What to know from the UN: Leaders speak of emerging threats, hints of war as big meeting nears

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The security cordons are up. The streets are ready to be sealed off. Aircraft from myriad nations are landing in New York.

It all means one thing for the eastern part of Manhattan: The yearly gathering of world leaders at the United Nations is at hand.

The U.N. General Assembly’s high-level leaders’ meeting convenes Tuesday in a troubled world — arguably even more troubled than last year, when the chief of the United Nations warned that the problems were overwhelming. Secretary-General ANTONIO GUTERRES will likely issue a similar warning on Tuesday as he opens the meeting, and world leaders take the stage amid war and rumors of war.

The day before the big meeting starts was full of hints as to the agenda in the days to come:

— World leaders spoke at an event called “Summit of the Future,” with many focusing on emerging threats, to the earth's climate, on the battlefield and in cyberspace.

— Iran's president pointed to the deadly explosions of pager and other devices in Lebanon, and the assassination of Hamas’ political leader ISMAIL HANIYEH, as proof Israel is trying to coax Iran into war.

— Most of Earth's systems are out of whack when it comes to climate change, and nations vary on who should pay to help poor nations deal with the impacts and switch to cleaner energy.

Here’s your daily guide to what’s going on at the United Nations this week, day by day:

A WARNING ON CYBERSPACE: At the “Summit of the Future," Indian Prime Minister NARENDRA MODI voiced concerns about “emerging theaters of conflict,” including in cyberspace. “There is a need for balanced regulation at a global level for the safe and responsible use of technology,” Modi said, cautioning that “we need global digital governance which ensures that national sovereignty and integrity are upheld.”

CHINA'S INITIATIVES: Chinese Foreign Minister WANG YI talked up key Beijing initiatives such as the Belt and Road program, which brings Chinese companies to build Chinese-funded transportation, energy, and infrastructure projects overseas. He also hit some oft-repeated Chinese complaints, such as criticizing “bloc confrontation” and sanctions imposed by a single country.

PUBLICLY SILENCED: Representing a country where the median age is 28, Ecuador's president urged the international community to have “a clear vision” for education and youth employment. Then suddenly, no one could hear him. The microphone of DANIEL NOBOA AZIN was cut off. Speech time limits often aren’t enforced at top-level U.N. meetings, but at the Summit of the Future, the mic was shut off after five minutes. Among the leaders who’ve run up against the limit: Brazilian President LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh SABAH KHALID AL SABAH and Irish President MICHAEL HIGGINS.

U.S. Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN says upcoming leadership changes in Japan and the United States won’t have any impact on their commitments to security in Northeast Asia.

Speaking at a meeting with the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers on the sidelines of the general assembly, Blinken said the U.S. presidential race pitting Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump, as well as Japanese Prime Minister FUMIO KISHIDA’s impending retirement, will not change the three countries’ joint resolve to combat threats posed by China and North Korea. He said the three-way collaboration among the allies after last year’s historic Camp David summit between the leaders “is stronger than it’s ever been, more effective than it’s ever been, and more important than it’s ever been, given the shared challenges that we face as well as the many opportunities before us to seize.”

A group of scientists produced the first of what they hope is an annual planetary health check. The prognosis is grim.

Earth is in the danger zone on six of the nine special systems that scientists looked into, with a seventh flirting with that risky area and maybe already breaching the boundary, according to the “planetary health check” by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research and the group called Planetary Guardians. The six areas definitely out of whack are the freshwater system, the climate, the phosphorous cycle, biodiversity, general land health and “novel” chemicals (such as microplastics). Ocean acidification is about to cross the danger line or may have done so already, the report said.

Only the ozone layer and health of the air are in decent shape, said Potsdam Institute Director JOHAN ROCKSTROM, who has done a similar planetary health check every several years and there is not much change from last year’s.

“For 30, 40 years, the world has been conscious that Earth is going in the wrong direction but we did not feel the earth was on fire. Right now the planet is on fire and that’s why we need to act,” former Colombia President JUAN MANUEL SANTOS said in a press briefing.

Leaders of countries around the world spoke at the U.N.’s “Summit of the Future” one by one. Or, San Marino’s case, two by two.

For centuries, the tiny European republic has had two heads of state at any given time. They’re called capitani reggenti — in English, captains regent — and they’re selected every six months by the nation’s 60-person legislature. The current captains regent, ALESSANDRO ROSSI and MILENA GASPERONI, took turns delivering their country’s speech. It touched on issues including refugees, food waste, violent extremism and the value of multilateralism — the type of broad-based international system that the U.N. represents.

“In the case of small states, international law is seen as the one and only safeguard in the event of a threat to their existence, and multilateral fora represent a valuable megaphone to make their voices heard, which would otherwise remain unheard,” Gasperoni said.

Number of women scheduled to address the assembly during the general debate, out of 194 total speakers: 19.

“They are dragging us to a point where we do not wish to go. There is no winner in warfare."

—Iranian President MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, speaking about Israel

“Today in Kabul, a female cat has more freedoms than a woman. A cat may go sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face. She may chase a squirrel into the park. A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban. A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not, and a woman may not, in public. This is extraordinary.”

—Actor MERYL STREEP, at a discussion focused on Afghan women

“Leaders must ask themselves whether this will be yet another meeting where they simply talk about greater cooperation and consensus, or whether they will show the imagination and conviction to actually forge it. With multiple crises around the world … if they miss this opportunity, I shudder to think of the consequences. Our collective future is at stake.”

—Amnesty International Secretary General AGNÈS CALLAMARD

Caribbean leaders want big polluters — especially fossil fuel companies — to pay more of the trillions of dollars the world needs to help poor nations deal with climate change’s impacts and switch to cleaner energy.

In a brief video appearance, Barbados Prime Minister MIA MOTTLEY, a leader in the call for global financial reform and seen as a possible future U.N. secretary-general, said poorer and middle income nations realize that private money is going to have to be part of a financial deal. But she said many multinational companies, which are richer than dozens of small nations, should pony up more dollars.

Bahamas Prime Minister PHILIP DAVIS said fossil fuel companies need to be held accountable, but it will probably have to be in the courts through international lawsuits.

JOHN PODESTA, Biden's top climate official, says the United States is doing its part to fight climate change and it’s paying off around the world. Podesta said the $300 billion Inflation Reduction Act spurred private businesses to spend $270 billion in clean energy. But the payoff wasn’t just in the United States because for every ton of heat-trapping carbon that the country reduced because of the new law, the world cut 2.9 tons, he said.

On tap for Tuesday, among other remarks, is the last U.N. address from JOE BIDEN as president of the United States after five decades on various parts of the world stage. Conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan are expected to take center stage all week. Guterres opens the debate Tuesday morning.

AP writers Seth Borenstein and Matthew Lee contributed. See more of AP’s coverage of the U.N. General Assembly at https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley speaks to the United Nations General Assembly during Summit of the Future, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shakes hand with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, right, during a meeting Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Bahamas Foreign Minister Frederick Mitchell addresses the the Summit of the Future, in the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Member of Lebanon's Parliament Bahia El Hariri addresses the the Summit of the Future, in the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A member of the Canadian delegation attends the Summit of the Future, in the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro Urrego addresses the the Summit of the Future, in the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the the Summit of the Future at United Nations headquarters, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, speaks to the United Nations General Assembly during the Summit for the Future, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Meryl Streep, left, attends a press conference following an event on "The Inclusion of Women in the Future of Afghanistan," Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, at the United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the the Summit of the Future at United Nations headquarters, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the the Summit of the Future at United Nations headquarters, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) — First lady Jill Biden on Monday unveiled a new set of actions to address health inequities faced by women in the United States, plans that include spending at least $500 million annually on women's health research.

Jill Biden made the announcement at this year’s Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York, moments before the organization honored President Joe Biden with the 2024 Clinton Global Citizen Award.

“He's provided a playbook for getting things done,” former President Bill Clinton, said as he presented the award. “We honor him today, not just for what he's accomplished, but for the way he has done it.”

President Biden, standing next to his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton, joked, “This is what you call being trapped.”

In his short remarks, he then called Jill Biden's announcement one of the most substantial of his administration.

The additional government spending will mainly come from the Department of Defense, which provides medical care to more than 230,000 active duty military women and nearly 2 million military retirees, as well as their family members. The research will focus on why these women experience endocrine, hematological and other immunity-related disorders twice as often as men.

“Women are really hungry for this kind of information,” Jill Biden said. “We don't have the answers.”

Another change will take effect next week, with a new policy that includes women's health at every step of the research funded by Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, which funded 751 grants last year to study Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus, orthopedic and musculoskeletal injuries, and various cancers.

The commitment was among the largest of the more than 100 expected at the two-day meeting of political, business and philanthropic leaders gathering to address some of the world’s most pressing issues. The Clintons have set this year’s theme as “What’s Working,” a way to look for potential solutions and effective programs in tumultuous times.

“You don’t look at a problem and say, ‘That’s impossible,” Bill Clinton said in his opening remarks. “You don’t just throw up your hands. You roll up your sleeves.”

An example of that strategy came from the announcement that a wide-ranging group of 15 nonprofits, humanitarian aid organizations and other funders will join forces to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan following more than a year of conflict.

The Coalition for Mutual Aid in Sudan – which includes The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Giving, Global Fund for Women, and The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee — will donate at least $2 million to mutual aid groups in the country by the end of the year. It also pledged to raise another $4.5 million for those groups within the next two years.

Patricia McIlreavy, president of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, which has been representing the coalition, said that, while much more aid is needed, the collaboration and problem-solving of the group is an important step forward.

“It gets us started,” McIlreavy told The Associated Press. “And it models the behavior you want to see from others. If you wait until it’s the perfect opportunity, you’ve missed many of the opportunities that were good enough.”

World Food Program director Cindy McCain said earlier this month that “ Sudan’s nearly a forgotten crisis ” and that 25 million people there already face acute hunger. Last week, the top United Nations humanitarian official said fighting is escalating in the conflict that began in April 2023 when long-simmering tensions between Sudan’s military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital Khartoum and spread to other regions. The U.N. says more than 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 injured.

“With ongoing impediments to a large-scale international aid response, Sudanese community groups have become the primary frontline responders and are currently the most effective means of reaching millions on the brink of starvation,” Patricia McIlreavy, president of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, said in a prepared statement on behalf of the coalition. “With so many lives on the line, the imperative to support local aid efforts in Sudan has never been more urgent.”

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy says more than 12 million people have been forced from their homes in Sudan, creating what is now the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis. The danger from the conflict has prevented most international aid agencies from delivering supplies to those in need.

Greg Milne, the Clinton Global Initiative CEO who convened a panel in April to raise awareness and support for the Sudanese people, said the new coalition is an example of what bringing organizations from varied sectors can do.

“We know strong, diverse partnerships can help address often overlooked and even dire challenges, and develop unexpected and innovative solutions,” he said.

Philanthropic leaders, including Bill Gates, World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres, Open Society Foundations President Binaifer Nowrojee, and Rockefeller Foundation President Raj Shah will share information about their work during CGI, as will Prince Harry, who will discuss the launch of The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Network, which supports parents of children harmed online. In his Tuesday appearance, the Duke of Sussex will also address his work with the World Health Organization and others to reduce violence against children, an issue he and his wife Meghan outlined on a recent trip to Colombia.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani Sadriu, and Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics are set to address the conference, as are CEOs from Pfizer, Mastercard, IKEA, Pinterest, Sanofi and Chobani.

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Binaifer Nowrojee, President of Open Society Foundations, speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Happy Mwende Kinyili, Co-Executive Director of Mama Cash, speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Nicole Taylor, President and CEO, of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Bill Clinton, Founder and Board Chair of the Clinton Foundation & 42nd President of the United States, speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Arian Simone, CEO and Founding Partner, of Fearless Fund speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Nicole Taylor, President and CEO, of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Binaifer Nowrojee, President of Open Society Foundations, speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Happy Mwende Kinyili, Co-Executive Director of Mama Cash speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Bill Clinton, Founder and Board Chair of the Clinton Foundation & 42nd President of the United States, speaks to guess during the Clinton Global Initiative, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Binaifer Nowrojee, President of Open Society Foundations, right, speaks with a journalist during the Clinton Global Initiative, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

FILE -Bill Clinton, third left, speaks as Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme, second right, Jose Andres, Founder and Chief Feeding Officer, World Central Kitchen, right, President of the Republic of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, second left, and Louise Emmanuelle Mabulo, Founder, The Cacao Project, left, listen during the Clinton Global Initiative, Sept. 19, 2023 in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)

FILE -A World Food Programme (WFP) truck backs up to load food items from a recently landed UN helicopter, in Yida camp, South Sudan, Sept. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin, File)