“As I stand in this newly opened magnificent Assembly Hall, I cannot help but think that we are here at the dawn of a new day. Let us approach this pivotal 69th session with a sense of urgency, hope and greater cooperation,” said the General Assembly President Sam Kahamba Kutesa in his opening address to the 193-Member States body.

Mr Kutesa, of Uganda, declared the theme of this year's general debate “Delivering on and implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda” and said the framework must strive to eradicate poverty and hunger and promote sustained and inclusive economic growth.

Next week, scores of heads of State and Government will take to the very same podium in the annual general debate, which will run from Wednesday, 24 September, through Wednesday, 1 October, to deliberate the world's most pressing issues.

“The list is as lengthy as it is daunting – poverty and hunger; persistent unemployment; violent armed conflicts; faltering education systems; climate change and rising sea-levels; and inadequate infrastructure,” Mr. Kutesa said.

Just in recent months, health systems in West Africa have been overwhelmed by an unprecedented Ebola outbreak, while new challenges to peace and security have emerged with alarming frequency. Extremism is spreading and acts of terrorism are spreading in Iraq and Syria.  Read more here