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.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Europe's top EV producers
- Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
- Iceland (33%)
- Netherlands (20%)
- Sweden (19%)
- Austria (14%)
- Germany (14%)
- Denmark (13%)
- Switzerland (13%)
- United Kingdom (12%)
- Luxembourg (10%)
Source: VCOe
The five pillars of Islam
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
How to help or find other cats to adopt
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
