U.N General Assembly President Csaba Korosi announces new global epoch

Forget the turn of the century. At the U.N. General Assembly, General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi announced that the global community was entering an entirely “new epoch.” 

What did he mean? 

Unfortunately for us, that epoch isn’t one of flying cars (or even electric ones, really) or Mars colonies – our new era will be defined by conflicts and crises, which need to be addressed by humanity as a whole. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ opening remarks at the General Assembly set the bleak tone for the gathering. “We are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction,” he said. “Our world is in peril — and paralyzed.” 

Is this about Ukraine? 

The war in Ukraine loomed over the room, but less explosive subjects were also brought to the table. U.N. food chief David Beasley discussed the fact that 50 million people in 45 countries were “knocking on famine’s door,” thanks to the pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine. General Assembly President Kőrösi also highlighted other conflicts outside Europe, saying, “Yet be it the largest and the most acute, the war in Ukraine is one of nearly 30 armed conflicts worldwide. And none of them is improving.”

What solutions did they suggest? 

Last Thursday, the U.N. Security Council held an open meeting seeking accountability for Russian aggression in Ukraine. Russia technically attended the meeting, though a lower-ranking official sat in the country’s seat for most of the meeting, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov just arrived to give his speech before leaving. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a pre-recorded speech to the larger General Assembly as he oversaw the conflict in his country. 

Kőrösi’s closing statements Monday said that he felt a “growing awareness that humanity has entered a new era” of complex conflicts and challenges in other leaders’ speeches. He also stated that the changing times were not the sign of just small edits to the status quo, but “significant transformations in the making.”