UNGA: United Nations General Assembly’s ‘High-level Week,’ when presidents, prime ministers, monarchs, and other top leaders of all 193 UN member countries are invited to speak to the world and each other.
General Debate: The centerpiece of the week, it gives each country’s leader (or a designee) the mic for a state-of-the-world speech. Speakers are given 15 minutes to share their opinion on the planet’s biggest issues and hotspots, spotlight domestic accomplishments and needs, air grievances, and project statesmanship.
Bilateral: Private meetings between high-ranking officials of two countries.
Ministerial: Applies to meetings of cabinet-level officials, such as foreign ministers, from different countries.
Security Council: The UN’s most powerful component, responsible for maintaining international peace and security. The council has powers to enact binding resolutions, impose sanctions and deploy peacekeeping troops.
P5: The Security Council’s five permanent members with veto power. They are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
E10: The Security Council’s 10 elected, non-permanent members. The General Assembly elects them for two-year terms in seats allocated by region.
G77: Stands for the “Group of 77 and China,” a developing countries interest group that formed within the UN in 1964. The group now has 134 members.
COP30: A major UN climate conference.
1.5 Degrees: A crucial climate threshold. Under the 2015 Paris climate accord, countries agreed to work to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial times.
