Washington, DC – Since its first session in 1946, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has served as a platform for world leaders and diplomats to spell out their countries’ priorities and offer assessments of the problems and needs of humanity.
UNGA meetings, particularly the general debate, have brought sworn enemies to the same building and allowed some of the United States’ most hostile adversaries to visit New York, where the UN headquarters are located.
As the assembly convenes for its annual session this week, here’s a look at some unforgettable, and sometimes comical, UNGA moments.
After more than four decades in power, the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi made it to the UN podium in 2009. And it was a debut to remember.
Gaddafi delivered a scathing speech against world powers that lasted nearly 100 minutes.
The eccentric authoritarian leader — who would be overthrown and subsequently killed in a NATO-backed uprising two years later — decried the veto powers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Source from www.aljazeera.com