United Nations Meets As World Faces Huge Challenges

New York City, New York —(Map)

Leaders representing countries around the world will come together this week at the United Nations’ General Assembly meeting in New York. This year’s meeting comes as the world faces a large number of extremely serious challenges.

Nearly every country in the world is now a member of the UN. When countries have problems or disagreements, the UN is one of the first places those concerns are heard. For example, as worries over the climate crisis  have grown, it’s been the UN that has gotten countries to agree to tackle the problem.

But the UN can only take actions that its member nations agree on. Often, member nations disagree – perhaps especially more powerful members like China, Russia, and the US.

Now, as the whole UN meets for the 79th time, the list of serious challenges it faces is a long one. Here are some topics likely to be covered:

Wars and Fighting Around the World

• Currently, the expanding war in the Middle East has many people worried. For nearly a year, Israel has been bombing areas in Gaza, in an attempt to completely remove Hamas, a militant group which brutally attacked Israel last October.

Over the last year, there have been small attacks back and forth between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group based in Lebanon. But in the last week, this fighting has grown, with several violent, large-scale attacks. Above, smoke from an Israeli strike on a village in Lebanon on Sunday.

Over the last year, there have been small attacks back and forth between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group based in Lebanon. But in the last week, this fighting has grown, with several violent, large-scale attacks. Many people are concerned that the fighting could grow to include more countries in the region.

• In Sudan, a civil war has continued, driven partly by outside countries. The war has created a dangerous crisis. Ten million people have been forced from their homes, and over 26 million people are going hungry. Diseases are spreading, and the country’s poor health care system can’t keep up.

• Russia’s war on Ukraine, which began in February, 2022, has continued. Tens of thousands of people have died, and there’s no sign that the war might end any time soon.

In Sudan, a civil war has continued, driven partly by outside countries. The war has created a dangerous crisis. Ten million people have been forced from their homes, and over 26 million people are going hungry. Above, a UN refugee camp in Sudan.

• In Haiti, armed gangs control much of the country, and violence is common. Over 600,000 people have been forced from their homes. Roughly 5 million people don’t have enough food, and diseases like cholera are spreading.

The Climate Crisis

With so many countries at war, it’s even harder for nations to work together on the most important problem facing the planet – the climate crisis. The world is making some progress in fighting global warming. Renewable sources are producing more and more of the world’s energy, and many countries are working hard to cut emissions.

But progress isn’t happening fast enough. This summer was the hottest ever recorded, and it’s likely that 2024 will be the hottest year ever. The world’s changing weather patterns are creating dangerous storms and deadly food shortages.

UN leader António Guterres began meeting with other world leaders early. On Sunday, the UN General Assembly approved a new document called “Pact for the Future”. Above, UN Mr. Guterres speaks during the “Summit of the Future” on Sunday.

UN leader António Guterres began meeting with other world leaders early. On Sunday, the UN General Assembly approved a new document called “Pact for the Future”, which is meant to guide the UN and its member nations as they tackle the challenges before them. But, as Mr. Guterres pointed out, it’s not signing agreements that makes a difference – it’s taking action.

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Did You Know…?
Leaders at the UN will also be tackling concerns over Artificial Intelligence (AI), which has been growing more and more powerful. Many countries want to agree on rules to make sure that AI tools remain helpful and don’t become dangerous.