Debate Watch Podcast

The General Debate 2018 starts in a few hours. While I'm waiting I watch statements and Press Briefings of people working at the UN to learn more about this organisation. The former PGA Miroslav Laj?ák is talking about his past year at the head of the General Assembly and talks about his achievements and the problems that he sees at the UN. Like that reaching the SDGs until 2030 hasn't become easier. The new PGA starts more optimistic and gets the question from the media what she wants to do differently because every President wants to achieve a lot and doesn't hold the promises made most of the time. The Secretary-General has to answer questions about conflicts around the world, while his Spokeperson is telling us some general nrs and informations about the coming General Debate and the UN funding which is still problematic. The permanent representation of the US is also giving a Press Briefing and informs us about all the events that the media will cover in great detail because Trump will be part of them during the High-level week. During all this everyone has to talk about Multilateralism and how important or not so important it is. The UN sees it as the only way to solve the global problems the international community is facing, while the US thinks sovereignty is and should be more important for every state. At the end I can't wait for the start of the General Debate because the trailer promises: "watch as history is made".

A few months after its recording I finally decided to realease the first episode. It starts with a short introduction of myself and this podcast project and the idea behind it. Then I introduce the institutions that I talk about here in the coming episodes. The United Nations (UN), the General Assembly (GA) and the General Debate. With the help of short clips from the old and new president of the GA I try to understand myself what the UN is doing. After that we hear clips of people talking about the General Debate and what they do in that eventful week. With the first 4 statements I finally jump into the General Debate for real. The Secretary-General of the UN is talking about the UN itself and his new job as Secretary-General. The President of the General Assembly addresses the delegates and remembers them that people outside expect results from the UN. Brazil starts as the first country because they always are the first ones. Speaking about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement it begins with two of the most common topics mentioned during the General Debate. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was mentioned during the Debate here for the first time, which later that year led to the Peace Nobel Prize. The USA had the first UN speach by Trump. Topics were: the USA has a good economy, the UN has a lot of potential, North Korea is a threat and were threatened, the Iran Deal is bad, refugee crisis, UN reforms and the Human Rights Council, Cuba isn't the feel good story this year and Venezuela has a bad economic system.