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The epitaphioi logoi (ἐπιτάφιος λόγος), ancient Greek public funeral orations, was an important part of the public and communal rituals of burying those who were no longer among the living. The practice in attenuated forms, might be said to have survived to modern times (eg Lucy Williams, Grieving Critically: Barack Obama and the Counter-Eulogy, (2022) 75(2) Political Research Quarterly 307-320), especially in its impulse to mythologize the present through the speech act of the oration itself ( "the epitaphioi are “mythical” less because of their eternalizing perspective than because of the malleable and pluralistic way in which they conceived of the past and molded it to their ideological purpose" (Avi Kapac, "The Art of Mythical History and the Temporality of the Athenian Epitaphioi Logoi," (2020) 12(2) Trends in Classics, 312-340 (abstract)).
That, perhaps. might be the most useful way of approaching the address delivered by Mr. Biden at the UN on 24 September (Remarks by President Biden Before the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly | New York, NY), the text of which follows below. It was meant to speak to the present; it was perhaps most effective as a funeral oration for its orator, as well as one for the ideals and the ways of thinking that the oration sought to embrace. The remarks appear as a personal eulogy stretching across the arc of a career that ran in parallel with the lessons that were drawn to prepare him for, and then to justify, the decisions taken during his term in office. There is an echo here of a more ancient form:
Such was the end of these men; they were worthy of Athens, and the living need not desire to have a more heroic spirit, although they may pray for a less fatal issue. The value of such a spirit is not to be expressed in words. Any one can discourse to you for ever about the advantages of a brave defense, which you know already. But instead of listening to him I would have you day by day fix your eyes upon the greatness of Athens, until you become filled with the love of her; and when you are impressed by the spectacle of her glory, reflect that this empire has been acquired by men who knew their duty and had the courage to do it. (Funeral Oration of Pericles)
The reporting from Slate captured this essence in its analytical reporting: "Biden succinctly summarized his broad view of world politics and made it
personal, citing his involvement in the ups and downs of war and peace
over the past half-century as the basis of his hopes for the future. At
the end, he tied his withdrawal from the presidential race to his
celebration of democratic principles." (Biden Just Gave One of the Most Moving Speeches of His Long Political Career). The difference is more readily apparent when comparing his address with those delivered in 2023 (Remarks by President Biden Before the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly | New York, NY), and those delivered in 2022 (Remarks by President Biden Before the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly), both of which also follow below.
Of course, as is customary now for big leaders, Mr. Biden's remarks were surrounded by an official gloss, given before delivery by "senior administration official." That Background Press Call on President Biden’s Engagements at UNGA follows below. It was also parsed for unofficial glosses that tended to advance strategic perspectives now long in the making. There was a little of something for everyone to pull out of the text and to focus on it in ways that suited. President Biden did noy help matters--in the style of the political class in this century, and with a sensitivity to the technologies and predictions of communication through social media, Mr. Biden offered up, or rather he larded his eulogy with the requisite sound bites: Gaza, Ukraine, reform of the UN Security Council, and the like. The analytical results in press organs was predictable (see, e.g., Guardian (Ukraine); CNBC, PBS, Reuters (wars in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza); ABC (Biden stepping aside; democracy); US News (message of hope); Fox (withdrawal from Afghanistan): Al Jazeera (MENA de escalation).
.
Remarks by President Biden Before the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly | New York, NY
United Nations Headquarters
New York, New York
10:12 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: My fellow leaders, today is the fourth time I’ve had the great honor of speaking to this assembly as president of the United States. It will be my last.
I’ve seen a remarkable sweep of history. I was first elected to office in the United States of America as a U.S. senator in 1972. Now, I know I look like I’m only 40. I know that. (Laughter.)
I was 29 years old. Back then, we were living through an inflection point, a moment of tension and uncertainty. The world was divided by the Cold War. The Middle East was headed toward war. America was at war in Vietnam, and at that point, the longest war in America’s history.
Our country was divided and angry, and there were questions about our staying power and our future. But even then, I entered public life not out of despair but out of optimism.
The United States and the world got through that moment. It wasn’t easy or simple or without significant setbacks. But we would go on to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons throughout the — through arms control and then go on to bring the Cold War itself to an end. Israel and Egypt went to war but then forged a historic peace. We ended the war in Vietnam.
The — last year, in Hanoi, I was — met with the Vietnamese leadership, and we elevated our partnership to the highest level. It’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the capacity for reconciliation that today the United States and Vietnam are partners and friends, and it’s proof that even from the horrors of war there is a way forward. Things can get better.
We should never forget that. I have seen that throughout my career.
In the 1980s, I spoke out against apartheid in South Africa, and then I watched the racist regime fall.
In the 1990s, I worked to hold Milošević accountable for war crimes. He was held accountable.
At home, I wrote and passed the Violence Against Women Act to end the scourge of violence against women and girls not only in America but across the world, as many of you have as well. But we have so much more to do, especially against rape and sexual violence as weapons of war and terror.
We were attacked on 9/11 by Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. We brought him justice.
Then I came to the presidency in another moment in a crisis and uncertainty. I believed America had to look forward. New challenges, new threats, new opportunities were in front of us. We needed to put ourselves in a position to see the threats, to deal with the challenges, and to seize the opportunities as well.
We needed to end the era of war that began on 9/11. As vice president to President Obama, he asked me to work to wind down the military operations in Iraq. And we did, painful as it was.
When I came to office as president, Afghanistan had replaced Vietnam as America’s longest war. I was determined to end it, and I did. It was a hard decision but the right decision.
Four American presidents had faced that decision, but I was determined not to leave it to the fifth. It was a decision accompanied by tragedy. Thirteen brave Americans lost their lives along with hundreds of Afghans in a suicide bomb. I think those lost lives — I think of them every day.
I think of all the 2,461 U.S. military deaths over a long 20 years of that war. 20,744 American servicemen wounded in action. I think of their service, their sacrifice, and their heroism.
I know other countries lost their own men and women fighting alongside us. We honor their sacrifices as well.
To face the future, I was also determined to rebuild my country’s alliances and partnerships to a level not previously seen. We did — we did just that, from traditional treaty alliances to new partnerships like the Quad with the United States, Japan, Australia, and India.
I know — I know many look at the world today and see difficulties and react with despair, but I do not. I won’t.
As leaders, we don’t have the luxury.
I recognize the challenges from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan and beyond: war, hunger, terrorism, brutality, record displacement of people, a climate crisis, democracy at risk, strains within our societies, the promise of artificial intelligence and its significant risks. The list goes on.
But maybe because of all I’ve seen and all we have done together over the decades, I have hope. I know there is a wa- — a way forward.
In 1919, the Irish poet William Butler Yeats described a world, and I quote, where “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,” end of quote.
Some may say those words describe the world not just in 1919 but in 2024. But I see a cri- — a critical distinction.
In our time, the center has held. Leaders and people from every region and across the political spectrum have stood together. Turned the page — we turned the page on the worst pandemic in a century. We made sure COVID no longer controls our lives. We defended the U.N. Charter and ensured the survival of Ukraine as a free nation. My country made the largest investment in climate and clean energy ever, anywhere in history.
There will always be forces that pull our countries apart and the world apart: aggression, extremism, chaos, and cynicism, a desire to retreat from the world and go it alone.
Our task, our test is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart, that the principles of partnership that we came here each year to uphold can withstand the challenges, that the center holds once again.
My fellow leaders, I truly believe we are at another inflection point in world history where the choices we make today will determine our future for decades to come.
Will we stand behind the principles that unite us? We stand firm against aggression. We — will we end the conflicts that are raging today? Will we take on global challenges like climate change, hunger, and disease? Will we plan now for the opportunities and risk of a revolutionary new technologies?
I want to talk today about each of those decisions and the actions, in my view, we must take.
To start, each of us in this body has made a commitment to the principles of the U.N. Charter, to stand up against aggression. When Russia invaded Ukraine, we could have stood by and merely protested. But Vice President Harris and I understood that that was an assault on everything this institution is supposed to stand for.
And so, at my direction, America stepped into the breach, providing massive security and economic and humanitarian assistance. Our NATO Allies and partners in 50-plus nations stood up as well. But most importantly, the Ukrainian people stood up. And I ask the people of this chamber to stand up for them.
The good news is Putin’s war has failed in his — at his core aim. He set out to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free. He set out to weaken NATO, but NATO is bigger, stronger, and more united than ever before with two new members, Finland and Sweden. But we cannot let up.
The world now has another choice to make: Will we sustain our support to help Ukraine win this war and preserve its freedom or walk away and let aggression be renewed and a nation be destroyed?
I know my answer. We cannot grow weary. We cannot look away. And we will not let up on our support for Ukraine, not until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace [based] on the U.N. Charter. (Applause.)
We also need to uphold our principles as we seek to responsibly manage the competition with China so it does not veer into conflict. We stand ready to cooperate on urgent challenges for the good of our people and the people everywhere.
We recently resumed cooperation with China to stop the flow of deadly synthetic narcotics. I appreciate the collaboration. It matters for the people in my country and mether- — many others around the world.
On matters of conviction, the United States is unabashed, pushing back against unfair economic competition and against military coercion of other nations in — in the South China Sea, in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, in protecting our most advanced technologies so they cannot be used against us or any of our partners.
At the same time, we’re going to continue to strengthen our network of alliances and partnerships across the Indo-Pacific. These partnerships are not against any nation. They are building blocks for a free, open, secure, and peaceful Indo-Pacific.
We are also working to bring a greater measure of peace and stability to the Middle East. The world must not flinch from the horrors of October 7th. Any country — any country would have the right and responsibility to ensure that such an attack can never happen again.
Thousands of armed Hamas terrorists invaded a sovereign state, slaughtering and massacring more than 1,200 people, including 46 Americans, in their homes and at a music festival; despis- — despicable acts of sexual violence; 250 innocents taken hostage.
I’ve met with the families of those hostages. I’ve grieved with them. They’re going through hell.
Innocent civilians in Gaza are also going through hell. Thousands and thousands killed, including aid workers. Too many families dislocated, crowding into tents, facing a dire humanitarian situation. They didn’t ask for this war that Hamas started.
I put forward with Qatar and Egypt a ceasefire and hostage deal. It’s been endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home, en- — secure security for Israel, and Gaza free of Ha- — of Hamas’ grip, ease the suffering in Gaza, and end this war.
On October 7th — (applause) — since October 7, we have also been determined to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire region. Hezbollah, unprovoked, joined the October 7th attack launching rockets into Israel. Almost a year later, too many on each side of the Israeli-Lebanon border remain displaced.
Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest. Even as the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible. In fact, it remains the only path to lasting security to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes on the border safely. And that’s what working — that’s what we’re working tirelessly to achieve.
As we look ahead, we must also address the rise of violence against innocent Palestinians on the West Bank and set the conditions for a better future, including a two-state solution, where the world — where Israel enjoys security and peace and full recognition and normalized relations with all its neighbors, where Palestinians live in security, dignity, and self-determination in a state of their own. (Applause.)
Progress toward peace will put us in a stronger position to deal with the ongoing threat posed by Iran. Together, we must deny oxygen to terrorists — to its terrorist proxies, which have called for more October 7ths, and ensure that Iran will never, ever obtain a nuclear weapon.
Gaza is not the only conflict that deserves our outrage. In Sudan, a bloody civil war unleashed one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises: eight million — eight million on the brink of famine, hundreds of thousands already there, atrocities in Darfur and elsewhere.
The United States has led the world in providing humanitarian aid to Sudan. And with our partners, we have led diplomatic talks to try to silence the guns and avort — and avert a wider famine. The world needs to stop arming the generals, to speak with one voice and tell them: Stop tearing your country apart. Stop blocking aid to the Sudanese people. End this war now. (Applause.)
But people need more than the absence of war. They need the chance — the chance to live in dignity. They need to be protected from the ravages of climate change, hunger, and disease.
Our administration has arri- — has invested over $150 billion to make progress and other Sustainable Development Goals. It includes $20 billion for food security and over $50 billion for global health. We’ve mobilized billions more in private-sector investment.
We’ve taken the most ambitious climate actions in history. We’ve moved to rejoin the Paris Agreement on day one. And today, my country is finally on track to cut emissions in half by 2030, on track to honor my pledge to quadruple climate financing to developing nations with $11 billion thus far this year.
We’ve rejoined the World Health Organization and donated nearly 700 million doses of COVID vaccine to 117 countries. We must now move quickly to face mpox outbreak in Africa. We are prepared to commit $500 million to help African countries prevent and respond to mpox and to donate 1 million doses of mpox vaccine now. (Applause.) We call on our partners to match our pledge and make this a billion-dollar commitment to the people of Africa.
Beyond the core necessities of food and health, the United States, the G7, and our partners have embarked on an ambitious initiative to mobilize and deliver significant financing to the developing world. We are working to help countries build out their infrastructure, to clean energy transition, to their digital transformation to lay new economic foundations for a prosperous future.
It’s called the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. We’ve already starting to see the fruits of this emerge in Southern Africa and in Southeast A- — Asia and in the Americas. We have to keep it going.
I want to get things done together. In order to do that, we must build a stronger, more effective, and more inclusive United Nations. The U.N. needs to adapt to bring in new voices and new perspectives. That’s why we support reforming and expanding the membership of the U.N. Security Council. (Applause.)
My U.N. ambassador just laid out our detailed vision to reflect today’s world, not yesterday’s. It’s time to move forward.
And the Security Council, like the U.N. itself, needs to get back to the job of making peace; of brokering deals to end wars and suffering; th- — (applause) — and to stop the spread of the most dangerous weapons; of stabilizing troubled regions in East Africa — from East Africa to Haiti, to Kenya-led mission that’s working alongside the Haitian people to turn the tide.
We also have a responsibility to prepare our citizens for the future. We’ll see more technological change, I argue, in the next 2 to 10 years than we have in the last 50 years.
Artificial intelligence is going to change our ways of life, our ways of work, and our ways of war. It could usher in scientific progress at a pace never seen before. And much of it could make our lives better.
But AI also brings profound risks, from deepfakes to disinformation to novel pathogens to bioweapons.
We have worked at home and abroad to define the new norms and standards. This year, we achieved the first-ever General Assembly resolution on AI to start developing global rules — global rules of the road. We also announced a Declaration of — on the Responsible — Responsible Use of AI, joined by 60 countries in this chamber.
But let’s be honest. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what we need to do to manage this new technology.
Nothing is certain about how AI will evolve or how it will be deployed. No one knows all the answers.
But my fellow leaders, it’s with humility I offer two questions.
First: How do we as an international community govern AI? As countries and companies race to uncertain frontiers, we need an equally urgent effort to ensure AI’s safety, security, and trustworthiness. As AI grows more powerful, it must grow also — it also must grow more responsive to our collective needs and values. The benefits of all must be shared equitably. It should be harnessed to narrow, not deepen, digital divides.
Second: Will we ensure that AI supports, rather than undermines, the core principles that human life has value and all humans deserve dignity? We must make certain that the awesome capabilities of AI will be used to uplift and empower everyday people, not to give dictators more powerful shackles on human — on the human spirit.
In the years ahead, there wa- — they may be — may well be no greater test of our leadership than how we deal with AI.
Let me close with this. Even as we navigate so much change, one thing must not change: We must never forget who we’re here to represent.
“We the People.” These are the first words of our Constitution, the very idea of America. And they inspired the opening words of the U.N. Charter.
I’ve made the preservation of democracy the central cause of my presidency.
This summer, I faced a decision whether to seek a second term as president. It was a difficult decision. Being president has been the honor of my life. There is so much more I want to get done. But as much as I love the job, I love my country more. I decided, after 50 years of public service, it’s time for a new generation of leadership to take my nation forward.
My fellow leaders, let us never forget, some things are more important than staying in power. It’s your people — (applause) — it’s your people that matter the most.
Never forget, we are here to serve the people, not the other way around. Because the future will be — the future will be won by those who unleash the full potential of their people to breathe free, to think freely, to innovate, to educate, to live and love openly without fear.
That’s the soul of democracy. It does not belong to any one country.
I’ve seen it all around the world in the brave men and women who ended apartheid, brought down the Berlin Wall, fight today for freedom and justice and dignity.
We saw it — that universal yearning for rights and freedom — in Venezuela, where millions cast their vote for change. It hasn’t been recognized, but it can’t be denied. The world knows the truth.
We saw it in Uganda LBGT [LGBT] activists demanding safety and recognition of their common humanity.
We see it in citizens across the world peacefully choosing their future — from Ghana to India to South Korea, nations representing one quarter of humanity who will hold elections this year alone.
It’s remarkable, the power of “We the People,” that makes me more optimistic about the future than I’ve ever been since I was first elected to the United States Senate in 1972.
Every age faces its challenges. I saw it as a young man. I see it today.
But we are stronger than we think. We’re stronger together than alone. And what the people call “impossible” is just an illusion.
Nelson Mandela taught us, and I quote, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
My fellow leaders, there is nothing that’s beyond our capacity if we work together. Let’s work together.
God bless you all. And may God protect all those who seek peace.
Thank you. (Applause.)
10:36 A.M. EDT
* * *
Background Press Call on President Biden’s Engagements at UNGA
Via Teleconference
5:33 P.M. EDT
MODERATOR: This is Michael Feldman with the NSC press team. Just as a reminder for today’s call, it is on background and attributable to senior administration officials. The call is also under embargo until 5:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time tomorrow morning.
For awareness and not for attribution, on today’s call we have [senior administration official] and [senior administration official]. I will now turn the call over to [senior administration official] to give some opening remarks. Over to you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Excellent. Thank you. And good evening, everybody. We’re very excited for the President’s trip to this year’s U.N. General Assembly, the last one of his presidency.
So, at meetings at the U.N. this week, we’re going to get a lot of business done for the American people. The President, the Secretary of State, other Cabinet officials, and even some members of Congress are here in New York to advocate for our country’s interests and values.
At the General Assembly, the President will do what he has done throughout his presidency: rally global action to tackle some of our world’s biggest challenges. So, for example, he’ll be talking this week about the climate crisis and the environment. We’ll be talking about the need to strengthen our systems for providing humanitarian assistance; to end brutal wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan; and we’ll also be talking about the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.
When President Biden came to office nearly four years ago, he pledged to restore American leadership on the world stage. And given that this is the President’s last General Assembly, it’s a chance for him to talk about how this approach has produced results, real achievements for the American people and for the world.
The President’s engagements this week reflect his vision for a world where countries come together to solve big problems. This stands in contrast to some of our competitors, who have a more cynical and transactional worldview, one where countries interpret their self-interest very narrowly and don’t work together for the common good.
An overarching theme at this year’s General Assembly will be the need to reform and strengthen our global institutions, including the U.N., to make them more effective and inclusive. And that’s been a big theme of the U.N. Secretary-General’s Summit for the Future, the marquee event at high-level week this year.
Last week, President Biden released a video message ahead of the summit. I encourage you all watch it. You can find it on the Web. In the video, the President spoke about using this moment to reaffirm our commitment to the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And he talked about pushing for a stronger, more effective United Nations and a reformed and expanded Security Council. And he also talked about our efforts, investing billions in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and building on the global consensus that we achieved last spring in the United Nations General Assembly on principles for the use of artificial intelligence.
We’re going into a General Assembly this year with the world facing many steep challenges, problems so big no one country can solve them on their own, but that’s why the President feels so strongly the world needs strong and effective global institutions, including an adapted United Nations. This is his vision of countries working together. It has been a theme of his presidency and an important part of his legacy.
Let me just briefly note the President’s key engagements, and then I’ll turn over to my colleague to discuss the major event that he’s hosting on the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats.
On Tuesday morning, tomorrow, he will deliver and address to the U.N. General Assembly. It will have many of the themes that I’ve mentioned here and talk about — again, some of the achievements of his approach to the United Nations and global cooperation.
The President will also meet tomorrow with U.N. Secretary-General Guterres to talk about how the United States and the United Nations are working together to advance peace, safeguard human rights, and help countries develop.
On Tuesday afternoon, the President will host a summit of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, and I’ll turn over to my colleague in a second to talk about that.
The President is also giving a major address later that afternoon on the urgent need to combat climate change.
On Wednesday, the President will meet with the President of Vietnam, To Lam. The President of Vietnam just came into office four months ago, and this meeting will be an important opportunity for the two leaders to talk about our shared interest in stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia.
The President will also attend, that afternoon, a meeting focused on Ukraine reconstruction with other world leaders.
And then on Wednesday evening, at the Met, the President will host world leaders and senior U.N. officials for a reception.
This is just a small slice of all the diplomacy and business that we’re doing here at the U.N. General Assembly. There’ll be high-level meetings on the future of multilateral cooperation, sea level rise, antimicrobial resistance. Really, every big, major challenge will be addressed here, and we’ll have senior U.S. representatives at all of these main events on issues such as the impact of emerging technology and specific meetings on global crises such as the difficult situation in Haiti, Sudan, Venezuela, Ukraine, Syria, and the Rohingya refugee crisis.
Other U.S.-hosted and U.S.-attended side events will focus on climate; scaling clean energy for Africa; a major core group meeting of countries committed to LGBTQ rights that was attended by the First Lady; and partnering for a lead-free future.
So, again, this is just a small slice of everything that is going on, plus the countless private sector and civil society events focusing on the great challenges of the 21st century.
So, as I mentioned, we’re going to use this high-level week, the President’s last U.N. General Assembly, to get as much done for the American people in the coming days.
I’d like to now turn over to my colleague who will discuss the President’s summit on the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Great. Thanks so much, and thanks to all of you for joining this call.
I wanted to share with you the exciting news that, on Tuesday, President Biden will, as [senior administration official] already said, host a summit of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats. This is a coalition that President Biden launched in June 2023 to mobilize international action to tackle the synthetic drug crisis.
In just over one year, this global coalition has grown to include 158 countries and 15 international organizations working together to prevent the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, to detect emerging drug threats, and to promote effective public health interventions.
With the summit as a motivating force, we now have 11 core coalition countries that will be joining the President tomorrow, and they will be announcing new initiatives that will continue to advance the work of the coalition, including work to prevent, detect, and disrupt the supply chain of synthetic drugs.
It’s important to emphasize that these international efforts complement intensive work that’s already been done and is being done domestically, including an increased focus on coordinated disruption of drug trafficking networks and concerted efforts to make the opioid overdose reversal medication, naloxone, widely available over the counter.
These are just some of a wide array of actions that the Biden-Harris administration has taken to tackle the synthetic drug threats.
And as a result of these efforts, we’re starting to see the largest drop in overdose deaths in recorded history. When President Biden and Vice President Harris came into office, the number of drug overdose deaths was increasing by more than 30 percent year over year. Now we have the latest provisional data released from the Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics, showing an unprecedented decline in overdose deaths of roughly 10 percent from April 2023 to April 2024.
But there’s a lot more to be done, and the Global Coalition’s work recognizes that we need a global solution to a global problem.
We are thrilled that we have so many countries coming together tomorrow to celebrate the work of the coalition, and we also will be announcing a new pledge that all of the core coalition members will be announcing — will be signing on to tomorrow, and we will be working over the coming months to ensure that all coalition members sign on to this pledge.
And we truly think that this is a reflection of President Biden’s commitment to work both domestically and globally on the most important challenges that we face, recognizing that we need both domestic action and global action working together.
And with that, I’ll turn it back to [senior administration official].
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, Michael. I’ll turn it back to you.
MODERATOR: All right. Thank you, [senior administration officials]. All right, with that, we will take some questions.
The first question is going to go to Zeke Miller. You should be able to unmute yourself.
Q Thanks so much for doing this. You mentioned this is the President’s last U.N. of his presidency. He’s going to deliver remarks to the General Assembly tomorrow. Can you give us a preview, potentially, of what his message will be? And will it be different from his prior remarks, in the sense — you know, obviously, world events have changed, but, you know, with an eye towards his legacy? Or is there some message he’s trying to give on the world stage before he leaves office in January? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: You know, the themes I — thanks, Zeke. The themes I previewed at the beginning will be really central to the President. So, again, he came into office four years ago with a vision of America returning to the world stage, having a new way of interacting with other countries, bringing countries together to solve some of these big challenges. This will be a good opportunity for him to look at the results that have been achieved.
We live in a world with many problems, with many divisions, but we have a story to tell about what we’ve done to rally the world to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty, uphold principles of the U.N. Charter; what we’ve done to manage responsibly our competition with other countries including China; and also what we’re doing to deal with the ongoing and serious conflicts in our world in places like Gaza, where the President has worked tirelessly to get a hostage ceasefire deal, and conflicts like Sudan, where you have absolutely unprecedented displacement and a really serious crisis that we think needs to get more attention.
So I think that will be the frame, and I’ll leave the details for the President’s speech tomorrow.
MODERATOR: Great. Thank you very much. Our next question is going to go to Asma Khalid. You should be able to unmute yourself.
Q Yes. Hi. Thanks for doing this. Similarly, sort of on the speech, could I get a sort of broad, I guess, framework or tone that you all are thinking about? I know you say that the President came into office talking about building international coalitions, wanting to rebuild the United States stature on the world, but this is a really different moment than when the President even gave the speech last year, before October 7th. He is now leaving office, and there are multiple sort of intractable problems right now in the world. And can you just kind of give us any sense of tone in how the President is thinking about that and the very limited time he has left to solve them?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, Asma. Look, I think it’s a good question. The world has changed. The world has gotten more difficult in many ways, as you noted.
But, you know, as I said, the President came into office with a vision of how countries need to work together, how they need to work through institutions, how they need to partner to solve big global challenges. And the fact that we do have these challenges, the fact that we do have Gaza, the fact that we do have Ukraine and Sudan, still serious issues in our world, just underscores the need for that kind of cooperation. And I think you’ll hear that in his speech.
Yes, he’ll talk about the significant accomplishments, achievements of his approach, but also talk about how we need the spirit, we need to continue working together to solve these big challenges, whether it is the wars you mentioned or other challenges such as the climate crisis or managing the implications of some of the new technologies.
So I think this will be an important moment to say: Where do we go and what are the principles in which we’re going to solve these problems? Thanks.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much. Our next question is going to go to Paris Huang. You should be able to unmute yourself.
Q All right. Hi. Thank you, Michael. Thank you, [senior administration official]. Two-parts question. So, kind of follow up on the questions from Zeke and Asma. So, of course, we know China and Russia have been heavily influencing the U.N. for years. You know, we see all those voting records. And President Biden have been doing a lot of reform during the four years. Does he believe that those changes will sustain after he leaves the White House?
And second question: In last year’s UNGA remarks, President Biden talked about the peace and stability of Taiwan Strait, which was the first time a U.S. president actually talked about Taiwan at the UNGA. So, will he include Taiwan again in his remarks this year? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks. And I appreciate the question. I think it’s a good question in terms of, you know, have we left the United Nations as an institution better off. I think we do have results, and the President will talk about that. You know, it’s a time of great divisions, and the U.N. has already been — has always been a reflection of the world as it is.
That said, when you look at what we’ve done, including through the United Nations, to, for example, rally the world to defend the U.N. Charter after the Ukrainian invasion, we secured a U.N. General Assembly resolution in which 141 countries stood up and said, “We condemn this, and we stand in favor of the U.N. Charter.”
You’ve also seen a more progressive and forward-leaning position on institutional reform. For example, two years ago, the President announced a shift and a more forward-leaning position in reforming and expanding the United Nations Security Council. And that’s definitely a piece of this well as well.
I won’t get into the details on, you know, specifically what he’ll mention on individual issues, but I will say that an important part of the President’s legacy has been thinking about how we responsibly manage our competition with China, and that includes many facets, economic security, and those will be addressed in the speech.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much. Our next question is going to go to Sheryl Gay Stolberg. You should be able to unmute yourself, Sheryl.
Q Hi. Thank you for doing this call. You know, this is not a political speech, but it does occur in the context of an election in which one of the candidates has an isolationist vision that is far apart, diametrically opposed to that of the President. And I’m wondering, to what extent can the President use this speech to ensure that his own vision of global alliances survives? Is he concerned that that vision will unravel?
And will this speech be in any way directed to the American people, as much as to world leaders, as a reminder of the importance of America’s place in the world?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Look, as you said, this is not a political speech, but the President, again, he has a vision. He came into a vision — into office. That vision has produced results. And there are many opponents and critics of that vision, not just internationally but at home. It has been the President’s view that he needs to explain why this vision of working together with countries to solve these big challenges actually produces results, and that’s actually how we’re going to be measured.
And when I say “produces results,” that means internationally, in terms of ending war, in terms of tackling challenges like sustainable development, the debt crisis, climate, but it also means that he needs to explain how his vision has produced results for the American people. And that’s where I think there’s a very strong record, and some of it is very, very tangible.
For example, the summit on the coalition on synthetic drugs, that is him bringing together countries, all of whom share a challenge — dealing with synthetic drugs — but convening them here, talking about deliverables, talking about how we’re going to work together. And this is something that directly affects the situation of the American public, as my colleague briefed earlier, in terms of the overall record on issues like fentanyl.
So I think he’ll lay that out tomorrow, and I think it will stand as representing that vision and what it’s achieved.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much. We will go to Danny Kemp. You should be able to unmute yourself.
Q Thanks very much for doing this. I just wanted to ask about the current situation in the Middle East. I mean, you know, the speech tomorrow is really going to be a bit overshadowed by the events in Lebanon, where we’ve seen nearly 500 people killed in the space of a day. How’s he going to address that? And more particularly, how will the President be seeking to — will he be talking to other leaders about that? What’s he actually going to be doing at the UNGA more generally to try and get this thing sorted out? Thanks.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: This is one of the advantages of the U.N. General Assembly: You literally have the whole world here. So when you do have crises of the day, they’ll be addressed. And I have no doubt that the situation in the Middle East will be an important theme in a lot of the meetings, not just that the President has, but other senior U.S. officials who will be convening to talk about various aspects of the crisis and what we can do to stabilize the situation.
He will address the Middle East, especially this very, very difficult year that we have all gone through. And again, I think it’s an opportunity to talk about what we have achieved and what we still need to do, given a situation that is just heartbreaking where hostages have not been returned, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and, as you know, just such a sensitive issue, such a delicate and dangerous situation between Israel and Lebanon right now.
Thanks.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much. And unfortunately, that is all the time we have today. Thank you all for joining this call. Thank you to our speakers. And feel free to follow up with our team at the NSC press team with any questions.
And again, this call is under embargo until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow. Thank you all again, and hope you have a great rest of your evening.
5:53 P.M. EDT
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