UN's 79th General Assembly session begins in New York

HAMILTON, Canada

The 79th UN General Assembly officially kicked off Tuesday, bringing together leaders and high-level representatives from member states for one week in New York.

The session commenced under the leadership of the General Assembly President Philemon Yong from Cameroon and an opening speech by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Türkiye is represented by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is scheduled to deliver his speech Tuesday as the third speaker.

Erdogan is expected to draw attention to the situation in the Gaza Strip. He is also expected to urge member states to stand against Israel's attacks.

The UN spokesperson's office announced that the General Assembly, which will take place from Sept. 24-30, will be attended by 76 heads of state, four princes, two heads of government, 42 deputy prime ministers, nine ministers, 54 deputy ministers and a EU delegation.

Notably, only 19 participants are women.