Why Diplomacy Matters: Follow Along as the President Heads to the 70th UN General Assembly

Summary: 

Get the latest updates from President Obama's trip to the United Nations this week.

“The people of our United Nations are not as different as they are told. They can be made to fear, they can be taught to hate, but they also respond to hope. History is littered with the failure of false prophets and fallen empires who insisted that might makes right, and that will continue to be the case. You can count on that. But we are called upon to offer a different leadership - leadership strong enough to recognize that nations share common interests and people share a common humanity.”

President Barack Obama

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Why Diplomacy Matters – 70 Years of the United Nations

President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the Closing Session: Post-2015 Development Agenda, in General Assembly Hall at the United Nations in New York, N.Y. Sept. 27, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

In 1945, after two world wars had laid waste to lands and people across the globe, forty-five nations gathered together in San Francisco to find a new way forward – one that made resolution between countries possible without resorting to violence. They committed to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to “promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.”
From that pledge was born the Charter of the United Nations – an international institution dedicated to international security and an enduring symbol of a simple idea:  We, as people, can always find a way to ensure the dignity and worth of human life.
Seventy years later, that mission remains an ever-important guide in our path to a more peaceful world. Todays’ conflicts are numerous and they are chronic – and every nation with the power and capacity to address these issues have an equal obligation to work together to do so effectively.

That is what diplomacy is: Using the influence we have to resolve conflicts, protect the most vulnerable among us, and strengthen international cooperation in the pursuit of peace.

This week, President Obama is headed to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to convene with other world leaders on how we can do just that.
From renewing sustainable development goals to combating violent extremism, here’s what the President is doing at this year’s UNGA:
Sunday, September 27:

• Speak at the closing session of the  Summit to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Watch the video 
• Hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. Watch the video 

Monday, September 28:

• Speak at the Opening Session of the 70th United Nations General Assembly. Watch the video 
• Deliver remarks at the UN Peacekeeping Summit. Watch the video 
• Hold a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin 

Tuesday, September 29:

• Speak at the Leaders’ Summit on Countering ISIL and Violent Extremism. Watch live 
• Hold a bilateral meeting with President Raul Castro of Cuba
• Hold a bilateral meeting with President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan

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