2nd LD: 80th session of UN General Assembly opens at UN headquarters in New York

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was declared open by Annalena Baerbock, the new president of the General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday afternoon.

The theme of the 80th session of the UNGA, which marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, is "Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights."

"The 80th session of the General Assembly is no ordinary session," Baerbock said in her opening remarks.

"80 years. Longer than the average human lifespan. Normally this would be a moment to celebrate, but are we really in a mood for celebration?" the new UNGA president asked.

Parents in Gaza are watching their children starve, Afghan girls are banned from school, women in Darfur are hiding their daughters from being raped, Pacific Islanders are watching seas rise and waves lap against their homes, and 808 million people are still trapped in extreme poverty, Baerbock said.

A high-level week will kick off on Sept. 22 and run through Sept. 30, during which world leaders will gather to attend the General Debate and a series of conferences, including the High-level Meeting to Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations, the SDG Moment, the High-level Meeting on the 30th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Climate Summit, and the High-level Meeting to Launch the Global Dialogue on AI Governance.

Baerbock was sworn in as president of the 80th session at the closing of the 79th UNGA session on Tuesday morning. Enditem