A Whirlwind of Diplomacy: UNGA High-Level Week Winds Down

On the sidelines of the General Debate, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo and DPPA’s Assistant-Secretaries-General have participated in dozens of “bilats” with government officials, representatives of regional organizations and non-governmental organizations, as well as over 100 meetings with world leaders and the Secretary-General.

Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, on her way to a meeting on the first day of 79th General Assembly Debate. UN Photo/Manuel Elías

27 SEPTEMBER 2024, NEW YORK: The general debate of the General Assembly, which began on 24 September, is winding down; it officially comes to a close on Monday. The high-level segment of the annual Assembly session took place following the Summit of the Future, which culminated with the adoption of the Pact for the Future. The week has seen a staggering number of diplomatic meetings and events. DPPA helps prepare for, and participates in, many of these events.

Participants arrive at UN Headquarters on the first day of the 79th General Assembly Debate, 23 September 2024. UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo, along with Assistant Secretaries-General Miroslav Jenča, Khaled Khiari, Martha Pobee and Elizabeth Spehar, held a total of 28 bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers or other senior officials from all regions, as well as representatives of regional and other international organizations.

USG DiCarlo holds bilateral meeting with President of the ECOWAS Commission Omar Alieu Touray, 23 September 2024.

By the close of the day on Friday, senior DPPA officials will have accompanied the Secretary-General in 125 of his meetings with world leaders, meetings that will continue into the weekend.

USG DiCarlo holds bilateral meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Elmedin Konakovic, 23 September 2024.

The Under-Secretary-General and Assistant-Secretaries-General also attended many side events, as well as numerous behind-the-scenes discussions on the situations in among others, Yemen, Gaza, Syria, Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar. On 21 September, the USG gave remarks opening Action Day sessions on “intergenerational dialogue” and “dismantling the patriarchy.”

Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo speaks at the opening of the Action Day, 21 September 2024. Photo credit: Susie Lim.

On 23 September, DiCarlo spoke at a side event on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan. She described how the United Nations was shepherding a process of principled engagement with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities — the “Doha process” — for the benefit of the Afghani people.

USG Rosemary DiCarlo (at podium), addresses reporters following the “The Inclusion of Women in the Future of Afghanistan” meeting. UN Photo/Mark Garten

On 26 September, DiCarlo took part in a ministerial breakfast of the UN Group of Friends of Mediation entitled “Staying the course: reinforcing mediation in a changing conflict environment.” In her remarks, she said that the turmoil currently taking place around the world — from Sudan to Gaza and Ukraine and countless other places — was the “raison d’être” of diplomacy. She also spoke about the diverse contributions to global mediation made by a range of regional, state, and other peacebuilding actors.

DiCarlo also attended ministerial-level meetings in the Security Council on the situations in Ukraine, Lebanon and Gaza, as well as an open debate on “leadership for peace.”

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