By Suzanne Lynch

Presented by Philip Morris International

With Nahal Toosi and Mona Zhang

POLITICO’s Global Insider is morphing this week into UNGA Playbook, an exclusive seven-edition series spotlighting the world stage at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. But that's just the start! We're thrilled to announce the upcoming evolution of this newsletter into POLITICO’s Global Playbook. This premier pop-up newsletter, authored by Suzanne Lynch, is an insider's look at the pivotal gatherings and moments shaping global policy, politics, and power. Up next: The frontlines of COP28 from Dubai in November. Stay tuned!

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Good morning and welcome to Day 4 of POLITICO’s U.N. Playbook! It’s Suzanne Lynch here in New York, where the sun has finally come out after the torrential rain earlier in the week. It didn’t dampen the spirits of the thousands of delegates and officials who have descended on the city for the high-level week. Among them — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who landed in New York last night.

Let’s bring you up to speed on what’s happening today ...

A message from Philip Morris International:

Worldwide, an estimated 1 billion people still smoke. Let’s change that. It’s time to try a more inclusive and innovative approach that’s been proven in several countries and has the potential to significantly accelerate a decline in smoking. For adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, switching to a smoke-free product is a pragmatic option that can have a positive impact on both individual and public health. See how at PMI.com/Rethink

UKRAINE AND RUSSIA FACE OFF: All eyes will be on the horseshoe table of the Security Council chamber today as the key U.N. body meets to debate Ukraine in open session. Russia’s Lavrov is due to attend, as is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — the first time the two will face each other in the chamber since the war began. It could be a long day: dozens of countries are due to speak. “This could go into Thursday,” one despairing diplomat involved in the preparations said last night.

What Ukraine wants: Zelenskyy used his speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday to highlight some key issues for Kyiv: describing the kidnapping of Ukrainian kids as “genocide” and condemning Russia’s weaponization of food. Today he is expected to focus on his proposed peace plan — reminder: earlier in the year, Kyiv had hoped there would be a peace summit on the fringes of UNGA this week, but that didn’t happen.

Dmitry Polyansky (top right) Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, doesn't look up as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (bottom left) addresses the 78th session of the UN General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Sept. 19, 2023. | Seth Wenig/AP Photo

No carve-up of Ukraine: Still, Zelenskyy got some U.S. support for his plan Tuesday via President Joe Biden. “If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?” Biden said in his speech. “The answer is no. We have to stand up to this naked aggression today to deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow.”

All on the same page: Indeed, one issue that united the range of speakers Tuesday was the sanctity of the U.N. Charter, which enshrines the concept of territorial integrity.

Leaders from Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Biden referenced the concept during their speeches. At least there’s something (most) U.N. members can agree on.

Speaking of Biden: The U.S. president and New York Mayor Eric Adams are not expected to cross paths this week in New York — despite being two of the biggest figures in Democratic politics, reports our colleague Emily Ngo. The issue? Tensions over Biden’s criticism of Adams’ tough talk on migration. It’s a big change from last year when the two men were together at a high-dollar Democratic fundraiser on the eve of Biden’s big U.N. speech.

A message from Philip Morris International:

COUNTDOWN TO COP: The Climate Action Summit kicks off today, billed as a “key milestone” on the road to this year’s actual big show on green thinking: the COP28 summit in Dubai, starting Nov. 30.

Speaking of the UAE … COP28 President-designate Sultan Al Jaber will address today’s closing session around 5:30 p.m., where he is expected to announce new priorities on the road to COP. Reminder: The UAE’s status as the host of COP is highly controversial given that it’s a major fossil fuel producer. But, hey, this is 2023, the year of multilateralism, so most countries are getting on board with it, despite reservations.

Dire warnings: “Our world is literally on fire and climate change is killing us. If we are to prevent worsening disease and death, we must urgently reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” Vanessa Kerry, WHO special envoy for climate change, told us ahead of today’s gathering.

“After a summer of climate chaos — from terrible flash flooding in Libya to record-breaking temperatures and wildfires across the U.S. and Europe — climate change is impacting us right now.

She was speaking ahead of a new report out today by the Collective Minds Climate Council, which will call for the need to elevate local adaptation in the climate discourse and highlight the connection between climate change and health.

Also speaking today … not one, but three representatives of the European Union. Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s new Green Deal climate plan czar, told us ahead of today’s meeting that the bloc is on track to meet its green targets. As he points out, the EU has already committed to an ambitious agenda. “For the European Union, the climate law is law. … It’s on our books. So by 2050, we’ll be the first major economy which will be climate-neutral.”

All about the renewables: Šefčovič highlighted renewable energy goals as a way to cut emissions. Tripling the use of renewables by 2030, he said, could save six gigatons of planet-warming carbon dioxide. “We can really transform the world relatively quickly with investments into what is needed for this planet, what is needed for the global economy. This tripling and doubling of our efforts,” he said.

But, but, but … Out in the real world, the EU has been facing resistance from some countries that argue its climate goals are too ambitious and clash with the interests of farmers and business. Interestingly, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said in a speech at New York’s Columbia University this week that ambitious climate change measures need to be “business friendly” and better communicated to people — a hint at the political pushback the EU’s climate policies are getting. Just yesterday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is skipping this week’s gathering, confirmed his government is rowing back on some net-zero policies.

What to watch today: Climate finance, and implementation are the watch-words. “No one knows what to expect,” said one Western diplomat closely involved in the negotiations in the run-up to today, noting that Secretary General António Guterres has been centrally involved in the process. There will also be a special “loss and damage” fund ministerial meeting with financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank during the day, focused on the main takeaway of COP27 in Egypt — the creation of a special fund for communities dealing with the impacts of climate change.

HEALTH-Y DEBATE: The first high-level meeting on health of the week kicks off at 10 a.m. today, focusing on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Seventeen heads of state are expected to speak, including South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso.

Governments will commit to improving coordination to reduce inequities in access to vaccines, tests, drugs and other medical equipment when the next pandemic strikes.

But, but, but … As we reported Tuesday, opposition from 11 countries to this declaration — and others — may tank the adoption.

NOT SEEN, NOT HEARD: Sudan. The country will finally be on the agenda today during a ministerial meeting on the humanitarian situation there and in the region, entitled “The cost of inaction in Sudan.”

The conflict in the country has so far attracted little attention this week, even as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the WHO warned Tuesday that more than 1,200 refugee children under 5 have died since May due to a suspected measles outbreak and high malnutrition.

“We can prevent more deaths, but need money for the response, access to those in need, and above all, an end to the fighting,” said Filippo Grandi, the UNHCR boss.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER 

SPARKLING ON FIFTH: The carats — and Rolexes — were on full display at the Belgian Consulate General last night, overlooking Central Park with a glittering event hosted by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

Details: “The Partnerships for Trust and Transparency event” heard from the Belgian leader and James O’Brien, U.S. State Department sanctions coordinator, as well as representatives from the diamond industry. (Belgium, and particularly the port city of Antwerp, is a major diamond hub.)

Serious business: The provenance and sale of diamonds — long a concern of campaigners for the developing world — has come into sharper focus since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv has been pushing to stop the import of Russian rough diamonds because the trade enriches some Russian businesses. But during the successive rounds of sanctions negotiations in Europe and the U.S., Belgium resisted.

Blood diamonds: De Croo had a message for the New York set: “Diamonds are a symbol that show trust. Russian diamonds do that. Russian diamonds stand for exactly the opposite. They stand for a ruthless war, a total disregard for human rights. Let there be absolutely no doubt — Russian diamonds are blood diamonds,” he told the crowd.

Change a-coming: Both De Croo and O’Brien promised that change is on the way, with the G7 due to ban the sale of Russian diamonds in the coming weeks. “We are extremely happy with the process of traceability that has been put forward by the G7 countries,” De Croo said, even as he joked that it might take Belgium a little time to get to join the club of advanced economies.

SPOTTED 

— At Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards, hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Melinda French Gates; Elaine Welteroth of “Project Runway;” choreographer Usha Jey; activist Sabrina Dhowre Elba; Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini; author and TV presenter Candice Brathwaite; Swedish singer Zara Larsson; Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage.

— At the Meridian reception on the Future of Diplomacy: Nathan Evans, spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the U.N.; Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, Peru’s ambassador to the U.S.; Ken Howery, former U.S. ambassador to Sweden; Kaitlan Collins, CNN anchor; and Mauricio Ramos, CEO of Millicom.

— U.K. Shadow Secretary of State for International Development Lisa Nandy at Grammy’s New York office, marking 75 years of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.

— A contingent of U.S. State Department and U.N. officials were among a group that went straight from the President’s Leaders Reception at the Met to rooftop drinks hosted by John Hudson, Cat Rakowski, and Shadi Hamid. Spotted: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Chris Lu, Ambassador Robert Wood, Under Secretary Liz Allen, Deputy Assistant to the President and NSC Chief of Staff Curtis Ried, State Department Deputy Director Monica Cummings, Ashley and Ben Chang, Stephanie Epner, Lars Anderson.

AROUND TOWN

ENTENTE CORDIALE: French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly met Tuesday at the appropriately named Deux Amis restaurant (“two friends”), not far from U.N. HQ, to mark British King Charles’ visit to France today. Cleverly left yesterday for France to attend the festivities in Paris.

NORDIC NOIR: It’s not all about high-level diplomacy and non-stop political networking for heads of state and prime ministers this week. Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir (who has a master’s degree in Icelandic literature) and author Ragnar Jónasson will discuss their co-authored crime novel at Scandinavia House tonight. Kick-off at 7 p.m.

PROTEST CORNER: You’re bound to see dozens of demonstrations around U.N. HQ this week as activists seize this unique chance to voice their causes before the world’s power players. But it’s not always clear what they’re protesting while jumping from meeting to meeting, so here we’ve got a rundown:

On Tuesday, critics of the Israeli government marched in Manhattan behind a pick-up truck blasting messages against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ahead of his meeting today with Biden.

Demonstrators also camped out across from Loews Hotel on the Upper East Side where the Israeli leader is staying.

Meanwhile, more than 80 American Jewish leaders signed a letter to Biden, demanding that any Israeli-Saudi normalization agreement “must include measures that tangibly advance prospects for a two-state solution” and halt what they called the “current slide toward unending conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.”

Over on 39th and Lexington, hundreds gathered near the Cuban mission, protesting the Havana government.

VIRTUAL VIEW OF VENEZUELA: There was a comical scene at the Concordia Summit Lounge on Tuesday as UNGA delegates and dignitaries donned Oculus VR (virtual reality) headsets while others tried to dodge running into them, reports Mona.

Attendees at the Concordia Summit in New York. N.Y. Tuesday donned Oculus VR headsets to experience torture and imprisonment under the Maduro regime in Venezuela. | Mona Zhang/Politico

But what participants behind those goggles were seeing was much more serious: El Helicoide, an infamous detention center in Venezuela and “the biggest torture center in the region right now,” explained human rights lawyer Genesis Davila, who represented Victor Navarro, a political prisoner who was tortured in the facility.

Navarro collaborated with other former prisoners including activist Francisco Marquez to create the concept.

HOT GOSS SPOT: Le Pain Quotidien on 44th and 3rd was giving U.N. vibes Tuesday, swarmed with customers bedecked in the summit’s classic blue lanyards. A chorus of different languages filled the restaurant, interspersed with mentions of “Ukraine!”

Summit fatigue hadn’t hit members of the Brazilian delegation, despite back-to-back global gatherings in recent weeks: They felt buoyed by Lula’s speech in the morning. “We don’t hate [UNGA], it’s fun,” one said. “But when you live in New York ... you hate it.”

PETRO’S POETRY: Of all the U.N. speeches Tuesday, few were as colorful, or mystifying, as that of Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Here are a few of his most intriguing lines — context free — courtesy of our own Nahal and Eric Bazail-Eimil:

— “Today’s generation must decide and ask as soon as possible to vanquish the enormous hurricane that has unleashed itself onto the living from the deepest, but powerful bowels of desire, the hurricane of capital that only looks at gains, but has devoured the earth and the foundation of existence.”

— “What a beautiful horizon in the midst of the tempest and the darkness of today, a horizon that tastes like hope.”

— “Change and life are now synonyms.”

— “May the echo of the public, of the state, of humanity, of multilateralism, of change resound.”

AGENDA 

— U.N. General Assembly continues. Speaking in the generously defined “morning” spot (which goes until 2:45 p.m.) include the President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol; and President of Finland Sauli Niinistö. Slated to take the podium in the afternoon: the President of Chile Gabriel Boric Font; Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez; and Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

— The U.N. Climate Ambition Summit will kick off at 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room 4 at U.N. headquarters. High-level thematic sessions (net-zero, climate justice and decarbonization) will start at 2 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council chamber, followed by the closing plenary at 5:30 p.m.

— "Democracy Delivers" event at the Ford Foundation, hosted by USAID Administrator Samantha Power, in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. Speakers include: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken; President of Malawi Lazarus Chakwera; President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader; President of Moldova Maia Sandu; President of Ecuador Guillermo Lasso; Ford Foundation President Darren Walker; and Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv Shah. Starts 9 a.m.

— The Concordia Summit continues into its final day. On today's agenda: Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, former British politician-turned Meta exec Nick Clegg, President of Taiwan Ing-wen Tsai, former President of Colombia Iván Duque and Prime Minister of Montenegro Abazović Dritan.

— Middle East Global Summit, Academy Mansion, 2 East 63rd Street, starting at 9 a.m. Keynote speaker: King Abdullah II of Jordan.

— Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards, Cipriani Hotel, 7 p.m.

— Innovations in Implementing the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, International Peace Institute, 8 a.m. Speakers include: Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin; Japan’s Yōko Kamikawa; Slovenia’s Tanja Fajon; Switzerland’s Pascale Baeriswyl; President of the National Institute of Women of Mexico Nadine Gasman.

— The World Health Organization and the World Bank launch the Universal Health Coverage 2023 Global Monitoring Report, 8 a.m.

— The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers event, featuring the former power couple and their youngest daughter, Phoebe Gates, among others. 8:30 a.m.

— The high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, 10 a.m. 

— Foreign Policy Health Forum, 45 Rockefeller Plaza. 10:30 a.m.

— Speech by Irish leader Leo Varadkar, Council on Foreign Relations, E 68th St., 11 a.m., Watch the livestream.

— Devex @ UNGA, 12 p.m.

— “Accelerating Climate Adaptation for Health Equity,” event hosted by Foreign Policy, Foundation S, Africa-Europe Foundation, 45 Rockefeller Plaza, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Thanks to Carmen Paun; Eric Bazail-Eimil; editors Emma Anderson and Heidi Vogt; and producer Sophie Gardner.

A message from Philip Morris International:

What’s being done to end smoking? When you look around the world, the answer is not nearly enough. There’s no doubt that quitting is the best choice. But for adults who don’t quit, smoke-free products provide nicotine without burning and are a better choice for those who would otherwise continue to smoke. We already see significant health benefits in Sweden, a country that has actively embraced smoke-free alternatives. Look also at Japan. Smoking rates in both countries have rapidly declined because regulations allow adult smokers access to smoke-free products. Why aren’t other countries adopting this approach? Today’s political and cultural landscape deters many governments and regulators from following the evidence. This inaction prolongs the life of cigarettes and risks shortening the lives of smokers across the globe. Let’s change that. See how at PMI.com/Rethink

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