IT’S THAT TIME of year again, when global leaders descend on New York City for a week of high-level discussions on the biggest global issues of our time.

From an Irish perspective, President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Simon Harris, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Climate Minister Eamon Ryan will all be in attendance for the 79th meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), which kicks off tomorrow and runs until 26 September.

The week provides an opportunity for global leaders to meet and discuss the pressing issues of our time, including climate change, poverty and global peace and security. 

This year’s meeting is being viewed as a particularly important one with a special ‘Summit for the Future’ (which is headed up by Drogheda woman Michéle Griffin) being convened to reaffirm commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Agreed by UN member states in 2015, the 17 SDGs are a framework for countries to reduce poverty, improve health and tackle climate change and biodiversity loss by the year 2030. 

However, to date, UN members are collectively falling far short of achieving the goals with just 17% on target to be achieved according to the UN. 

Speaking ahead of the summit, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres highlighted “out-of-control geo-political divisions and runaway conflicts – not least in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and beyond,” as well as “runaway” climate change, inequalities and debt, and the development of AI and other technologies that lack guidance as key issues to be addressed.

“Crises are interacting and feeding off each other – for example, as digital technologies spread climate disinformation that deepens distrust and fuels polarisation,” Guterres said.

From a global security perspective, the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are both set to dominate the week’s agenda, while the war and humanitarian crisis in Sudan will also be a high priority.

When Tánaiste Micheál Martin visited the Horn of Africa in July of this year, the ongoing crisis in Sudan was repeatedly raised by political and humanitarian leaders with the Tánaiste, with some describing it as a forgotten war. 

At the time, the Tánaiste pledged to raise the ongoing suffering in Sudan, where more than 10m people are displaced, on the European stage. It is understood that while in New York this week, the Tánaiste plans to use his opportunity on the world stage to try and focus attention on the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Simon Harris said earlier this week that he will be going into the week with a “message of de-escalation” as tensions continue to flare in the Middle East. 

For Climate and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, this week’s gathering in New York is a stepping stone toward this year’s COP in Baku where important decisions on climate financing will be made.

The Journal’s Political Correspondent Jane Matthews will be in New York this week to bring you all of the latest from the summit.