Longines Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Al Roba’a Al Khali, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Younis Al Kalbani
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Apolo Kid, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muahiri
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
MATCH STATS
Wolves 0
Aston Villa 1 (El Ghazi 90 4' pen)
Red cards: Joao Moutinho (Wolves); Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)
Man of the match: Emi Martinez (Aston Villa)
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
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Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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