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POLITICO's must-read coverage on the 2022 U.N. General Assembly, the world’s biggest diplomatic platform.

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POLITICO’s must-read briefing on the world’s biggest diplomatic stage.

By SUZANNE LYNCH and RYAN HEATH

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Hello from New York and welcome to this year’s edition of POLITICO’s U.N. General Assembly newsletter! 

For all our readers not in town, we can report that it’s shaping up to be a great day in Manhattan and the city is looking glorious. Things are relatively quiet around U.N. headquarters, though, where 104 heads of state, 53 heads of government and around 40 lower-level ministers are expected this week. Instead, many of the great and the good are still in London at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. They’re expected to jet out of the U.K. later today with some arriving tonight, though U.S. President Joe Biden will first return to Washington before flying up to New York for his address on Wednesday.

Outside of U.N. HQ, there’s plenty going on. The parties and nightcaps got underway Sunday night — and we’ll be sure to let you know how tonight’s Microdose Psychedelic Insights cocktail at the Concordia Summit goes. 

POLITICO looks here at how UNGA has transformed in recent years into a global festival of ideas — but here’s the tough question: Is this richer conversation doing anything to get the world closer to meeting the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals? The jury’s out.

An increasing number of nonprofits and U.N. agencies have been hosting side events ahead of this week’s assembly programming, including a three-day Transforming Education Summit that wraps up today. 

POLITICO’s international team of reporters — including journalists embedded with the major world leaders flying into New York — will be here to keep you up to speed on what’s happening. 

MOSCOW’S MEDDLING AND A FUNERAL: UNGA is traditionally the biggest diplomatic occasion of the calendar year — the sheer number of countries represented means this is a truly global event. The queen’s funeral outranks it: As the diplomatic occasion of the 21st century, Britain’s change of monarch is a reminder of the U.N.’s limitations. 

This year, the big difference is Russia: A permanent member of the U.N. Security Council is responsible for an enormous breach of the international order. A year ago, no one would have expected a full-scale war on the European continent, but here we are …

As a senior U.S. State Department official put it ahead of kickoff: “Obviously we don’t view this year’s General Assembly as business as usual. Russia’s unprovoked, ongoing assault on Ukraine raises serious questions about its commitment to diplomacy, the U.N. Charter, and the territorial integrity of nations.”

Other top discussions this week — retooling energy systems and food security — are inseparable from Russia’s actions, but the longer-term outcomes could turn positive by forcing more resilience into these systems.

Africa is where it all intersects: Politically, the region where the queen’s death and Russia’s war meet is Africa. The queen’s passing eases the way for new debates on the legacy of colonialism in Africa: That history helps explain why African countries are skeptical of joining Western countries in their full-throated calls for solidarity with Ukraine and response to Russia.

If this was the G7 or G20, those dynamics could be overlooked, but at UNGA — where more than a quarter of members, and the majority of those who suffer most from global health, food and climate crises are from Africa — that’s not possible.

Pandemic ‘over’? Some (including Biden) may also see this as arguably the first post-pandemic UNGA after two years of hybrid summits (though try telling that to Beijing or most African capitals). But those suffering from long COVID aren’t the only ones still feeling the side effects: Journalist access remains highly restricted. 

ROLL CALL: U.S. President Joe Biden, Britain’s Liz Truss, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Japan’s Fumio Kishida are some of the big-name government leaders, but let’s face it — the list of A-list politicians attending is unrivaled by any other global event. NATO’s Jens Stoltenberg is also in town until Friday. Three of the European Union’s top officials will be attending: European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the bloc’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell, with Michel due to deliver the EU’s address on Friday. Three EU commissioners are also in town — Executive VP Frans Timmermans, crisis management boss Janez Lenarčič and Jutta Urpilainen, in charge of international partnerships. Russia is sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and China has Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Royal watch: Queen Maxima and Princess Mabel (Netherlands), Prince William (U.K.) and Princess Mary (Denmark) will be here.

Never coming: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy — at least, not in person: The General Assembly voted Friday to allow Zelenskyy a prerecorded speech, to be broadcast Wednesday. 

No longer coming: Sweden’s Magdalena Andersson, who’s stepping down after losing an election earlier this month, will be replaced by her foreign minister, Ann Linde. The Russian delegation has struggled to get visas approved.

Better things to do: Barack Obama — he’s instead attending L’ATTITUDE , a Latino business event in San Diego, along with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Gloria Estefan.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: The real action during UNGA week typically begins on Tuesday each year when the leaders of the United States and Brazil — which traditionally opens proceedings — deliver their speeches. This year the format has changed because (yes, you guessed it) of the queen’s funeral, with Biden now speaking Wednesday. 

There’s plenty to keep us busy today though:

— Transforming Education Summit, set to highlight the impacts of COVID shutdowns, including shifts to remote and hybrid learning, with the full truth only just emerging. 

— U.N. SDG Moment: While last year the stars were Korean pop group BTS, this year U.N. boss Guterres is framing the big SDG Moment on Sustainable Development Goals as a “Summit of the Future,” which will produce a “Pact for the Future.” 8.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m.

— Concordia Summit: Livestream from 9 a.m. Speakers today include New York Mayor Eric Adams, and your newsletter scribe Ryan Heath is moderating a session on strengthening supply chains from 9:45 a.m. There’s also the Faith in Media initiative, plus the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index.

— Unstoppable Africa, hosted by the Global Africa Business Initiative. Livestream from 9 a.m. 

— Seventh Replenishment Conference on the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

— EU Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans delivers a keynote speech at a World Economic Forum discussion on “accelerating climate action through philanthropy-private-public-collaboration.”

— EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell participates in the event “From Ukraine to the Americas,” organized by the Atlantic Council. 

— Goals House, at Tavern on the Green.

— Atlantic Council’s black tie Global Citizen Awards.

COMPETING HONORS: There’s a scramble to “honor” various big names this week with multiple events taking place across the city. In the financial district tonight, the Atlantic Council is commemorating assassinated former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, but one of their keynotes can’t make it: Magdalena Andersson, after she resigned as Swedish PM last week.

Outgoing Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will tonight also be recognized at the 57th Appeal of Conscience Annual Awards Dinner at the St. Pierre Hotel.  

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres will be celebrated for their role in brokering a deal allowing grain exports out of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports by the American Academy of Achievement and the Global Hope Coalition. French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, will meet Guterres for dinner tonight. 

ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET OF SIDE SUMMITS: The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) is back at UNGA after shutting down in 2017, but the events landscape here has changed dramatically since then. 

The CGI has bagged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will be speaking (via videolink) to former U.S. President Bill Clinton about refugees at the Tuesday morning plenary session — a signal from CGI that they’re coming back with a bang.

Why this matters: CGI used to be the blockbuster side event rallying governments and corporations to solve global challenges. Today, the challenges have spiraled out of control and the event itself is forced to compete head-to-head with the three-day Concordia Summit, which will close out with two people who seem like a perfect CGI fit: former British PM Tony Blair, and Washington’s First Lady Jill Biden.

Also competing on this landscape are the five-day Goals House meetup (which headed back to Tavern on the Green in Central Park); a tech conference with 2,500 participants called Unfinished Live at The Shed from Wednesday to Friday; and NYC Climate Week, which features much of its programming at the Javits Center’s green roof, from Wednesday to Thursday. 

The organizers of the Bloomberg Global Business Forum — which served as a proxy for CGI during its absence — have seen the writing on the wall in this very crowded space, and switched to a pared-back program on Wednesday only, showcasing Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.

While the prince really is committed to climate action, his visit was also designed as a hedge against the publicity his brother Harry was expected to ignite around his forthcoming book, but the queen’s death has put that on hold, changing the entire dynamic. 

The Leaders on Purpose CEO Summit takes place Thursday at the Javits Center in partnership with diplomacy champions from the Meridian Center.

— Cushion inserts for your shoes …

— Sunscreen — it’s hot out there!

— Electrolyte sachets, for adding to any water you can get your hands on …

— An out-of-office reply: You aren’t going to respond to everyone in real time …

— Hanging all your badges and passes on the same coat hook at end of the day. 

The most common recommendation we saw from tips sent by POLITICO readers was to download a meditation app on your phone for 5-minute breaks — when or if you can get them. Here’s the best of the rest:

Kereeta Whyte, Barbados’ deputy U.N. ambassador, said to bring a phone charger and/or battery pack. Also nutrition bars.

Strategist Lauren Dobson-Hughes suggests “those comfy Kate Middleton trainers that look fancy enough for meetings.” Also masks.

Richard Gowan, head of the Crisis Group’s advocacy work at the U.N., recommended cynicism and a decent gin. 

Bidjan Nashat, CEO at Atlas Corps, said to switch to decaf to make sure you don’t OD on caffeine after the 15th coffee meeting.

Brianna Fitzpatrick from Caritas Internationalis prescribed Band-Aids for blisters and color-coded calendars for priority setting. 

BRUSSELS (BUBBLE) AIRLINES: Most of the cabinet members of top EU diplomat Borrell, including Stefano Sannino and Enrique Mora, and the cabinet of European Council President Charles Michel were on the (delayed) 10:35 a.m. Brussels Airlines flight to JFK airport in New York on Sunday. 

All were wearing their best weekend-casual chic. Belgian passengers were delighted to see their former Prime Minister and current leader of Wallonia Elio Di Rupo, who was also on the flight, and looking as dapper as ever (sans his signature bow tie).

Some suggested reading to get you in that UNGA mood: 

World Bank sees rising risk of global recession in 2023, on Reuters.

Germany seizes Russia’s share in three oil refineries, in The Times.

America promises consequences for any “unconventional“ Russian weapons, in the New York Times.

China wants to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, CNN’s Katie Bo Lillis reports.

What to expect in the general assembly hall, from The National.

What to know about the U.N. General Assembly, by the AP.

Ten Challenges for the U.N. in 2022-2023, by the International Crisis Group.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton: The U.S. did not do enough to help the world’s poor catch up.

The ultimate UNGA quiz, from Passblue. 

THANKS TO: Clea Caulcutt, our editors Emma Anderson and James Randerson, and producer Jeanette Minns.

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