Rappler's latest stories on UN General Assembly
U.N. General Assembly will be virtual for the first time
The UN General Assembly is the world's largest diplomatic gathering, and entails hundreds of side events and bilateral or multilateral meetings of world leaders. It has never been cancelled since the United Nations was founded in 1945.
U.N. adopts resolution calling for 'cooperation' on virus
The resolution, approved by consensus, also stresses 'the need for full respect for human rights' and that 'there is no place for any form of discrimination, racism and xenophobia in the response to the pandemic'
FALSE: Marawi war 'triggered' by 'attempt to serve a warrant of arrest for drug trafficking'
Clashes erupted in Marawi in May 2017 as the military tried to capture 'high-value targets' of the Maute Group and the Abu Sayyaf Group. There was no mention of illegal drugs at the time.
Locsin: U.N. ‘not free to interfere’ when a country goes tough vs crime
'The nations here in United [Nations] should not let this platform be used to threaten others with accountability for taking a tough approach to crime,' says DFA Secretary Teddyboy Locsin, Jr
Greta's truth-telling and Bolsonaro's politics of denial
Climate change, the Amazon, and Metro Manila congestion
Amal Clooney raises attacks vs Maria Ressa at U.N.
'Maria Ressa is a Filipino journalist who stands at 5’2” but stands taller than so many of us in her courage and personal sacrifice for the cause of telling the truth,' says Amal Clooney in her speech
Fact checkers team up against disinformation at U.N. GA
23 fact-checking organizations from 17 countries work together to spot false and misleading claims during the international event
Trump to boast to UN about U.S. success, but troubles mounting
'We'll say the United States is the greatest country in the world,' says US President Donald Trump in a mini-review of his speech
U.S. fails in U.N. bid to condemn Palestinian Hamas movement
The proposed measure wins 87 votes in the General Assembly, falling short of the required two-thirds majority. Fifty-eight countries oppose the measure and 32 abstain.
PH govt asked to vote against Cuba blockade
PhilCuba says the blockade is an irrational, inhumane policy
Palestinians win U.N. backing to lead developing country bloc
The United States, Israel and Australia are the only 3 countries to oppose the measure in the 193-nation assembly
North Korea says 'no way' it will disarm without trust in U.S.
'The recent deadlock is because the US relies on coercive measures which are lethal to trust-building,' North Korea Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho tells the UN General Assembly
Syria calls on U.S., French, Turkish forces to 'withdraw immediately'
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem says Damascus would continue 'fighting this sacred battle until we purge all Syrian territories' of both terror groups and 'any illegal foreign presence'
Abbas rejects 'biased' U.S. as sole Mideast mediator
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas says Donald Trump has forfeited his right to be regarded as a neutral broker
Israel PM lashes at Iran, claims secret atomic warehouse
Iran 'hasn't abandoned its goal to develop nuclear weapons,' Benjamin Netanyahu tells the UN General Assembly
Yemen president at U.N. dismisses talks with Huthis
'All attempts at peace that are made with this group are doomed to fail,' President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi tells the UN General Assembly
Filipina tagged by gov't as 'terrorist' wins UN's highest environmental award
Joan Carling joins French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as recipients of the 2018 Champions of the Earth award
Top U.S. diplomat to return to North Korea as Trump hails Kim
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accepted an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to return to Pyongyang in October to move ahead on efforts for 'the final, fully verified denuclearization of the DPRK'
Trump says refused to meet Canada's Trudeau at U.N.
'I must be honest with you, we're not getting along with their negotiators we think their negotiators have taken advantage of our country for a long time,' US President Donald Trump says of Canada's trade negotiators
Germany, Saudi Arabia to restore envoys after Lebanon row
Saudi Arabia in November recalled its ambassador from Berlin following the eyebrow-raising resignation of Saad Hariri as Lebanon's prime minister while visiting Riyadh
Experts: U.N. helped reverse AIDS epidemic. It now must do the same for TB.
Health experts call for specific action steps to combat tuberculosis
New Zealand PM makes U.N. history with first baby
'I want to normalize it,' says Jacinda Ardern, the first woman leader in the history of the United Nations to take her newborn into the UN General Assembly hall
Macron at UN rebukes Trump's 'law of the strongest'
'Some have chosen the law of the most powerful, but it cannot protect any people,' says French President Emmanuel Macron, who reaffirms his strong backing for multilateralism
Leaders back climate change urgency in New York
UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa calls on nations to unite behind limiting global warming to the less than 2ºC enshrined in the 2015 Paris accord.
Colombian leader urges diplomatic isolation of Venezuela
Colombia's Ivan Duque says Venezuela should be barred from talks called for September 25 to support countries that have taken in migrants from the country grappling with a severe political and economic crisis
1 year later at U.N., Trump's 'rocket man' Kim is 'terrific'
US President Donald Trump hails 'tremendous progress' to halt Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile tests and says that a year later it is a 'much different time'
Gridlock and K-pop: Things to know about the UN General Assembly
130 world leaders are attending the United Nations this week, as well as K-pop sensation BTS, the world's most popular boy band
Thor's gavel keeps order in the United Nations
The president of the UN General Assembly wields a very unusual looking gavel. It is a Viking gavel that is a gift from Iceland, and there’s a very interesting story behind it.
Macron to meet Trump, Iran's Rouhani at UN in New York
Macron will meet Trump on Monday afternoon before having dinner with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. On Tuesday, the French president will address the assembly and hold talks with Rouhani, an Elysee Palace official says.
Russia rejects UN-backed call to withdraw troops from Moldova
Russia's foreign ministry says its troops stationed in ex-Moldova's Transdniestr region (or Transnistria) 'remain a guarantor of peace and stability'
UN takes step toward global environment pact opposed by PH, U.S.
The resolution creates a working group tasked with identifying gaps in international environmental law and determining whether there is a need to a new regulatory structure
Locsin to push for PH abstention from UN Rohingya reso
The Philippine ambassador to the UN says the country 'should have abstained in deference to the Muslim and non-Muslim member states of ASEAN'
At U.N., Cayetano bloats number of drug users to 7 million
If Secretary Cayetano is to be believed, this means President Duterte's drug war is failing, because the number of drug addicts has doubled since he took office
Human rights, security go together, Cayetano tells UN
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano also calls on UN member-states to respect Philippine sovereignty and cautions against 'misinformation' on the war on drugs
Bangladesh's PM at UN urges 'safe zones' for Myanmar's Rohingya
The United Nations says more than 420,000 Rohingya have fled for safety to Bangladesh in the face of an army campaign in northern Rakhine state that includes rape and the burning of villages
What's Mocha Uson doing at UN General Assembly in New York?
Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson is included in the Philippine delegation to the UN event which is not attended by President Rodrigo Duterte nor PCOO chief Martin Andanar
Melania Trump invited Honeylet Avanceña to New York event – Malacañang
(UPDATED) President Rodrigo Duterte's common-law wife previously said she is in New York to attend the UN General Assembly
Honeylet Avanceña seen in New York for UN General Assembly
President Rodrigo Duterte's common-law wife says she was 'invited' to the high-profile gathering but refuses to say what her role was at the event
Trump warns UN assembly he may have to 'destroy' North Korea
(UPDATED) Trump boasts of America's military strength, signals he is ready to rip up a nuclear accord with the 'murderous regime' in Tehran, and berates US foes from Pyongyang to Caracas
World leaders anxious to hear Trump as UN assembly kicks off
A top White House aide says Trump will take aim at 'rogue regimes that threaten world stability and peace'
Air raids pound Aleppo as U.S. decries 'war crimes'
3rd UPDATE Western powers meeting in Paris called for the resumption of peace talks and for civilians to be allowed to leave Aleppo where tens of thousands have already fled a fierce regime offensive
UN to vote on 'too little, too late' Syria ceasefire
The General Assembly is expected to adopt a non binding text that demands a complete end to all attacks on civilians and the lifting of all sieges
Portugal's Antonio Guterres appointed next UN secretary-general
UPDATED The appointment of the 67 year old polyglot comes at a time of global anxiety over the ongoing war in Syria the refugee crisis and raging conflicts in South Sudan and Yemen
Yasay raises West PH Sea ruling before UN
The historic ruling on the West Philippine Sea is final and binding on all parties Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr says
UN holds first leaders' meeting on LGBT rights
UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon warns countries that criminalize homosexuality they are bucking the tide of history
Japan PM demands world find 'new means' to stop North Korea
Shinzo Abe: There is no alternative but to say that the threat has now reached a dimension altogether different from what has transpired until now
Some 30 countries to ratify Paris climate accord at UN
The global body said 30 states would submit their ratification at the UN General Assembly including Latin American heavyweights Argentina Brazil and Mexico
Obama hits at populist strongmen in last UN address
Before the UN Obama restated the case for multilateralism and an America that knows the limits of its own might
Warnings of xenophobia at UN refugee summit
The first ever UN summit on refugees and migrants kicked off a week of high level diplomacy as world leaders take part in the annual General Assembly meeting dominated this year by the conflict in Syria
Fiji envoy elected UN General Assembly chief
It is the first time a representative from the Pacific island states was chosen for the largely honorific post in the UN s 71 year history
