¹ú²úAV

Ukraine President Zelenskyy to the Council: "Russia occupies this seat illegally. There is whitewashing of the genocide and aggression by Russia, while a small nation bravely defends its independence. Years of discussion on UN reform must be translated into viable process. The use of veto power must be reformed. In cases of mass atrocities, veto power should be voluntarily suspended, and if not, the General Assembly should be empowered to suspend the veto power."

Heated exchange at the top of the meeting with this retort from the President of the Council.

As the meeting begins, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Vasily Nebenzya objected to the list of who was allowed to speak, as well as the order of speakers. "On what basis has he been given the floor?" referring to Ukraine President Zelenskyy.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Edi Rama, in his capacity as President of the Security Council rebuffs and says there is opportunity for Council Members to respond to Zelenskyy's remarks.

"There is a solution. You stop the war and President Zelenskyy will not take the floor."

Raising a point of order, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia asked on what basis the Security Council is deciding to give the floor to the President of Ukraine before Council members.

— UN News (@UN_News_Centre)

Gavin Newsom, Governor of California said he is coming from a state of dreamers and doers. California is the first State to set a completely 0% zero fuel emissions target. A State that is choking up with wildfires. This Climate Crisis is a fossil fuel crisis. And we need to call that out. The oil industry has been playing each and everyone of us for fools. Thanked the Secretary-General for using his moral authority

Delegates are arriving at the UN Security Council ahead of an open debate on the situation in Ukraine.

We are covering the meeting live, as it happens, right here. For highlights, follow UN News on or visit our tireless colleagues at UN Meetings Coverage who are summarizing the entire day-long meeting, in and .

They are invaluable to world leaders seeking to hammer out agreements.

"the General Assembly is the summit of it all"

Said Sergey Kochetkov, chief of interpretation services in preparation for

¡ª UN News (@UN_News_Centre)

As well as the world's leaders, many organizations converge on New York city for UNGA week. Here the UN's Envoy on Technology, Mr. Amandeep Singh Gill, addresses a meeting organized by Google to discuss how technology and artificial intelligence can accelerate action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr. James Manyika, Senior Vice President of Research, Technology & Society at Google (left) joins tech pioneers, investors, government leaders, civil society experts, and UN officials to brainstorm ways to create a safe global space for AI and innovation to flourish and speed up progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

UN Secreatary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres addressed the Climate Ambition Summit taking place now in New York: "Shady pledges have betrayed the public trust. Some companies have tried to block the transition to net zero by using ways to delay, distract and deceive."

#BBNJ

The Federated States of Micronesia, represented by President Wesley W. Simina, is the first state to sign the new treaty on marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

.

as the ¡°first movers and doers¡± showcase success stories and craft concrete ways to protect the Earth at the landmark Climate Ambition Summit.

¡°There will be no room for back-sliders, greenwashers, blame-shifters or repackaging of announcements of previous years,¡± cautioned UN Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres.

Check out the top .

COVID-19 caught the world by surprise. Watch world leaders put the finishing touches on how best to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics, .

Spoiler alert: Take a sneak peek at the new declaration they are hammering out to adopt by the end of the day.

More than five months have passed since conflict broke out in Sudan.

Makhtoum Abdalla Abakar, a UNICEF Youth Advocate from South Darfur, Sudan, is in New York to participate in the UN High-level Week. Listen to his appeal to all leaders, especially in his country, to stop the war and protect children.

We¡¯ll always have Paris.

Ever wonder what the is? And can you believe that the actor, singer and musician Aiden Gallagher explains it so well?

Put your money where your mouth is: The world is full of money. Add up real estate, equities and other assets held by households, corporations, governments and financial institutions and the number falls in the trillions.

Question: Why has there been such a struggle to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Answer: Because too much money is flowing to the wrong places.

Learn some fast facts on how to change that and  

#ICYMI

: Highlighting the importance of the United Nations in navigating this multipolar world, he said that the Organization, based on its Charter¡¯s values, is uniquely positioned to address "the aspirations of universal representation and sovereign equality" for all nations.

They are our invisible behind-the-scenes team that makes sure everything runs smoothly during the UN High-level week and beyond.

They face constant programme changes that require quick thinking, teamwork, resourcefulness and creativity.

Get to know more about their work, especially during the opening of the General Assembly and the General Debate, where all Head of States with their teams come from around the world. 

Buggy visitors are here!

That's right, lanternflies have decided to make their presence known at the United Nations headquarters in New York, and it's got everyone talking ¨C and stepping on them!

It is not every day you see these colorful, exotic insects making themselves at home amidst the backdrop of global diplomacy and politics.

For those of you not in the know, lantern flies are funky looking insects with vibrant red and black wings that have a way of turning heads wherever they go.

But, don't let their cute appearance fool you. Lantern flies aren¡¯t native New Yorkers. They're more commonly found in parts of Asia, and in recent years, they've been making a name for themselves by showing up in places where they're not supposed to be. They are considered invasive here and have become a concern due to their potential harm to various industries, especially agriculture and forestry.

We have been seeing for months, and authorities have advised measures like stepping on them to mitigate their impact. Yes, it is not pleasant at all...

The presence of these insects at the UN reminds us that even in formal settings like our High-level Week, nature can surprise us.

Some , more than half the global population, do not have enough access to essential health services, an issue that world leaders and ministers will tackle at a series of high-level meetings at the UN this week.

Here are the to know about the UNGA 78¡¯s ministerial-level health meetings.

The UN has a Meetings Coverage team, which takes notes from all major meetings at UNHQ and creates quick summaries encapsulating what speakers are saying in English and French. They work at full tilt and have no time to even stretch their legs!

The chief of the Meetings Coverage Section, Mugeni Badjoko wa Lileko talks to UN News ahead of Week

¡ª UN News (@UN_News_Centre)