UNGA fosters closer ties among member nations

Bilateral contacts among the leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session help develop closer ties among the member nations of the world body. Such contacts at times carry immense significance.
The UNGA is an annual ritualistic exercise that draws world leaders to the UN headquarters in the second half of September every year for discussions on political, economic, social and other matters of importance to the world at large. Generally, foreign ministers of the respective countries lead their delegations to the nearly three-month-long deliberations in the UN headquarters in New York when contemporary global situation comes under review and the member nations are offered an opportunity of expressing their views on various issues. The beginning of the UNGA session witnesses the presence of many world leaders and the global focus revolves around them as their addresses to the plenary draw both applause and criticism. Bangladesh prime minister addressed the session on September 27. She drew attention of the world to a number of current political, social and economic problems.
The 69th UNGA is taking place against the backdrop of a number of burning global issues that severely threaten global peace and stability. The deliberations this time are heavily dominated by such critical issues as the Ukraine crisis, Islamic State's presence in Syria and Iraq, Iran's nuclear programme and a host of other matters ranging from military issues to global socio-economic upliftment.
World leaders in their speeches in the UNGA generally seek to portray an international environment conducive to global peace and tranquillity. Noble thinking and imaginations are galore despite the presence of mistrust, bitterness and a sense of frustration among many attending delegates. Nonetheless, the UNGA serves as an inspiration for maintaining a happy and healthy environment across the world. Sceptics say that the routine UNGA is hardly a meaningful gathering, but it is also believed that the UNGA brings the member nations closer despite differences on many subjects.
One positive aspect of such international gatherings is the bilateral contacts among the leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA session that help develop personal rapport as well as improve ties among their countries. In fact, such informal meetings at times greatly contribute to improving relations between the countries which experience strain in their ties because of many factors. The Bangladesh prime minister, among others, met the Indian prime minister Modi, and their meeting was watched with great interest. The 20-minute meeting was described by both sides as "useful and productive".
It was Sheikh Hasina's first meeting with the new Indian prime minister and both of them discussed different issues, including the outstanding problems between the two countries. From Dhaka's point of view, these issues need to be resolved at the earliest and the Indian prime minister assured Hasina of his efforts for an early solution which, among others, include signing of the agreement on water sharing of the Teesta and implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement the two countries signed in 1974. As far as solution of the two major issues is concerned, the ball is in the Indian court and it remains to be seen how Modi responds to this urgency. In the past also there were assurances, but with no positive outcome. Now that a new government is at the helm in India, an impression exists that settlement of these issues would make progress.
True, the UNGA session is largely a routine exercise, but it is also significant for the simple reason that it is a landmark annual event that helps member nations to come closer despite the fact that the world is battered by differences and conflicts with member nations having differing, at times opposing views and perceptions. While the world is hardly free from crises of big magnitude, three international issues - the Ukraine crisis -- which is reminiscent of the Cold War-era East-West rivalry, the Palestine tangle with particular stress on Israel's recent aggression against the Palestinians and the emergence of the Islamic State (ISIS) and the vow of the US president Barack Obama to "crush" the ISIS are figuring prominently in the deliberations of the UNGA this time.

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